Happy first day of fall! But actually, happy pumpkin spice season!!!!!!
H8 all ya want, there is not a single soul on this planet who dislikes pumpkin spice. And this year, pumpkin spice season brought on another transition—moving in with boy!
Like I wrote before, I’ve been really looking forward to having my own space to cook and have friends over (and living with Orlando too, lol <3). Now that we’re mostly settled in (he will argue that we aren’t cuz we have no art on the walls), it’s been happening in full force. I’m cooking nearly every night, we’re having housewarmings, and there is a boundless supply of Frooti juice boxes #ifyouknowyouknow.
It’s not always warm and fuzzy during pumpkin spice season though. Living with a partner is hard! We’re still adjusting to the sleep schedules (I’m maniacal about at least 8 hours a night until the marathon is done), chores, and all the other good stuff it takes to maintain a household. ADULTING.
One thing we do agree on, amongst other things, is the presence of good ice cream. Except I don’t have an ice cream maker (RIP KitchenAid attachment), so I made this pumpkin spice semifreddo recipe.
Semifreddo is a no-churn, creamy frozen dessert. It’s lighter than ice cream, tasting and feeling almost like a mousse. Most of the restaurants I worked at were Italian or California-Italian themed, so I learned how to make semifreddos there—whipping the cream, yolks, and whites, and folding everything together to create a pillowy bowl of sweetness. I learned the ratios of eggs to cream, and later how to add substitutes to play with flavor; in this pumpkin spice semifreddo recipe, I add some Greek yogurt for tang. Most importantly, I learned to keep every single thing cold at all time. Semifreddo means semi-frozen, but you still need all your shit cold for this to work.
In honor of fall, transitions, and hanging my jacket up as soon as I get home, here we are. Serve your pumpkin spice semifreddo plain or with graham cracker streusel like I did. Add slices of fresh fall fruit, like figs. Drizzle with honey. And get excited for what’s next.
Pumpkin Spice Semifreddo with Graham Cracker Streusel
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- Prep Time: 30m
- Cook Time: 6h
- Total Time: 6h 30m
- Serves: 12
- Yield: 1 loaf of semifreddo
Ingredients
- 4 eggs, separated
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup cold heavy cream
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 3/4 teaspoon ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/2 vanilla bean, seeds scooped out
- 1/2 cup Greek yogurt (I prefer 2%)
- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
- 250 grams graham cracker crumbs
- 30 grams molasses
- 6 tablespoons butter, melted
Instructions
- Line a loaf pan with parchment paper or plastic wrap and keep in the freezer until ready to use. I prefer parchment as it makes the final product look cleaner.
- Whip the cream until stiff peaks form. Transfer to a large bowl, and keep in the fridge until ready to use.
- Whip the yolks and sugar on high until pale and tripled in volume, around 5-7 minutes. Add in the spices and vanilla been seeds. Reduce speed to medium and add yogurt and pumpkin until well blended. Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate until ready to use.
- In a dry, clean bowl, beat egg whites until stiff and glossy, about 5 minutes.
- Fold the egg yolk mixture into the heavy cream. Then add the egg whites and fold until well combined and there are no streaks of anything left.
- Pour into the prepared, lined pan and freeze until solid.
- In the meantime, mix together the graham cracker crumbs, molasses, and butter with a whisk, smashing it around so everything is distributed evenly. Store in a mason jar in the freezer.
- When ready to serve, invert the semifreddo onto a long platter, and remove the parchment paper or plastic wrap. Cut into slices, and serve with graham cracker streusel and fresh fruit (I used figs, cuz fall).
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