Rum, Caramel and Meringue Semifreddo

I love ice-cream. I like it soft and a little melty and any flavour will usually suffice. Maybe it's this hot humid weather that we experience this time of year in the north but I have been indulging in ice cream more than usual lately. I have a great recipe that I usually use to make a super delicious, super easy home ice-cream but have ventured out a little and found a different version that is still easy and yummo.

This recipe is a combination of a Caramel Semifreddo and Nigella's Meringue Gelato Cake. I added some rum ('tis the season) and created a delicious frozen dessert. You can call it anything really I won't hold it against you semifreddo, gelato or ice-cream. I'm sure there are proper definitions of each but it's all the same when its in my belly! The meringue gives it a little crunch of texture which I don't mind in ice-cream, and rum + caramel = great combination! Enjoy! Oh and apologies for the terrible photos, not my best effort :(

Rum, Caramel and Merengue Semifreddo

Adapted from Australia's Sweet Baking Favourites and Nigella.com

What you will need

4 eggs, separated
1/2 cup sugar
300ml thickened cream
1 can caramel top 'n' fill (or a tin of condensed milk boiled to caramel)
30mls rum
100g crushed meringues

What you will need to do

In a small bowl, whisk the caramel with the rum until smooth. Set aside. In a large bowl, beat the egg yolks and sugar until pale and creamy. Add the cream and beat until thick. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Fold the egg white mixture into egg yolk mixture until just combined. Gently fold through spoonfuls of the caramel mixture and merengues until just combined, do not over mix. Pour mixture into a pan with at least 2l capacity. Freeze overnight.

Caramel Ginger Rum Balls and Chocolate Cappuccino Balls

It's CHRISTMAS TIME!! Christmas is my favourite time of year, to me it is a chance to enjoy the company of family and friends whilst indulging just a little. I have to confess that I actually started celebrating Christmas this year in mid November... I just got too excited from seeing all the beautiful decorations up around the shopping centres and decided Christmas was coming early this year!

I love to bake Christmas treats as gifts for my friends and family (and a couple cheeky treats just for myself). I usually stick with the classics like rum balls and gingerbread men, but I like to add a little twist. This year I made two variations of rum balls, Chocolate Cappuccino and Caramel Ginger.

Caramel Ginger Balls

What you will need

1 packet ginger nuts
2 cups coconut
1 tin caramel fill
1/3 cup Captain Morgan Spiced Rum
1 cup plain biscuit crumbs
Extra coconut for rolling

What you will need to do

Crush ginger nuts in a food processor until fine crumbs. Place in a bowl with coconut and plain biscuit crumbs. Add caramel and rum and mix until combined. The dough should not be too wet, if it is just add more plain biscuit crumbs. Also taste to see if the rum flavour is sufficient, you can add more or less depending on your own preference. Place the bowl of dough into the fridge to set for an hour.

Set up a bowl (I used a cake tin) and place about a cup of coconut in it. Set up a tray and place mini cupcake papers on it. Take out the bowl of dough and roll tablespoons of mixture into balls.

Place the balls into the bowl with coconut and roll around until completely covered.

Take the balls out of the coconut and place into mini cupcake papers.

Chocolate Cappuccino Balls

What you will need

1 packet Double Choc-Chip Biscuits
2 cups coconut
1 tin condensed milk
1/2 cup cocoa
1/2 cup plain biscuit crumbs
1/3 cup Cappuccino Liqueur
Chocolate sprinkles for rolling

What you will need to do

Crush the chocolate chip biscuits in a food processor until a fine crumb and place in a bowl. Add coconut, cocoa, plain biscuits and the condensed milk. Add the cappuccino liqueur to taste. If mixture is too wet add more plain biscuit crumbs. Place in fridge for an hour to firm up.

Set up a bowl (I used a cake tin) and place a small bag of chocolate sprinkles in it. Set up a tray and place mini cupcake papers on it. Take out the bowl of dough and roll tablespoons of mixture into balls. Place the balls into the bowl with sprinkles and roll around until completely covered. Take the balls out of the sprinkles and place into mini cupcake papers.

Boozey Chocolate Crackles

I must admit I was never a huge fan of chocolate crackles. I felt cheated because they looked so chocolatey but were not actually made with chocolate :(. I hadn't made them since I was very young and had never really had the urge to until now. 

I was watching TV and saw a little girl eating one. It looked so delicious I just had to have one. I decided  that I needed to put an adult twist on the recipe as they are a bit childish. The answer, RUM! But not just any rum, Captain Morgan Spiced Rum. I've recently been introduced to this Puerto Rican rum and I've never looked back.

The rum gives a delicious taste to these crackles and certainly makes them ADULT ONLY! I wish I had have added some colour to these crackles as they do look a little bland. Maybe I could have just used colourful papers to brighten them up a bit. All these things I will take into consideration next time, but you can learn from my hindsight.

Boozey Chocolate Crackles

(Recipe adapted from the back of the Rice Bubbles Box and here)

What you will need

4 cups Rice Bubbles
250g Copha
1 cup icing sugar
1 cup desicated coconut
3 tbsp cocoa
30mls Captain Morgan Rum

What you will need to do

Place cupcake papers on a baking tray and set aside. Place the copha in a saucepan over low heat and stir until melted. Set aside to cool slightly. Place rice bubbles, icing sugar, cocoa and coconut in a large bowl. Add copha and rum and stir until combined. Spoon mixture into cupcake papers and place the tray in the fridge to set.

Although it may be tempting to eat them before they are completely set, I URGE you to let them set properly, they will taste so much better I promise!