While I’m visiting my in-laws in Taiwan with my family, I’ve asked my long time blogger friends to blog-sit for me like asking a good friend to house sit when you go on vacation. They have prepared wonderful holiday recipes for Just One Cookbook readers so I hope you will enjoy reading their recipes. My blog sitter today is Giulia of Alterkitchen.
Giulia lives in Italy where my husband and I long to visit one day in the future. She’s one of my very first friends I made through blogging and she’s genuinely a nice and fun person to talk with. I love her sense of humor and our discussion topic varies from food to American TV shows that both of us love.
When I first found her blog Alterkitchen it was an exciting moment for me because 1) I love Italian food and 2) it’s rare to find an authentic Italian blogger who writes in English! Later on when I found out that she actually maintains two blogs, one written in English and the other in Italian, I had unexplainable admiration for her. As an English as a second language speaker myself, I know how hard it is to maintain a blog in English. I constantly struggle maintaining one blog but she has two to take care of. The best part about Giulia’s blogs is that she shares really good food, both savory and sweets, that I’m sure you will enjoy as if you’re taking a culinary trip through Italy.
It’s truly been a wonderful pleasure to read Giulia’s blog and it’s also been a fun experience to get to know new Italian food and some tidbits about Italian cultures that I am not familiar with. Her site features mainly Italian food but there are other delicious dishes featured as well. You can also visit her online at Facebook and Twitter. Please welcome Giulia with her delicious Italian Christmas dessert.
Welcome Giulia! Please tell us a little bit about yourself.
I’m Giulia, I’m Italian and I’m 26 years old. I recently graduated in Art History and I still have to find my place in the world… but for now that place is my kitchen.
Please tell us a little bit about your blog.
I started my blog, Alterkitchen, shortly after my graduation. I have an Italian blog and an English one, so I can share my recipe and my experiences with people from all around the world. I blog mostly about Italian cuisine, but not just that.
How do you feel about your own food blogging experience so far?
I have to admit that my blogging experience so far was wonderful: I met a lot of interesting people, I learned new recipes, I improved my English and I loved every single post and comment on my blog.
If you can give one advice to a new food blogger, what would it be?
Believe in your blog, always. It’s the only way it could really work!
What would you advise to a new cook or someone who wants to start cooking at home more?
If you want to learn how to cook, you have to read (books and blogs), but most of all you have to try and cook… sure, at first you’ll make a lot of mistakes but then you’ll learn and you’ll really improve your skills.
Thank you Giulia! From here I will let Giulia take over and show us what she prepared. Enjoy!
Torrone (nougat) is a very popular sweet in Italy, and we eat it especially during Christmas holidays. There are at least a thousand different kinds of torrone: hard, soft, semi-hard, with hazelnuts, almonds, pistachios, covered in chocolate, covered in glaze, big, small and so on..
Well, the funny thing is… I don’t like nougat! My mom could practically eat a ton of it (so it’s not genetically), and instead I don’t like it so much, basically ’cause it’s too sweet for my tooth.
But, after Christmas holidays, it’s practically impossible living in an Italian house without seeing nougat all around, since it’s a very common gift and it’s also very used in Christmas goodie baskets.
So, if you want to use some of those leftovers or if you actually love nougat and you’d like to make a very Christmas sweet, very easy and very sensational, here it is my SEMIFREDDO AL TORRONE (nougat semifreddo).
Enjoy them and… Merry Christmas!
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- 200 g white hard nougat (or little nougats, I used hazelnut nougat, but almond one it's perfect too)
- 2 large eggs (50 g each w/o shell)
- 40 g sugar
- 200 ml whipping cream
- Pinch kosher/sea salt (I use Diamond Crystal; Use half for table salt)
- rum (optional, I didn't use it)
- dark chocolate (or extra-dark chocolate, to garnish)
- milk (to garnish)
- Put the nougat in the freezer for at least a couple of hours and then chop it finely with a blender.
- Separate the egg whites from the yolks. In a bowl beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt and a pinch of powdered sugar, until they're stiff. In another bowl, beat the yolks with sugar. In a third bowl, whip the cream.
- Now, mix everything together with a wooden spoon or a spatula, mixing from bottom up (being careful to not deflate the mixture); then add the chopped nougat and, if you want to, some rum (about a tablespoon).
- Pour the mixture in single-portion cups (I used the disposable aluminum ones), cover them with aluminum foil and then put them in the freezer for at least 10 hours before serving them (but you could prepare this dessert even a week before, or more).
- When you serve your semifreddi (plural), take them out of the mold on dishes and, if you want to, garnish them with a sauce made with melted chocolate and a drizzle of hot milk (to make your sauce more fluid), or with a ganache made with melted chocolate and piping hot whipping cream.
Recipe by Giulia of Alterkitchen.
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Nami, I really loved the recipe and the presentation is wonderful. I really love Giulia’s blog because we can learn so many authentic Italian dishes so easily. I can’t forget her also because she is the blogger who gave the first ever award to Cosmopolitan Currymania.
The dessert is looking and sounding great!
Greeeeat guest post! How funny – I was just watching a cooking show last night and they had a semifreddo and I was just thinking how I’d never tried one… now I have no excuse, although I’ve seriously overdosed on chocolate the last few days – I might need to add some fruit to this one instead. Perhaps a raspberry coulis!
I love discovering desserts from around the world. This sounds easy to prepare and I love the way Giulia has presented it in individual servings.
Great to meet you! And great to meet this yummy dessert!
Nami, I am so happy to find Giulia here too!
Giulia, your semifreddo looks better than any dessert I have ever seen even in the fanciest Italian restaurant. The dark chocolate sauce makes in irresistible. Congratulations for the great post and extraordinary photos! I shall make “believe in your blog” my motto now 🙂
Wow your food looks great. I am sure am hungry looking and reading.
Great pick for guest blogger..I adore Giulia, and her blog and recipes! This one look so good, that I want one right this moment!!!
Nicely done ladies..
Wishing you both great day!!!!!!
ご主人のご家族はタイワンに住まれているんですね
世界を訪問出来るという事は嬉しい半面
直ぐに会いにいけないというのは大変ですよね。
Nami, what a lovely guest post you have here…and nice to meet you Giulia 🙂
I never thought that nougat would turned into such a nice dessert…indeed perfect for the Holidays.
Hope you both are having a wonderful week!
Thank you Giulia for this lovely holiday treat!
Nami, I’m loving your guest blog series and meeting all your amazing blogger friends. Keep them coming!
Nami and Giulia – What a great post! I agree with everything that you (Nami) said about Giulia! She’s a wonderful gal and has a great site! Giulia, I have to agree with you about the nougat. It’s not common where I live but you can find it around the holidays at specialty stores. I bought some last year and it was good, but didn’t WOW me. However, mixing little bits in with whipping cream and topping with chocolate sauce sounds like a very tasty sweet! I’ve been assigned dessert for Christmas day so this has been added to the list of possibilities. Great post you two!
I love both your blogs. This looks so perfect, I love how you both do such authentic recipes. Yum!
I have never tried anything like this. It almost sounds like a nougat mousse.
Thanks for sharing this recipe — I love nougats. This semi-freddo looks so delicious 🙂
Hi Nami! Thank you for introducing us to good foodies like Giulia. I love what she made for us today and it looks delicious. Giulia – you have a new follower now and it’s very nice meeting you. You have a wonderful rest of the week, ladies. Nami – I know you are having a wonderful time in Taiwan. Enjoy!!
~ ray ~
Love this recipe – looks so good.
Oh, Nougat and Semifreddo, wow.
I love semifreddo and this nougat version looks delicious! Wonderful guest post, I love seeing two of my favorite bloggers together 😀
I have heard of semifreddo’s for years but never felt I could attempt one. This may change my mind. 🙂
What a lovely guest post, Nami. This dessert looks dreamy, I’d really like to try some. Nice to meet you Giulia have a wonderful day.
Nami, enjoy the visit with your in-laws. Love your guest postee. Guilia, lovely to learn a bit more about you and what makes you and your blog tick. What a gorgeous recipe. I’m not a great fan of nougat – like you, I find it overly sweet but in a dessert like this, I know I’ll love it.
What a beautiful dessert! Thanks Nami for sharing and showing to us other great food blogs!
Hope you’re having fun!
wow Nami, you picked great guests while you are away. we are enjoying their posts as much as we enjoy yours. great to meet you guilia, would love to learn italian cooking and will hop to your blog as well.
nougat? hmm count me in. i love nougat and definitely a great time to enjoy and indulge.. it doesn’t worry me at all to have more sugar and sweets at this time of the year… diet??? who’s watching… because why not it’s the season to indulge right haha!
I am glad to meet Giulia on your Blog.This dessert looks fabulous. I am definitely going to check some of her other desserts.
I really enjoy torrone, and this semifreddo looks incredible… It looks like a dessert I would fall in love with. I must bookmark this recipe immediately. Great guest post!
Giulia it’s so nice to meet you. I love Italy and envy you for living there. Of all the places I’ve ever been to, Italy is my favorite.
This dessert looks wonderful and with the drizzle of chocolate over the top makes me drool. I’ll have to remember to add this to one of my culinary classes that I teach that have an Italian theme. My students would love it.
What a fun idea this is; to blog-sit :p
Anyway, this is a a fabulous guest post and Giulia just sounds so incredible! I am with Giulia on the nougat part, I am totally not into it though my mum loved it:) Yeah, definitely not hereditary 🙂
I am impressed though, that for someone who does not like nougats, she can make such wonderful ones like these!;) I am hopping over to her blog to check out more of her goodies too;)
This is delicious! Thank you SO much for the introduction! I was lucky enough to live in Italy and the food is so delicious I still dream of it! I was never a nougat person UNTIL I lived in Italy….GREAT post!
Nice to meet you Giulia!
Nami, this is mouth watering dessert, my first Italian dessert I made at home 🙂 Delicious!
what a beautiful dessert and it look so tempting!
I saw Guilia’s post on her blog with this semifreddo and thought it looked really good! I’m glad you asked her to guest on your blog as well, Nami! Great choice!
ooh, I’m not a great pudding-lover, but this may make me change my mind. I just want to dive in! Thanks Guilia!
Oh my that is just gorgeous! I have never had it before but it sounds and looks exquisite.
Nami thank you for introducing me to this blog and one that writes both in English and Italian is indeed admirable (so much work).
Have a great holiday!
AHHH!!! Semifreddo!!!! WOW Giullia I want to come to see u too, if u make that little nougat treat. wish I could pick it from the screen…
Hat off, awesome guestpost!
I agree Nami,.. 1 blog in one language is already a job, 2 in different languages absolutly amazing. I wouldnt have the pations,… would stress me too much.
again great Guestpost girls!!!! =D
This looks like an amazing dessert for the holidays! Nice guest post! Thanks for sharing.
That is just gorgeous–I think I’d particularly love it with the hazelnut nougat!
Hi Giulia! Nice to meet you here at Just One Cookbook. Like you, I’m not big on sweets. But I love the rum part! =D I never knew how to make nougats, so thanks for sharing a recipe and the process of making this sweets. It also interesting for me to learn what different cultures favor for foods and snacks at different times of the year. This was an interesting read for me. Thank you! =)
This looks amazing!!! What beautiful photos. Great guest post 🙂
Semifreddo and nougat, sounds incredible. Thanks for introducing a guest blogger, great pictures.
What a gorgeous guest post Nami! Lovely recipe! Absolutely perfect for the season. Bookmarked and buzzed.
I’ve only had hard nougat before so reading about all these variations is getting me all excited!!!
I think I missed this one somehow. What a lovely guest Nami. I love Giulia’s blog. This recipe is amazing. I have never tried making a semifreddo but would love to try. This one is remarkable. That pic with the melted chocolate dripping down is wonderful. So nice to see you ladies in one place.
Dear Nami
This nougat semifreddo look delicious but unfortunately I don’t have a sweet tooth and with so many guest posts, I am beginning to miss your recipes. Summer is here and when I visit your blog, I’m dreaming Japanese style grilled fish or eggplant or one of your savoury delights 🙂
Just look at that dessert, that looks amazing! At least this does not need any ice cream makers
Delicious guest post and beautifully presented. Can’t wait to try it.
I love nougat. There’s an Italian grocery store that usually stocks a small supply. And I can’t help but treat myself now and then to a bar or two. 😉
Thanks a lot to all of you! I’m so glad you liked my semifreddo! And especially thanks to Nami, who gave me the opportunity to write for her beautiful blog!
I’m coming to this post every day to read your kind comments, and just now I realized I didn’t write anything! Thanks thanks thanks!
Nougat Semifreddo is such a treat! I’ve only tried it once in Australia, but never thought it is so easy to make. Thanks for sharing Giulietta.
I love nougat! This semifreddo would rock my world!!!
I never eat nougat before. But it looks so yummy :9 thanks Nami~