Citrus semifreddo with lemon curd from the Langdon Hall cookbook

A sweet and citrucy seasonal dessert from Langdon Hall chef Jason Bangerter

Image for Citrus semifreddo from the Langdon Hall cookbook

Whenever springtime rolls around in Canada, we get especially excited to see the wide array of creative seasonal offerings chefs across the country are conjuring up. And while seasonal starters and entrees tend to get most of the attention, seasonality most certainly applies to desserts as well. 

In the soon-to-be-released Langdon Hall cookbook, chef Jason Bangerter offers a fun frozen option to help beat the heat with a big blast of citrusy sweetness. Although the multi-step recipe may take some practice to perfect, the deliciously decadent outcome more than makes up for the time required. 

“We take all the citrusy ingredients from the garden—lemon verbena, lime leaves—and enhance them with zest from lemons, limes and oranges,” chef Bangerter explains in the recipe introduction. “The garnishes—coconut lime yogurt, lemon curd, lemon candy and tiny daisies—are there to balance the dish and keep it fresh while maintaining focus on the citrus.”

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The Langdon Hall cookbook hits shelves on April 5. Pre-orders can currently be made online

Citrus curd

½ cup sugar
⅓ cup cornstarch
½ tsp kosher salt
¼ cup fresh orange juice
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 tbsp fresh lime juice
2 large eggs

In a small saucepan, mix together the sugar, cornstarch and salt. In a small bowl, whisk together the orange juice, lemon juice, lime juice and eggs then whisk into the cornstarch mixture.

Cook over low heat, stirring constantly with a rubber spatula, until the mixture has thickened. This will take only a few minutes once the mixture is hot.

Strain the curd through a fine-mesh sieve. Pour into 8 mini semi sphere silicone moulds (use about 1 tablespoon per mould).

Freeze the curd until firm, about 2 hours.

Citrus semifreddo

1 cup whole milk
20 lemon verbena leaves
8 lime leaves
2 tbsp lemon zest
2 tbsp orange zest
4 large egg yolks
½ cup sugar
4 ounces (120g) chopped white chocolate
3 tbsp + 1 tsp orange liqueur
¼ tsp kosher salt
1 cup whipping cream (35%)

In a medium bowl, combine the milk, lemon verbena, lime leaves, lemon zest, orange zest and lime zest. Cover and steep at room temperature for 1 hour.

Strain half of the milk through a fine-mesh sieve into a small saucepan and bring it to a simmer over low heat.

In a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar. Strain in the remaining half of the milk through a fine-mesh sieve and stir together. Slowly pour the simmering milk into the egg mixture while whisking.

Return the mixture to the saucepan and gently whisk while heating to 180°F (82°C). Remove from the heat and add the white chocolate, orange liqueur and salt. Whisk until the chocolate is melted.

Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a medium bowl and cool to room temperature. In a separate medium bowl, whip the cream to soft peaks, then gently fold the whipped cream into the citrus mixture using a whisk.

Scrape the mixture into a piping bag (no tip required) and pipe into eight 5-ounce semi sphere silicone moulds (use about ½ cup per mould).

Allow the semifreddo to partially set in the freezer for about 15 minutes. Pop the frozen citrus curd from the moulds and gently push the curd, curved side down, into the centre of the semifreddo. The bottom of the curd should be covered by the semifreddo mixture.

Freeze until set, about 8 hours.

Lemon curd

½ cup sugar
⅓ cup cornstarch
½ tsp kosher salt
½ cup fresh lemon juice
2 large eggs

In a small saucepan, mix together the sugar, cornstarch and salt. In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice and eggs, then whisk into the cornstarch mixture.

Cook over low heat, stirring constantly with a rubber spatula, until the mixture has thickened.

This will take only a few minutes once the mixture is hot. Strain the curd through a fine-mesh sieve and allow to cool.

Using a funnel, scrape the curd into a squeeze bottle or piping bag fitted with a small plain tip.

Coconut lime yogurt

⅔ cup coconut milk yogurt
1 tsp lime zest
1 tbsp fresh lime juice
¼ cup icing sugar

In a small bowl, stir together the coconut yogurt, lime zest, lime juice and icing sugar. Using a funnel, pour the curd into a squeeze bottle or piping bag fitted with a small plain tip.

Lemon candy

zest curls from 1 lemon (using a julienne zester)
½ cup water
1 cup sugar
small yellow and white daisies, for garnish

In a small saucepan, bring about an inch of water and the lemon zest to a simmer over medium heat to blanch. Do not boil.

Drain the water and repeat four more times to cook the lemon and remove the bitterness from the zest.

After the final blanch, rinse the lemon.

In the same saucepan, bring ½ cup water and the sugar to a boil over high heat, then add the lemon zest and cook for 4 minutes.

Strain the zest out of the syrup. Save the lemon syrup for another use.

Spread the zest on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and allow to dry at room temperature.

To serve

Place the citrus semifreddo in the centre of a chilled bowl.

Allow to sit for about 10 minutes before serving to soften slightly.

Pipe alternating dots of the coconut lime yogurt and lemon curd around the edge of the semifreddo.

Place lemon candy curls on some of the dots.

Alternate yellow and white daisies around the base of the semifreddo to finish.

Yield:
Serves 8