Walnut, sherry and honey semifreddo
Serves: 8-10
Prep time: 35 minsTotal time: 
Recipe photograph by Emma Lee
Walnut, sherry and honey semifreddo
Semifreddo could not be easier to make, and here, it provides a great example of how just a few Andalusian ingredients can work very well together. Pedro Ximénez is a particularly delicious sweet sherry, but you can leave it out if you’d prefer to go booze-free, or use rum
Serves: 8-10
Prep time: 35 minsTotal time: 
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Nutritional information (per serving)
Calories
385Kcal
Fat
32gr
Saturates
15gr
Carbs
16gr
Sugars
16gr
Fibre
0gr
Protein
6gr
Salt
0.2gr
José Pizarro
Originally from Extremadura, western Spain, José Pizarro is an award-winning chef and bestselling author of five cookbooks. He runs a tapas bar and restaurants in London and Surrey, and recently opened two new restaurants at The Royal Academy of Arts
See more of José Pizarro’s recipes
José Pizarro
Originally from Extremadura, western Spain, José Pizarro is an award-winning chef and bestselling author of five cookbooks. He runs a tapas bar and restaurants in London and Surrey, and recently opened two new restaurants at The Royal Academy of Arts
See more of José Pizarro’s recipes
Ingredients
- 4 medium eggs, separated (this recipe contains raw eggs)
- 2 tbsp Pedro Ximénez sherry
- 100g caster sugar
- 325ml double cream
- 85g walnut halves, plus a handful to serve
- 1 tbsp dark honey (we used Taste the Difference Spanish Forest Honey), plus extra for drizzling
Step by step
Get ahead
Keeps in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Grease a small loaf tin (450g size) with olive oil and line with enough clingfilm so there is extra to hang over the sides.
- Place the egg yolks, sherry and sugar in a medium bowl. Tip the egg whites into a large, dry and clean bowl and pour the cream into another large bowl. In a small frying pan over a medium heat, toast the walnuts until lightly browned, then remove from the heat and crush lightly with the end of a rolling pin while still in the pan. Stir through the honey; it will fizz a little, but make sure it coats the walnuts well. Alternatively, you can toast the walnuts in an oven preheated to 170°C, fan 150°C, gas 3 for 8-10 minutes, before coating in the honey.
- Beat the egg whites to stiff peaks with an electric whisk. With the same whisk, beat the egg yolk mixture until thick and forming a ribbon trail. Then, again with the same whisk, whip the cream to soft peaks.
- With a large metal spoon, fold the cream into the egg yolk mixture, then gently fold in the egg whites until combined. Stir in the honeyed walnuts and spoon into the lined loaf tin, right to the top of the tin. Loosely lay a sheet of clingfilm over the top and then cover with a sheet of foil. Place in the freezer for a minimum of 5 hours before serving or until set; it will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.
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To serve, toast a handful of walnut halves in a small frying pan over a medium heat or in the oven as above and allow to cool a little. Turn out the semifreddo (you may need to leave it out at room temperature for a while first), peeling away the clingfilm, and lift onto a board or platter. Top with toasted walnut halves and a good drizzle of dark honey.
Recipe adapted from Andalusia: Recipes From Seville And Beyond by José Pizarro (Hardie Grant, £25)
