Put the lime in the coconut

 

I made dinner for my sisters and their partners yesterday. Early on i had decided on mexican food for the main course but dessert required quite a lot of thought. You see, my sister Sarah and her fiance Ayaz dont like chocolate and that fact that it needed to be vegetarian also ruled out jelly or panna cotta. Which is why i am so glad i came across Shutterbeans recipe for Coconut Lime Semifreddo which she recently posted on her fabulous blog.

Semifreddos are great as they have all the qualities of ice cream without the need for churning and the use of a machine. I'm so glad i made this. Creamy and mildy coconutty, the lime zest adds a refreshing almost tropical quality to the dessert. Now i can understand why the lady put the lime in the coconut.

As it requires at least 6 hours of freezing time, it can be made well in advance, requiring nothing more than 20 minutes to defrost and the arranging of some sliced mango on top for serving.

Although the semifreddo turned out well, the same cannot be said of the photo. I was frustrated at not being able to get the lightining and camera settings right. The end result being that the mango was awkwardly draped on the semifreddo with too much light reflecting off the plate. Anyway, a good excuse to make it again and do a re-shoot. 

Recipe - Coconut-lime semifreddo from Shutterbean 

http://www.shutterbean.com/coconut-lime-semifreddo/

Notes:

• I used a 2lb loaf tin which was abit too big. Consequently the semifreddo wasnt as deep as it would have been with a smaller loaf tin. 

• When heating the mix the condensed milk started to solidify into small lumps but this didnt make any different to the consistency of the end result. 

•  I left out the shredded coconut

• Also the whipped cream didnt mix very well into the condensed milk and coconut milk mixture, possibly because i over whipped the cream. After whisking with a hand whisk, everything blended together without any problems.
  

Serves 12

• 1 can unsweetened coconut milk 400g
• 1 can sweetened condensed milk 397g
• 1 tablespoon finely grated lime zest
• 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
• 284mls double cream
• 1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut, toasted
• 1 mango, thinly sliced

Line a 4 1/2 by 8 1/2 inch loaf pan with parchment paper leaving an overhang on each side. Prepare a large bowl of ice water, set aside. In a medium saucepan, combine the coconut milk and the sweetened condensed milk together and bring to a boil over high heat.  

Reduce heat and cook at a rapid simmer until the mixture starts to thicken, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the salt & lime zest. Place saucepan over the bowl of ice water and stir the mixture until it's cool, about 5 minutes.

In a large bowl, beat cream with a hand held electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the whipped cream into the coconut milk mixture. Pour into the loaf pan and top with coconut. Freeze until firm, 6 hours or overnight. When ready to serve, let the semifreddo sit at room temperature for 20 minutes. Invert on a platter, remove the parchment and top with the sliced mango.