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Passionfruit-white chocolate semifreddo sandwiches

The striking colour of this passionfruit semifreddo only adds to the fun of an ice-cream sandwich. We've added wattleseed and macadamia nuts to our biscuits for extra texture and Australian flavour.

By Emma Knowles
  • 30 mins preparation
  • 20 mins cooking plus freezing, cooling
  • Makes 10
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Their vines may no longer trail over every second suburban back fence, but we're still the lucky country when it comes to passionfruit – they're cheap and plentiful right now, and full of glorious flavour, which sings brightly here. Begin this recipe a day ahead to make the semifreddo.

Ingredients

  • Finely grated white chocolate, for coating
  • Finely chopped roasted macadamia nuts, for coating
Passionfruit-white chocolate semifreddo
  • 8 egg yolks
  • 250 ml (1 cup) passionfruit juice (see note)
  • 80 gm caster sugar
  • 400 ml thickened cream
  • 150 gm white chocolate, melted
Wattleseed biscuits
  • 125 gm softened butter
  • 180 gm brown sugar
  • 180 gm caster sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 400 gm (2⅔ cups) plain flour
  • 80 ml (⅓ cup) milk
  • 60 gm macadamia nuts, coarsely chopped
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 2 tsp ground wattleseed (see note)
  • Sifted pure icing sugar, for dusting

Method

  • 1
    For passionfruit semifreddo, whisk yolks in an electric mixer until pale and fluffy (5-7 minutes). Meanwhile, simmer passionfruit juice and sugar in a small saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve sugar, until syrupy (4-5 minutes). Whisking continuously, add syrup to yolks in a thin steady stream, and whisk until cooled to room temperature (8-10 minutes). Whisk cream until soft peaks forms, fold in melted chocolate, then fold in passionfruit mixture. Spread into a 25cm x 34cm tray lined with baking paper and freeze until firm (overnight).
  • 2
    Meanwhile, for wattleseed biscuits, preheat oven to 180°C and line several baking trays with baking paper. Beat butter, brown sugar and caster sugar in an electric mixer until light and fluffy (4-5 minutes). Beat in eggs, then stir in flour, milk, nuts, baking powder, wattleseed and a pinch of salt. Refrigerate until firm (1 hour), then roll heaped tablespoonfuls of the dough into balls. Roll each ball in icing sugar to coat thickly, place on baking trays and flatten with the palm of your hand, leaving 5cm between each for biscuits to spread. Bake, swapping trays halfway through cooking, until light golden (10-15 minutes), cool on trays for 10 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Store in an airtight container for up to a week.
  • 3
    Cut out rounds of semifreddo with a cutter the same size as biscuits (about 8cm diameter) and sandwich between biscuits, then roll sides in chocolate or macadamia or leave plain and freeze on a tray until firm (1-2 hours). Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

Notes

For passionfruit juice, process pulp (for 250ml juice you'll need about 18 passionfruit) in a food processor, then strain through a sieve. Ground wattleseed is available from The Essential Ingredient, Herbies Spices (and online at herbies.com.au) and outbackpride.com.au.