It’s National Ice Cream Month, which we interpret to include all frozen desserts. There is no National Frozen Yogurt Month, No Sherbet/Sorbet Month.

The history of frozen desserts dates back to 2000 B.C.E. when the Chinese used syrups to flavor snow. Fruit juices were turned into fruit ices. Honey and aromatic spices expanded the menu of flavors.

So, the first frozen dessert was more sorbet than ice cream. Here’s the history of ice cream.

Since ice cream is one of our favorite foods, we created a glossary of the different types of ice cream 10 years ago. Today’s tip, straight from the glossary, is to make a semifreddo.

You don’t need an ice cream machine to make semifreddo. As with granita, it is often made in a loaf pan or even an ice cube tray.

Semifreddo is the word for “half cold” in Italian; frozen soufflé is the English term. Semifreddo may look like ice cream but it is more of a frozen mousse, created by combining equal parts of ice cream and whipped cream. It is frozen in a pan or other container, then sliced and served.

Semifreddo is a special occasion or party dessert that you can prepare ahead of time. The elegant Strawberry-Pistachio Semifreddo recipe below is from Safest Choice Pasteurized Eggs.

Since the recipe uses raw eggs, pasteurized eggs are a worry-free solution (here’s more about pasteurized eggs and the 12 popular foods where you should consider them to eliminate the Salmonella risk).
 
 
> The different types of frozen desserts: a glossary.
 

RECIPE: STRAWBERRY-PISTACHIO SEMIFREDDO

Prep time is 25 minutes; allow another 12 hours for freezing. You can make and freeze the semifreddo up to three days in advance.

You can use a different fruit, replace the nuts, etc. (we just made a raspberry-chocolate chip semifreddo adapting this recipe, and replaced the vanilla extract with Chambord raspberry liqueur). You can also be trendy, as in this recipe for Chocolate Semifreddo with Chile-Chocolate Sauce.

You can also garnish with nuts, sliced fruit, chocolate shavings, crushed cookies or candies, and sauces: chocolate sauce, custard sauce, fruit sauce, whipped cream, etc. You can also top it with meringue, Baked Alaska-style.

Check out the different types of dessert sauces in our Dessert Sauce Glossary.

 
Preparation

1. LINE a 9×5-inch loaf pan with plastic wrap, leaving a 2-inch overhang on all sides.

2. PLACE the strawberries in a food processor or blender. Add 1/3 cup of the sugar; process until the berries are puréed and set aside.

3. BEAT the cream and 1/3 cup of the sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer on high speed, just until stiff peaks form. Set aside.

4. BEAT the egg yolks with the remaining 1/3 cup sugar in a separate large bowl, until pale yellow and tripled in volume. Add the vanilla. Fold the whipped cream into yolks. Stir in the pistachios.

5. POUR half of the egg mixture into the loaf pan. Top with half of the strawberry purée. Use a small spatula to swirl the purée into the egg mixture. Repeat with the remaining egg mixture and strawberry purée.

6. SMOOTH the top with a spatula and cover with plastic wrap. Freeze until firm, about 12 hours. To serve, remove the plastic wrap and invert the semifreddo onto a clean cutting board. Cut into 1/2-inch thick slices. Garnish as desired and serve.