Frozen Italian Semifreddo

From NPR’s The Splendid Table, typed in by me so I could have missed something. It’s a cross between mousse and ice cream, they claim.

4 eggwhites
1 c sugar
1/4 c water
1 c cream
4-6 cups of fruit
vanilla bean

Puree 4-6 c berries w/vanilla bean and a bit of salt, then sieve it.
Whip and then refrigerate 1 c heavy cream.
Make an Italian Meringue and then freeze so it becomes like an ice cream. (It’s a meringue that you pour hot sugar syrup into – cooks eggwhites & stabilizes, so they’re like soft marshmallows.)

Put 4 egg whites in a large mixer bowl with a pinch of salt.
Put 1 c sugar in tiny saucepan with 1/4 c water; using a candy thermometer, boil to 240 degrees. At that point start beating egg whites (med for few secs, then up to high). When sugar gets to 248-250, take thermometer out, pour down the side of the mixer into the still-beating now soft-peak eggwhites. Keep beating on high for 5 minutes, lower to medium and keep beating until it’s at room temperature (4-5 more minutes). Fold in puree and cream, put in pretty bowl and freeze. 3 hours before serving put in fridge so it softens slightly.