Sofia Levin: Guilt-Free, No-Bake Black Plum Semifreddo with Raw Nut Base.

Things are heating up in the kitchen AND in Mamamia’s Food Blogger Idol competition.

After receiving hundreds of amazing and delicious entries from some extremely talented home cooks, and after deliberating for many hours, we managed to narrow the list down to the five. And now? It’s time to vote.

So let’s meet our finalists…

You know the tight feeling that you get in your chest when you spy your crush across the room? That feeling where your heart, head and lungs have a pound-off and you forget to breathe? That’s the feeling I get when I eat dessert. I don’t just have a sweet tooth, I have a whole set of sweet teeth – fingers crossed they don’t become sweet dentures as a result of my refined sugar intake.

I can’t deny that my emotions get the better of me come dessert, especially around chocolate (I once welled up upon witnessing the chocolate fountain at a hotel dinner buffet). So it might surprise you – as much as it surprises me – that this guilt-free, no-bake black plum semifreddo has the power to elicit the same response.

Before you all go shouting, “Guilt-free? But you used CREAM!” put your accusing pointer fingers back in your pockets; you can replace the cream with the same amount of Rachel’s Black Plum & Roasted Fig Gourmet Low Fat yoghurt and an extra teaspoon of gelatin.

I only have three rules when it comes to making dessert:

It has to be delicious

It has to be easy

It has to look like it wasn’t easy

This recipe ticks all three boxes. Firstly the plums bring out the flavour of the yoghurt, it has a wonderful velvety texture, and the raw nut base is good enough to eat on its own; secondly it doesn’t require an oven, just a pinch of elbow grease; and finally, this recipe is simplicity dressed in complicated clothing.

I made enough no-bake black plum semifreddo to feed the extended family at a dinner party. Everyone, from the 13-year-old to the 82-year-old went back for seconds.

Guilt-Free, No-Bake Black Plum Semifreddo with Raw Nut Base

Ingredients

For the Semifreddo Filling

– 150ml thick cream (or more yoghurt)

– 3tbsp agave syrup

– 2tsp gelatin powder (3 if using yoghurt instead of cream)

– Zest from 1 lemon

– 2 heaped tbsp brown sugar

– 8 plums

– 1 pomegranate (optional)

For the Raw Nut Base

– 200g plain macadamia nuts

– 350g plain pistachio nuts

– 1tsp cinnamon

– 1tsp nutmeg

Method

1. Grease and line a springform pan with baking paper.

2. Dump all of the raw nut base ingredients into a blender and whizz that baby until fine crumbs form. If you don’t have a blender, place the ingredients in a sealed plastic bag and beat it with a rolling pin like it insulted your first born.

3. Pour the mixture into the springform pan and press it down with your hands, ensuring the surface is even. It should stick together nicely. Place in freezer.

4. Grab a small pot and add together the gelatin and 4 tbsp of water. Heat it over a low flame until it dissolves and then set aside.

5. In a separate bowl, beat the cream until it is whipped (firm peaks should form). Set aside.

6. Combine Rachel’s Black Plum & Roasted Fig Gourmet Low Fat Yoghurt with the gelatin, lemon zest and agave until mixed through, and then gently fold in whipped cream to combine.

8. While you’re waiting for the yoghurt to succumb to frostbite, neatly slice the black plums – you will be layering them over the semifreddo.

9. Place them in a small pot over a low heat and spoon the brown sugar over the top. The natural juices will release and lightly stew the fruit. Stir gently, ensuring the sugar dissolves, for 10 to 15 minutes. Separate the juice from the fruit by pouring it into a sieve, and then leave both the plums and juice to cool separately.

10. OPTIONAL: Seed a pomegranate and set aside. Wear plastic gloves and an apron unless you want to be mistakenly accused of manslaughter.

11. After an hour has passed, remove the semifreddo from the freezer. Fan the plum slices over the top of the semifreddo (it helps if they all face the same direction) and then sprinkle with pomegranate seeds.

12. Put the semifreddo in the fridge until ready to serve. Spoon some plum juice over the semifreddo, cut with a sharp knife to serve, and sit back as your guests cry happy tears.

If you would like to vote for Sofia to be Mamamia’s new Food Blogger, you can vote by clicking HERE.