Beet Semifreddo

Grate beets in food processor. Strain beet juice into a saucepan and then squeeze grated beets with your hands or put into big piece of cheesecloth and wring out remaining beet juice. (You’ll get roughly ½ cup of beet juice.) Reserve grated beets to infuse cream. Add cinnamon sticks and cloves to beet juice in saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium high heat. If there is any foam, skim it out with a slotted spoon. Reduce heat to medium low and cook until beet juice reduces to ¼ cup, about 15 minutes. Strain. Chill.

Over medium high heat, bring the grated beets, cream and milk to a boil in a saucepan. Reduce heat to low and simmer until beets are soft, about 10 to 15 minutes. Strain 3 cups of beet and cream mixture to clean pot. You’ll need 3 cups of this strained beet and cream mixture to make the semifreddo (yield will vary depending on how juicy the beets, if there is not enough, add more cream).

To make the beet custard base of the semifreddo: Combine 3 cups of beet and cream mixture with sugar to a clean saucepan. Reduce heat to low. While whisking the egg yolks in a bowl, slowly add some of the hot cream mixture to egg yolks, this will temper the eggs to the heat so they don’t over cook. Add tempered egg yolks back to saucepan with the cream mixture. Cook over low heat, constantly stirring, until mixture coats the back of a wooden spoon or reaches 183 degrees F. Strain. Cool over ice bath.

Add the reduced beet juice to the cooled beet custard. Process the beet custard in an ice cream machine according to manufactures’ instructions. Scoop into ice cream dishes. Alternatively, scrape semifreddo into tureen mould (10 by 3 ½-inches, 2 ½ -inches deep) lined with plastic wrap and refreeze. Then slice the semifreddo to serve.

Lightly and evenly oil a baking sheet or use silpat on a baking sheet.

Add sugar and corn syrup to a sauce pot. Heat over high heat until sugar melts and syrup turns a rich dark caramel colour. Stir in pistachios and combine. Spread mixture quickly and evenly into prepared baking sheet with an oiled wooden spoon or metal spatula. Let cool completely. Break the brittle into pieces. Serve with beet semifreddo.