I recently spent a short time in Japan, learning a little about the local culture and planning content for our Japanese community. The Japanese place a great emphasis on eating seasonally, not out of trend or status, as most of us were taught back home, but as a way of life.

Pumpkin features in both sweet and savoury recipes everywhere in Japan, and when it isn’t available, they often substitute it for sweet potato.  One morning I had sweet potato and pumpkin tiramisu at a natural foods cafe in Tokyo, making me feel right at home.

The Whole Pantry is all about inspiring you to include more ‘fundamental foods’ in your diet, and re-introducing more fresh fruit and veggies. That doesn’t mean missing out on sweet treats, but it means being a little creative and ensuring even your sweet indulgences are filled with goodness and have nutritional benefit.

At The Whole Pantry, we believe dessert should be put back on the ‘allowed’ list and celebrated just as much as your green juice, herbal teas and fancy quinoa-asparagus-superfood-whatever salad. Dessert is food, and we are here to encourage you to eat these Tasty Tuesday recipes whenever you feel like it!

Now while this seems like a very adult recipe, this semifreddo is absolutely one for children and their parties, too!

Method

Preheat the oven to 220°C (200°C fan–forced). Line a roasting tin and a small (1.25 litre) loaf tin with non-stick baking paper.

Put the pumpkin in the lined roasting tin and drizzle with the coconut oil. Toss to combine, then roast for 20–25 minutes or until tender and lightly caramelised. Cool and purée in a blender or food processor until smooth. Stir in the coconut sugar.

Using an electric mixer, beat the ricotta and lemon zest until smooth. In a separate bowl, use the electric mixer to whisk the eggs and maple syrup for 5–6 minutes or until the mixture is thick enough to hold a trail when the beaters are lifted. Scoop half the egg mixture into the ricotta mixture and fold in until well combined. Gently fold in the remaining egg mixture and the macadamias.

Spread 2 good scoops of the ricotta mixture over the base of the lined loaf tin. Gently fold the pumpkin purée into the remaining ricotta mixture and carefully spoon over the ricotta mixture in the tin. Smooth the surface, cover and freeze for 2–3 hours or overnight, or until firm and completely frozen.

Meanwhile, for the macadamia and pepita shards, line a baking tray with non–stick baking paper. Lightly toast the nuts and seeds in a small heavy–based frying pan for 2–3 minutes over medium heat. Spread the toasted nuts and seeds over the lined tray. Bring the syrup to the boil in a medium heavy–based saucepan over medium–high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer (being careful that the syrup does not bubble up too high) for 6–7 minutes or until it reaches 150°C (hard crack stage) on a sugar thermometer. Pour over the nuts and leave to cool, then break into pieces.

Remove the semifreddo from the freezer 30–40 minutes before serving to soften slightly. Serve topped with macadamia and pepita shards.