Roasted Peach Semifreddo with Pistachios
A sliceable frozen peach dessert: whipped cream and egg yolks folded together, layered with roasted peaches and finished with pistachios. Make it ahead and slice straight from the freezer.
Roasting the peaches first concentrates their flavour and drives off some water, which matters in a frozen dessert: too much juice and you get ice crystals instead of a smooth slice. The pistachios are there for crunch against all that cream. This needs several hours in the freezer, so start it the day before you plan to serve it.
Ingredients
- 4 ripe but firm peaches, halved and stoned
- 2 tablespoons honey, plus 60 g for the base
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 3 large egg yolks
- 60 g caster sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 300 ml double cream (heavy cream), cold
- 60 g shelled pistachios, roughly chopped
- A pinch of fine sea salt
- To serve: extra roasted peach wedges and a drizzle of honey
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 200°C (400°F). Toss the peach halves with the 2 tablespoons honey and the lemon juice, lay them cut-side up in a baking dish and roast for 12-15 minutes until tender and sticky at the edges. Cool completely, then slice two of them into thin wedges and roughly chop the rest.
- Line a 900 g (2 lb) loaf tin with two long strips of baking paper so they overhang the sides — this makes the semifreddo easy to lift out later.
- Set a heatproof bowl over a pan of barely simmering water, making sure the base does not touch the water. Whisk the egg yolks, caster sugar and vanilla for 6-8 minutes until pale, thick and doubled in volume. Lift the bowl off the heat and keep whisking for a minute to cool it slightly.
- In a separate cold bowl, whip the cream to soft peaks — it should droop gently from the whisk, not stand stiff.
- Fold a third of the cream into the yolk mixture to loosen it, then fold in the rest in two additions, using big sweeping strokes and stopping as soon as no streaks remain. Add the pinch of salt.
- Spoon a third of the mixture into the lined tin. Scatter over half the chopped roast peaches and a third of the pistachios, then repeat with another third of the cream and the remaining peaches. Finish with the last of the cream, level the top and press the reserved peach wedges lightly into the surface. Scatter over the remaining pistachios.
- Cover with cling film and freeze for at least 6 hours, or overnight, until firm.
- To serve, lift the semifreddo out by the paper, peel it away and cut into thick slices with a knife dipped in hot water and wiped dry between cuts.
Cook’s tips
- Chill your bowl and whisk in the freezer for 10 minutes before whipping — the cream holds peaks much faster.
- Don't overwhip. Grainy cream gives a dense semifreddo instead of a light, airy one.
- Roast the peaches until the edges caramelise; that browning is where the flavour comes from.
- Let a slice sit for 2-3 minutes on the plate before eating. It tastes sweeter and creamier slightly softened.
Substitutions
- Nectarines or apricots roast beautifully in place of peaches.
- Toasted almonds or hazelnuts work in place of pistachios.
- For a no-egg version, fold whipped cream into a sweetened mascarpone base instead of the yolk mixture, and serve it a little softer.
Storage & reheating
Keep the semifreddo wrapped in the tin in the freezer for up to 2 weeks. Any offcuts can be pressed back into the tin and refrozen. It is served from frozen, not thawed — thawing turns it to liquid cream.
FAQ
What is a semifreddo?
Semifreddo is an Italian frozen dessert — usually whipped cream folded into a sweetened egg yolk base — that is frozen in a mould rather than churned, giving a soft, sliceable texture.
Why roast the peaches first?
Roasting concentrates their flavour and removes excess water. Too much juice in the mixture freezes into icy crystals instead of a smooth slice.
Can I make semifreddo without a loaf tin?
Yes. Any freezer-safe mould works — a small cake tin, a terrine dish, or even individual ramekins, which firm up in about 3 hours.
Do I need an ice cream maker?
No. Semifreddo is deliberately unchurned; the air comes from whipping the yolks and cream.
