Yogurt Raspberry Semifreddo for your Valentine

How more exciting can it get than jetting off to Paris to spend a fab weekend in the most romantic city in the world?
With a plane almost entirely taken over by couples talking in whispers, holding red roses and some even heart shaped “Be my Valentine” balloons, off I went holding hands, looking flushed to spend a weekend of love many years ago.

A dating plane that was.

Of course during that weekend I made the most of it by visiting refined French restaurants, drinking flutes of Champagne, gorging on fab patisserie which looked like jewels in shop’s windows and even buying sexy French lingerie to keep as a souvenir of my holiday (and never to be worn again!). Well, I guess it went with the whole Paris thing. Good, but far too commercial.

These days with no hesitation, for St. Valentine home is the place to be.

There is something extra special in cooking a special meal for your loved one which can mean so much more than just getting out your credit card to pay for a romantic weekend or for a meal a deux.

And yes, let’s get that good bottle of Prosecco out, let’s get some gigantic prawnies or the best juicy steak you can afford and oh..even candles would do; let’s make a big fuss out of Valentine. Cheesy? Very likely, but very satisfying indeed.

This year I am going with the “Valentine theme” with a pink raspberry semi-freddo. Which is a half frozen Italian dessert. Delicious and refreshing. It is easy to make and you can decorate it as you like; perfect after a rich (home cooked!) Valentine dinner!

• Prep Time : 20 minutes
• Cook Time : 10 min + 8 hours freezing time minutes

Ingredients

• double cream – 300 ml – 10 fluid oz
• the juice of half a lemon
• greek yogurt – 200 g – 3/4 cup
• chocolate chips – 4 tbsp
• sugar – 6 tbsp
• raspberries – 200 g – 1 + 5/8 cup
• fresh roses
• freeze dried raspberries to decorate
• edible pink sparkle

Instructions

Whiz 150 g of raspberries and reduce them into a puree. Pour the puree into a sauce pan, add 2 tbsp of sugar and the juice of half a lemon. Bring to the boil and cook for 8-10 minutes until the fruit has reduced.

Sieve the puree in a strainer to remove any seeds

Whip the cream, add the remaining sugar, the chocolate chips and the yogurt. Let the raspberry puree cool down then add it to the cream mixture and stir well. Leave 2 or 3 tbsp of whipped cream aside for the decoration

Pour the mixture in a mould, level well with a spoon or with a spatula and place in the freezer for about 8 hours. It needs to solidify well

Take the semifreddo out of the freezer and let it defrost for 30 minutes. Then turn the mould upside down on a flat dish and release the semifreddo. Whip the remaining cream; decorate your dessert with the cream, with the fresh raspberries and with the freeze dried ones; use some pink edible sparkle if you like. A few rose petals scattered all around will make it even more romantic!

BUON SAN VALENTINO!

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