Preparation

• Place the granulated sugar in the blender to make it finer, almost powdered (do not use store-bought powdered sugar because it’s mixed with cornstarch or wheat starch and tastes like cardboard).
  

  

• Put the egg whites in the stand mixer and start it with the whisk at low speed. When foam forms (bubbles suspended), add 1/3 of the sugar without stopping the machine. It’s important to keep the speed low to allow the sugar to dissolve. This is because granulated sugar has the form of microcrystals. If the sugar doesn’t dissolve, the tips of the crystals will break the air bubbles, and the resulting meringue will not be stable.

• Once the sugar has dissolved, turn the mixer to medium speed until the mixture doubles in volume. Then add another third of the sugar, and when the meringue is stiff, add the last part of the sugar. This technique is called French meringue.
  Place in the pastry bag with a smooth nozzle of 11 mm and make three meringue discs on parchment paper, forming a spiral. Do not use silpat, as it always remains slightly greasy, and the fat will deflate the meringue.

• To size them, place the cake ring on the parchment paper and make a spiral slightly smaller than the ring, as it will expand during baking.
  These quantities make three meringue discs and the necessary meringue kisses for decoration (you’ll have some leftover, but that way, you can choose the most beautiful ones). Before baking the meringues, sprinkle them with cocoa.
  

• Each oven is unique, but standard baking temperatures range from 212°F (100°C) for about 3 hours to 284°F (140°C) for an hour and a half. Meringues baked at low temperatures have little to no surface cracking and remain very white. The higher the temperature, the more they will crack and yellow, which may seem like an aesthetic flaw but might be more appreciated for the taste (the yellowing occurs as the sugars and proteins cook, giving the product a more caramelized flavor).

• Egg whites must be free from any yolk traces and should not be whipped in plastic bowls (use steel or glass) as the presence of fat inhibits whipping.
  Put the egg whites in the stand mixer and start it with the whisk at low speed. When foam forms (bubbles suspended), add 30 grams of sugar without stopping the machine. It’s important to keep the speed low to allow the sugar to dissolve for stable meringue. Once the sugar is well dissolved, turn the mixer to medium speed.

  

• Meanwhile, place the water in a stainless steel saucepan and the 100 grams of granulated sugar in the center, being careful not to soil the sides. Cook until the water and sugar mixture reaches 250°F (121°C) (no higher, or it will be too hard!). (It’s essential to check the temperature with a probe thermometer; do not guess, as you’ll never get the right temperature by eye).

• When the water and sugar reach 250°F (121°C), the egg whites whipped with sugar should be at 3/4 volume. At this point, increase the machine speed (not maximum but 80% of the mixer speed) and quickly pour only half of the sugar, then after a few seconds, reduce the speed a bit and quickly pour the second half. If poured slowly, the initial sugar would tend to crystallize as it cools when in contact with the significantly different temperature of the egg white. This would leave small sugar crystals that, if found in the semifreddo mixed with other ingredients, would dissolve, causing the dessert to lose structure.

• After pouring the second part of the sugar, let it run at maximum speed until it reaches full volume (the final result is a very airy, firm, and consistent white cloud). After that, spread the meringue on a steel baking sheet, cover with parchment paper, and place in the freezer in the fridge.

• By doing this, you achieve the maximum volume of meringue (letting it cool directly in the mixer reduces its volume significantly due to mechanical action and water loss) and a stable product (as slow cooling and volume and water loss cause sugar crystal formation).

• Italian meringue keeps perfectly for 3 days in the fridge. Baked meringue has no hygiene issues as it is thoroughly sanitized by the high temperature of the sugar, which destroys any microorganisms in the egg white. Moreover, the high sugar content makes it hygienically safe. If the meringue deflates and leaks liquid, it means the procedure was not followed correctly.
  Baked meringue is crucial for the semifreddo’s structure and adds sweetness to the cream.

• For the cream to be whipped in the mixer, it should be cold, between 32°F and 39°F (0°C and +4°C). This is essential as only then the fats have the ideal consistency, being sufficiently solid. The cream should have a fat content between 30-38% (ideal quantity is 32-35%), not more, or it won’t whip. The mixer bowl should be kept in the fridge before use.

• To whip the cream well, its quantity should not exceed one-fifth of the total bowl volume. Once the cream is in the mixer bowl, start the whisk at medium-low speed (so it doesn’t splash).

• When the cream begins to thicken slightly, turn to medium-high speed to whip it as quickly as possible (because the cream is cold when placed in the mixer, but due to the whisk friction and time passing, the temperature rises. Less temperature increase means the fat globules don’t break down into butter).

• – Melt the dark chocolate in the microwave (to melt it well, i.e., without burning, break it into evenly sized pieces) and let it cool to room temperature (or in a double boiler);
  – Place the water in a saucepan and pour the sugar into the center;
  – Place the saucepan on the heat source and let the syrup reach 230°F (110°C) (measure temperature with a probe thermometer).

  

• Start the mixer whisk at medium speed with the egg yolks and the seeds from the vanilla pod to form a medium foam.
  Bring the sugar syrup to 250°F (121°C) (no higher!).

• Pour the sugar syrup over the beating yolks and leave the mixer running at medium-high speed until the cream is completely cooled (this is fundamental because if the mixture is used warm, when it comes in contact with the baked meringue and whipped cream, they will deflate).

• Add the chocolate, cocoa, and rum (one at a time) to the yolk and sugar mixture, mixing with a spatula.

• Place the whipped cream in a steel bowl
  Add the cold baked meringue from the refrigerator and mix.

  

• Add the cream and chocolate mixture with a few quick movements from bottom to top with a whisk. The technique would be: with a fairly long whisk, with stiff spokes, dip the whisk into the mixture; with the wrist directing the hand, rotate it halfway, lift it, and let what remains in the spokes fall.

• Rotate the steel bowl a few degrees clockwise, repeat the operation. Continue this way until the bowl has completed a full turn. The final mass should be homogeneous, well voluminous, and thick.

• Take a cake pan with a latch.
  Line the circumference with an acetate strip (if you don’t have it, you can use aluminum foil; acetate is better because the semifreddo adheres perfectly to the cake pan walls and remains smooth. In contrast, aluminum, no matter how well you spread it, always leaves holes that then make the final decoration less homogeneous) place a meringue disc on the bottom, making sure to place the disc smooth side down.

  

• Distribute (optional) 50 grams of chopped dark chocolate and pour half of the semifreddo.
  Place another meringue disc and over this another 50 grams of chopped dark chocolate and pour the remaining semifreddo.

• Finally, place the third meringue disc making sure to place it (unlike the one placed on the bottom of the pan) with the non-smooth side in contact with the semifreddo (so that when it solidifies and is flipped, the smooth side rests on the plate).
  Gently tap the pan on the table so that the semifreddo distributes evenly in the mold.
  Place in the freezer until completely solidified.

• Remove the cake from the freezer, open the latch, remove the acetate strip, flip it and place it on the plate (perfectly smooth, otherwise the meringue risks breaking) or on the cardboard disc, and return to the freezer.
  Whip 500-600 grams of cream (preferably in two stages) and spread a few millimeters thick layer on the surface, covering any ‘holes’ at the base.

• Decorate the surface with cocoa-sprinkled meringue kisses alternated with whipped cream tufts made with the pastry bag with a 5-point flower tip of 8 mm.
  Decorate the sides with stripes made with the pastry bag and an 8-point tip of 8 mm.

• As home freezers are much colder than those used by ice cream parlors, remember to take it out of the freezer an hour before you eat it, leaving it in the fridge meantime.