Come hell or hot weather



Sometimes things don't work out the way we planned for good reason. Take that flat of strawberries from a few weeks ago that ended up as pie instead of semifreddo like I intended.

"Now why did I have to go and do that?" I thought to myself. Turns out it was all part of a master plan.

Last week, the temperature spiked as Vancouver welcomed its first heat wave of the season. A blistering walk up and down the sunny side of Main Street to the Wednesday afternoon market yielded two large cartons of ruby red strawberries. It was a misshapen, end-of-season bunch for sure, but no less tasty than prettier predecessors. No matter anyway, because these berries were going places.

Namely the pot (for a little cooking), then the counter (for a little cooling) while I set to work on the stovetop custard. A few folds with a spatula and a little (or a lot) of whipped cream later, we were well on our way to semifreddo. There was, of course, that pesky overnight wait, but all was forgiven with our first frosty bite on Thursday evening.

For the encore performance with friends, on Sunday, I topped each slice with a scoop of fresh berries. I'd encourage you to skip to the end and start right there.

Recipe and source: Just like they do it over at Fine Cooking.

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