Mango Semifreddo with Salted Pistachios

Mangoes are my first love!Being an Indian, I have grown up eating Mangoes, more than any other fruit, and the best of the lot in umpteen varieties. My dad and I shared the same passion of eating mangoes- morning, noon and night. And NO!! No Kidding!! I can still manage to pull it off, if only I can manage to get the tastier ones. This is an Italian dessert with an Indian twist. Semifreddo in Italian translates to 'half cold'. Semifreddo tastes very much like ice cream except that you don’t need an ice cream maker to make this.

I have made and eaten Semifreddos for a while now. They make for wonderful desserts. You can make this using Canned Mango Pulp (If using this, I prefer canned version that you find in Indian stores) or you can remove the pulp from 3 mangoes to make a little over a cup. Of course the size of the mangoes will vary the yield of the pulp but the juiciest ones are those that are small to mid sized. For those who are first timers with buying Mangoes/juicing them, I suggest you use the canned version. You can also use the Nectars that you get in the Food Stores but the taste will alter. I add Cardamom Powder and Saffron Threads to bring out the Indian flavors. This is one decadent dessert and its hard to make it sound anything but tempting.

• Toast the Pistachios in a pan on low to medium heat for 2 minutes by continuously swirling the pan such that the nuts don’t get burnt.
• Set them aside Separate the eggs from egg white in separate bowls.
• Beat the egg yolks with Sugar until thick and pale yellow.
• Mix in the Mango pulp gently In a separate bowl, whip the heavy cream on medium speed for about 4 minutes until soft and thick; Don’t over beat the cream
• Combine the cream mixture with egg yolks' mixture
• In a dry and a separate bowl,beat the egg whites on medium speed until soft peaks form
• Adding a tablespoon sugar at a time, continue beating on high speed until firm peaks form similar to a meringue
• Fold in the egg whites into the Egg yolks and Cream mixture very gently
• Stir in the Cardamom Powder,Saffron threads and Pistachios, if using.
• Line a loaf pan with Parchment Paper.
• With an inch and a half overhang, line the loaf pan with a plastic wrap
• Pour the Mango mixture into the prepared pan
• Freeze for at least 6 hours
• To remove the Semifreddo, invert the pan slowly onto a plate
• If it is difficult to remove it, slowly run warm water on the bottom of the pan.
• Cut into slices and serve  
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