Description
Cranberry Orange Semifreddo Hearts are a festive and luscious frozen dessert combining tart cranberries, bright orange flavors, and a creamy custard base. This semifreddo mousse is gently folded with whipped cream, poured into charming heart-shaped molds, and frozen to create a refreshing, elegant treat perfect for holidays or special occasions.
Ingredients
Scale
Fruit Mixture
- 10 ounces dried cranberries
- 2/3 cup cran-apple juice
- 1/3 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
Custard Base
- 1 1/2 cups half-and-half
- 4 large egg yolks
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 pinch of salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Whipped Cream
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
Instructions
- Simmer Cranberries: Place the dried cranberries, cran-apple juice, orange juice, and orange zest in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and cover. Simmer for 12-15 minutes until most liquid evaporates and cranberries are plump.
- Reserve and Puree Cranberries: Remove the pan from heat. Reserve 2/3 cup of the plump whole cranberries separately. Puree the remaining cranberries using a food processor or blender until smooth. If using an immersion blender, puree directly in the pan and leave in the food processor for next steps.
- Heat Half-and-Half: Pour half-and-half into the saucepan and heat over medium until it just begins to boil.
- Prepare Egg Mixture: In a separate bowl, whisk together egg yolks, sugar, and salt until light and fluffy. While whisking constantly, slowly add about 1/3 of the hot half-and-half to temper the eggs.
- Cook Custard: Pour the egg mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining half-and-half. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until the custard thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon, approximately 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract.
- Combine Custard with Cranberry Puree: Pour the warm custard over the cranberry puree in the food processor or blender and pulse until the mixture is smooth.
- Fold in Whole Cranberries: Transfer the cranberry custard to a large bowl and gently fold in the reserved whole cranberries.
- Chill Mixture: Cool the mixture in an ice bath or refrigerator until well chilled.
- Whip Cream: In a separate large bowl, whip the heavy cream until stiff peaks form.
- Fold Whipped Cream: Gently fold the whipped cream into the chilled cranberry custard mixture until fully incorporated.
- Fill Molds and Freeze: Spoon the semifreddo mousse into heart-shaped silicone molds. Freeze for at least 4 hours until set.
- Unmold and Serve: To unmold, dip the bottom of the molds briefly in warm water for about 20 seconds to release the semifreddo hearts cleanly. Keep frozen until serving.
Notes
- Be sure to simmer the cranberries slowly to allow them to plump and soften without burning.
- Tempering the egg yolks with hot half-and-half prevents them from scrambling during custard cooking.
- Folding in whipped cream gently keeps the semifreddo light and airy.
- If you don’t have heart-shaped molds, any silicone mold will work for freezing the semifreddo.
- Serve semifreddo hearts chilled straight from the freezer for best texture and flavor.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: No-Cook
- Cuisine: American
