Coconut-Lime Semifreddo

Man, I am behind on everything lately. Well, behind on Cucina posts, and behind on my "52 Weeks of Pancake" series on Flickr (contrary to what you might expect, not food-related).

Back when it was blazing-hot and The Bachelorette was still on (yes, I know, for shame), our friend Jessica invited the gals over for, what else, The Bachelorette - and some delicious eats. She had sangria made with rose, peaches, pears, etc.; salad with tzatziki dressing (best idea ever); slices of french bread, baked with slices of brie and topped with a sweet onion chutney; and this, coconut-lime semifreddo. Pretty damn impressive menu, right? I wanted to make everything - and so far, I've made this!

It's kind of a fascinating dish to make. I mean, it's like ice cream, but it's not. And even on that super-hot day when she made it, it hardly got melty. So it's a nice alternative to ice cream, in that season.

Her semifreddo turned out better than mine, I admit - I had a few spots where I didn't mix the condensed milk in quite enough and those spots got a tad sweet. Overall, though, it was delicious - a really yummy, different, refreshing, and impressive-looking dessert.

By the way, this makes enough for entertaining - you eat it in thin slices, and the recipe makes a bread-sized loaf. It was pretty hilarious making it for just Joef and myself.

So, here is Jessica's recipe:

1 can unsweetened coconut milk
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 tablespoon finely-grated lime zest
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
1 1/2 cups cold heavy cream
1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut, toasted
1/2 ripe mango (the riper, the better)

Line a 4 1/2-by-8 1/2-inch loaf pan with parchment paper (I used aluminum foil - it works, but it's less than optimal - your semifreddo will come out crinkly). Toast coconut flakes by putting them in a frying pan over medium heat and tossing occasionally until they just start to get golden brown. Prepare a large bowl of ice water.

In a medium saucepan, combine coconut and condensed milk and bring to a boil over high. Reduce heat and cook at a rapid simmer, stirring frequently, until thickened, 10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in lime zest and salt. Place saucepan in bowl of ice water and stir until mixture is cool, 4 minutes.

In a large bowl, using a mixer, beat cream on high until stiff peaks form, 2 minutes. Gently fold whipped cream into the coconut milk mixture. Pour into loaf pan; evenly sprinkle coconut on top. freeze until firm, 6 hours (or covered up to 3 days). Let sit 20 minutes before serving (it's better this way, believe me). Invert onto serving platter. Layer mango on top. Enjoy!