Gin and Tonic Semifreddo (V) from COOK: Serve Up Joy

By Erin Brown
Related Categories: Cookbook Confidential

“When the craft gin boom was just kicking off, we came up with this twist on the classic Italian frozen dessert (semifreddo means semi-frozen), and it was an instant bestseller. Liz spent an afternoon making and sampling a few, by the end of which she was a little bit pickled and couldn’t tell whether any of them tasted of gin or not! in the cook kitchen, we use lemon gin to bring an extra zing – the type of gin you use will, of course, affect the flavour. this basic parfait recipe can be adapted for just about anything…” The COOK Kitchen, authors of COOK: Serve Up Joy

For the Parfait

2 egg whites

100g (3.oz) caster sugar

250ml (9fl oz) whipping cream

45ml (3 tablespoons) gin of choice

2 tablespoons lemon juice

Grated zest of 1 lemon

Grated zest of 1 lime

For the Lemon Swirl

40g (1.oz) lemon curd

1 teaspoon gin of your choice

1 teaspoon tonic water (optional)

For the topping

Grated zest of 1 lime

Grated zest of 1 lemon

Line a 1 litre (1. pint) loaf tin with clingfilm.

Place the egg whites in a free-standing mixer with a whisk attachment, or use a large mixing bowl and an electric hand whisk. Whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks are formed, then add the sugar, one-quarter at a time, beating well for 1 minute between each addition until glossy, thick and holding its shape.

In a separate bowl, lightly whip the cream to very soft peaks (be careful not to overwhip as the cream will thicken more when the lemon juice is added). Fold in the gin, lemon juice and lemon and lime zest. Gently fold the cream into the meringue mix. Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin.

In a small bowl, mix together the lemon swirl ingredients. Spoon little blobs over the parfait and use the tip of a teaspoon to swirl in a pattern. Scatter the lime and lemon zest over the top.

Cover the parfait lightly with clingfilm and place in the freezer overnight. Either serve straight from the freezer or allow the parfait to sit at room temperature for 10 minutes first. Slice and serve.