Let’s start 2012 on a slower note. A sweeter note.
Let’s take beautiful, ruby-like pomegranate seeds and sweetly tart raspberries and puree them together into a sweet, fragrant syrup. Let’s give into temptation and take a couple spoonfuls straight out of the bowl.
Let’s take that beautiful crimson syrup and whisk it together with sugar, egg yolks and butter. And whisk it. And whisk it. And whisk it. And whisk a little more, until that syrup becomes thick and light and velvety. Let’s again take a couple of spoonfuls. We deserve a reward after all that whisking. Trust me.
Folding our raspberry-pomegranate curd into a rich eggy custard. Watching the deep red and soft cream swirl and curl and fold around each other, until we have a beautiful, thick, pinky mixture just begging to be frozen. This is going to be so worth it. Can you feel it?
Ooh.
Ahh.
Oh, it was worth it. It was SO worth it my friends. Happy New Year. THG
Raspberry-Pomegranate Semifreddo
For the curd:
1 pomegranate, seeded
2 cups frozen raspberries, thawed
6 egg yolks
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cubed
For the custard:
1 cup sugar, divided
8 egg yolks
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
1 cup heavy cream
In a blender, puree the pomegranate seeds and thawed raspberries. Strain through a fine mesh sieve or cheesecloth and discard the seeds. In a double boiler, combine 1 cup of puree, egg yolks and sugar over medium heat. Whisk constantly until mixture thickens, about 10 minutes. Immediately transfer to a stainless steel bowl. Whisk in butter, 1 Tbsp. at a time until all melted. Refrigerate.
For the custard, add 1/2 cup sugar, egg yolks, vanilla extract and salt to double boiler and heat over medium. Whisk until mixture thickens and temperature on candy thermometer reaches 160ºF. Immediately set over an ice bath to cool to room temperature.
In the meantime, whip heavy cream and remaining 1/2 cup sugar to stiff peaks. Fold into egg mixture. Loosely fold in the curd until it is swirled throughout but not thoroughly mixed. Pour into individual custard cups or ramekins. Freeze until set, at least 4 hours. Garnish with pomegranate seeds.
Serves 6-8