Canditi semifreddo - a bright Christmas ice cream

Why I’ll never make another Christmas pudding, some citrus solace and laying the table

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A couple of weeks ago a big box of citrus arrived in my kitchen - lemons, oranges, limes, bergamots, green kumquats and grapefruits. Citrus means Christmas to me. The bowls of lemons and clementines on my counter get lead character roles in my December.

I’ve been working my way through the box making late-night marmalade, I used pink-tinged Cara Cara oranges and Meyer lemons. Some were eaten for breakfast with yoghurt, maple syrup and granola. And the rest I candied. Amidst all the things to do that come with Christmas I’ve been finding calm in a big vat of simmering oranges. Citrus solace. It's how I get my kicks.

Candied peel most often comes out at Christmas - mince pies, Christmas pudding, Christmas cake. While I can get behind all of these I don’t think any of them allow the citrus to shine in the way it should. I want brightness, lightness, and freshness in December.

Growing up Mum would always buy a Christmas pudding. It would never get eaten on Christmas day. It would sit in the cupboard above the microwave until around March when my Mum and Dad would eat it out of season with cold cream. It is the opposite of what I want to eat after a big meal. Christmas pudding is not something I crave or desire.

This semifreddo is what I desire. It's cold, it's light, it's fluffy, it's got a lot of bright citrus, some chocolate and a tiny hint of spice (the cardamon makes it).

A semifreddo, if you don't already know, means semi-frozen, think of it as a sliceable ice cream cake. A semifreddo is an easy way to make ice cream without a machine. By whisking the cream and egg whites you get an airy and light texture without an ice cream machine.

Semifreddos are always studded with extras - fruit, dried or candied, chocolate and nuts which makes for interesting crunch and texture against the cloud-like creaminess. It’s the sort of dessert I live for.

For a while I worked as the pastry chef in a restaurant in Tuscany and I’d make semifreddo every day. After a few months I’d mastered the the art of it - the ratios of fruit and chocolate to cream, the perfect degree of whipping, the textures which work best and I’d fallen in love with semifreddo. This brings in all the flavours of the favourite one I made in that kitchen with a few tweaks from my friend and cook El Kemp who I made this with.

Onto the candied peel, or canditi if you are in Italy. It is a more recent love of mine. I’ve been making my own which is, to me a really fun way to spend a few hours and makes my house smell unreal. While I can 10/10 recommend an afternoon of citrus candying, I appreciate that it's not something everyone will get a kick out of, so you absolutely can buy it. The best stuff comes in whole pieces from Italian delis for you to chop yourself but the pre-chopped stuff is also absolutely fine. If your candied peel lacks punch you could always pep it up with some more finely grated lemon or orange zest.

A semifreddo is also the perfect make-ahead pudding, in fact, it's the very essence of the recipe. It's so easy, requires no special equipment and will sit happily in your freezer for a couple of weeks. All you need to do is remember to take it out of the freezer 10 minutes or so before cutting it.

This is not a recipe that I’ve tried without eggs and dairy, both are integral to the structure and flavour, as ever I encourage you to buy the best you can from farms and dairies you trust.

As well this week as well I’ve got a video for you of how I lay my Christmas table, it’s a guide and it’s the table I will be laying. I lay the table with things I already have in my kitchen (and I am sure most of you do too). So nothing extra to spend on or buy. Having the table laid makes me feel calm and together, even if I am not.

A small Christmas token for everyone - a playlist I’ve been putting together of actually good Christmas music (it does exist, I promise).

And finally, at the bottom of this article, for paid subscribers - some hand-painted (by me) menu cards and some lemon place names you can print out for your won Christmas table. All very Christmas Elf/Blue Peter.

That’s it from me until after Christmas when I’ve got a very quick corner shop pasta which I hope will help fill the days between. Thank you for being here for cooking my recipes for those you love, it continues to fill my heart up.

I hope your roast potatoes are crisp and your gravy is plentiful,

Happy Christmas,

Anna x

Canditi semifreddo

Semifreddo means semi frozen and is sliceable simple no-churn ice cream. This is a version I used to make when I worked as a chef in Tuscany with a little more spice. Its celebratory and studded with colour from the candied citrus peel jewels, pistachios and chocolate chunks. If you don't have marsala wine then a dark sherry like oloroso, Madeira or white vermouth would all work.

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For my paying subscribers:

- how to candy peel
- a video on setting my Christmas table
- printable goodies