Cantaloupe Grappa Semifreddo

After seeing the reviews, I modified the recipe slightly. I used six egg yolks and reduced the alcohol to 2 tablespoons. I couldn’t find grappa, so I used Suze. The result was the perfect semifreddo texture and a delicate cantaloupe flavor. The Suze cut the sweetness just a bit and added an interesting note. My guide for semifreddo is Giada di Laurentiis’ lemoncello version.

• Marilyn Farley

• Fairfield CAr

• 8/4/2022

I'm an experienced cook and I made this, following the recipe exactly. I was extremely disappointed with the results, which were icy and grainy. It was also annoying that the recipe made more than would fit in the specified mold. The next day I ran it through my blender and churned it in my ice cream maker, which produced an acceptable cantaloupe ice cream.

• Anonymous

• Athens, GA

• 8/2/2020

The taste of this is somewhat surprising, and quite subtle. I paired this with the popular "Crack Pie" and a lemon-buttermilk ice cream for a dinner party. Personally, I had been blown away by the amazing lemon flavor of the other recipe, but I got more comments on THIS recipe. I did spring for the Moscato d'Asti grappa, which was a challenge to even find. Some logistics; this makes a VERY billowy mousse, and my poor little double boiler insert was NOT up to the challenge. When it says it triples in volume, just look at how full your pan begins when you start with a pound of pureed cantaloupe and all those egg yolks! You're going to be overflowing if you're not careful. I ended up sacrificing my ice bath bowl to pour the mousse mixture into, which then made the chilling down portion take longer than it should have. Still, the texture came out quite nice when sliced, and the color stayed a very subtle shade of orange-pink, just like the picture. I did add the tiny bit of grenadine as suggested.

• deliusfan

• Sarasota, FL

• 8/31/2011

I made this with a perfectly ripe cantaloupe - once the cantaloupe mixture was combined with the cream, I froze it in an ice cream freezer for a lighter texture - it was creamy and delicious. The hint of grappa was the perfect complement to the sweet melon. Be sure to use a ripe, in-season melon and good quality grappa.

• Anonymous

• Rochester, NY

• 10/19/2009

This isn't my first semifreddo, but this was just a disaster to make. The cantaloupe mix seemed to be too much for the final loaf pan, there seemed to be too little cream, and the whole thing wound up being to crystalized instead of creamy.

• Just_Some_Guy

• Seattle

• 9/11/2009

this is a lovely dessert. i made it the day before a dinner party in a round loaf pan, froze it, and served it the next night in a pie slice shape, paired with grappa. the final result was more coral- colored than the grayish picture suggests.

• iromania

• los angeles

• 8/12/2009