semifreddo al croccante di nocciole
for 6
650 ml double cream
900 ml milk
8 large, organic free-range egg yolks
175 g caster sugar
120 ml Frangelico (hazelnut liqueur)
praline
300 g shelled hazelnuts with skins
225 g caster sugar
Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas 6. Place the hazelnuts in a cake tray and roast for 5–6 minutes. Place on a cloth, cover and rub to loosen the skins. Shake off the skins in a sieve. Return the nuts to the tray and roast until chestnut brown, about 4–5 more minutes. Place on oiled paper. Dissolve the sugar in 150 ml water and bring to the boil, cooking until it turns dark caramel. Pour over the nuts and cool until solid. Break up the praline in a food processor as finely as possible.
To make the custard base, combine 300 ml of the cream and all the milk in a thick-bottomed saucepan and heat until just below boiling point. Remove from the heat. Whisk the egg yolks with the sugar until pale, about 5 minutes. Mix a cup of the hot cream mixture into the egg yolks, then transfer the whole lot back into the pan. Cook over a low flame, stirring constantly. Remove when the mixture has thickened and coats the back of a spoon. Pour into a bowl and allow to cool.
Stir the cooled praline powder into the cooled semifreddo mixture, then pour through a fine sieve. Put any bits of praline remaining in the sieve back into the pan with a ladle of semifreddo mix and cook, stirring, to loosen and gather final flavour. Sieve back into the semifreddo mixture. Put into an ice-cream machine and churn until softly frozen. Lightly beat the remaining double cream to the soft ribbon stage and fold in the Frangelico. Mix into the semifreddo and return to the freezer until set. Serve in bowls, as semifreddo is always softer than ice-cream.