How to Make Ice Cream Without the Machine

Anyone who happens to live in Oklahoma knows that Summer time has finally arrived and it's hot. After three months of rain, here in central Oklahoma, rainfall amounts have already topped our yearly average, the temperature for the last eight days has been at one hundred degrees or even a little warmer. Throw in a twelve to fifteen mile an hour breeze from the southwest and you have, what around my house we like to call, the hairdryer effect. With weather like this you've probably developed a craving, over the better part of the week, that you just can't quite get a handle on, and then you have that ultimate epiphany. You want some luscious, melt in your mouth homemade ice cream. But you can't remember where your ice cream maker is or whether or not it even works. Panic starts to set in. What to do? Try making a little known concoction called Semifreddo. You can forget the ice cream maker, its probably missing parts anyway. Not to mention it takes a lot of hard work and time to get that perfect frozen treat!

Semifreddo is an Italian word meaning "half cold". This partially frozen mixture is made by chilling light custard in your regular freezer. You don't need and ice cream making machine. There are several ways to keep the custard from becoming a hard brick. You can add meringue, whipped eggs or whipped cream. There are also a few versions that call for something called and Italian meringue which is actually just egg whites and whipped cream. Folding the concoction allows for the incorporation of air into the mixture to keep it light. Essentially, by folding the custard and air a softer, less compact mixture is created. This isn't hard ice cream. It's more of a frozen mousse texture. Think frozen whipped yogurt. It melts more quickly than regular ice cream and makes for a tantalizing taste sensation. This frozen dessert is easy to make and easy to enjoy.