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Mapped: Austin's Summer Semifreddo Frenzy

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This summer, Austin's fancier restaurants are getting their freeze on with a dessert called semifreddo (translation from Italian: half cold). Semifreddo is a frozen mousse-like dessert, usually made with whipped egg yolks, sugar, and cream (plus fruit or other flavorings). It can be molded into any shape or sliced and served. Here are 7 spots where you can have your own personal dolce vita moment this summer.
—Claire Canavan

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Taff Mayberry is once again manning the dessert station at Olivia. Mayberry makes Texas peaches the star of a dessert that includes peach semifreddo wrapped in a roasted white chocolate crust. He serves it with malted milk candy, grapes, and graham crackers. Mayberry praised the semifreddo to Eater as being both "super rich and refreshing" and promised that it "tastes like the best ice cream in the world."

Olive & June

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Pastry chef Steven Cak whips up one of the most classic Italian semifreddos in town. Last week he offered a chocolate semifreddo topped with cherries and chocolate lace, while this week he's switched to a frozen pecan crema with cherries and plums (almost the same as a semifreddo, but with the addition of gelatin).

On this week's menu at hyper-seasonal Lenoir, Jessica Maher used a pistachio semifreddo as a cool accompaniment to her caramelized lime cake with hibiscus peaches.

Congress

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Erica Waksmunski of Congress is offering a white chocolate semifreddo with pickled cherries and a white peach sorbet. She tells Eater that the semifreddo is perfect for summer because "it's cool and creamy," and though it's got heavy cream, "it tastes light."

Phillip Speer's peanut butter semifreddo with apple-miso sorbet is an Uchi menu staple. Though the flavors don't necessarily scream "summer," they most certainly do scream "yummy."

FINO Restaurant Patio & Bar

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Finish a lazy summer meal on Fino's patio with pastry chef Erin Echternach's honey semifreddo plated with lemon curd, pistachio shortbread, and candied lemon peel.

Sway Thai

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Creative desserts like miso-white chocolate semifreddo with coconut sticky rice and mango sorbet are the reason pastry chef Laura Sawicki has gotten so many accolades.

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Olivia

Taff Mayberry is once again manning the dessert station at Olivia. Mayberry makes Texas peaches the star of a dessert that includes peach semifreddo wrapped in a roasted white chocolate crust. He serves it with malted milk candy, grapes, and graham crackers. Mayberry praised the semifreddo to Eater as being both "super rich and refreshing" and promised that it "tastes like the best ice cream in the world."

Olive & June

Pastry chef Steven Cak whips up one of the most classic Italian semifreddos in town. Last week he offered a chocolate semifreddo topped with cherries and chocolate lace, while this week he's switched to a frozen pecan crema with cherries and plums (almost the same as a semifreddo, but with the addition of gelatin).

Lenoir

On this week's menu at hyper-seasonal Lenoir, Jessica Maher used a pistachio semifreddo as a cool accompaniment to her caramelized lime cake with hibiscus peaches.

Congress

Erica Waksmunski of Congress is offering a white chocolate semifreddo with pickled cherries and a white peach sorbet. She tells Eater that the semifreddo is perfect for summer because "it's cool and creamy," and though it's got heavy cream, "it tastes light."

Uchi

Phillip Speer's peanut butter semifreddo with apple-miso sorbet is an Uchi menu staple. Though the flavors don't necessarily scream "summer," they most certainly do scream "yummy."

FINO Restaurant Patio & Bar

Finish a lazy summer meal on Fino's patio with pastry chef Erin Echternach's honey semifreddo plated with lemon curd, pistachio shortbread, and candied lemon peel.

Sway Thai

Creative desserts like miso-white chocolate semifreddo with coconut sticky rice and mango sorbet are the reason pastry chef Laura Sawicki has gotten so many accolades.

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