Almond Semifreddo (LC, GF, SF)

When I was young, my mother used to make a special occasion dessert she called “Brandy Surprise”. It was a light, semi-frozen, creamy dessert that had ground almonds and candied cherries in it with a hint of alcohol. I’m not sure if there ever was a recipe. I have no recollection of it and if there was, I never found it. I do however, remember at least two occasions where this was served!

This is my low-carb recreation of that dessert!

 

 

Ingredients:

3/4 cup sugar substitute (I use 1/2 cup of erythritol, and a couple of drops of stevia extract)

3 tbsp. sugar-free Amaretto or 2 tbsp. Brandy (if you’d like to go without the alcohol, just replace with sugar-free syrup)

3/4 cup almond flour

3 egg yolks

1 egg

1 cup of heavy whipping cream

1/8 tsp glucomanan powder

 

Preparation:

In a double boiler combine the egg yolks, egg, alcohol and sugar substitutes and under constant whisking gently cook until thick and pale. Be sure to go around the edge frequently, so your eggs don’t scramble!

Set aside to cool.

In the mean time, whip the heavy cream to soft peaks and while still whipping, drizzle in the glucomanan powder. Beat to stiff peaks. Gently whip in the almond flour.

Fold in the cooled egg mix until well combined.

Turn the mixture out into a glass serving dish, loaf pan or shallow bowl. Smooth the top as evenly as you can.

Freeze overnight. 

To serve, dip the bowl/serving dish into a little hot water or run a sharp knife around the inside edge of the dish. Invert the dish onto a bowl and garnish with some fresh fruit  or a sprinkle of unsweetened cocoa powder. Or both!  Let it sit out for 10-20 minutes, then slice and serve.

You can also let this dessert defrost completely and serve as a mousse. It holds together pretty well even when no longer frozen!

 

Serves 5. The whole recipes has 34 g of carbs, 13 g of  fiber, so 21 g of net carbs, which makes it 4.2 g of net carbs per serving.