Chinese Surprise Omelet

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •15 cm or 6 inch freezer-safe bowl
• •20 cm or 8 inch round cake pan
• •Electric mixer
• •Ice-cream machine, or shallow metal pan and food processor
• •Sugar thermometer
• •Silicone baking mat
• •Two broad metal spatulas

Instructions

1. 1

   Freeze the tangerine ice

   Warm the water and granulated sugar together just until the sugar dissolves, then cool the syrup completely. Stir in the strained tangerine juice and zest and chill until very cold. Churn in an ice-cream machine, pack into a plastic-lined 15 cm or 6 inch bowl, smooth the surface, and freeze for at least 4 hours, until solid through the center. Without a machine, freeze the mixture in a shallow metal pan, scrape it thoroughly every 30 minutes, then process it briefly until smooth before molding. If the dome slumps when tested, return it to the bowl and freeze longer. Ça se rattrape, but only while the ice remains off the sponge.

2. 2

   Bake the génoise

   Heat the oven to 190°C or 375°F. Butter and line a 20 cm or 8 inch round cake pan. Whisk the eggs and superfine sugar over a bain-marie, a warm water bath, until the mixture feels barely warm, then remove it from the heat and beat until pale, thick, and able to hold a ribbon on its surface. Fold in the flour in three additions, followed by the cooled melted butter. Spread the batter in the pan and bake for 9 to 12 minutes, until golden and springy at the center. Cool completely, then trim the génoise into a disc about 2 cm or 3/4 inch wider than the frozen mold.

3. 3

   Dry the whole fruit

   Peel the six tangerines without separating their segments, remove every white thread, and blot them very gently with clean towels. Leave them uncovered on a rack for at least 1 hour, turning once, until the surface feels dry rather than slick. This cannot be hurried: moisture clouds the sugar, thins its shell, and makes it slide from the fruit.

4. 4

   Set the frozen core

   Place the génoise on a parchment-lined metal baking sheet. Unmold the tangerine ice onto its center and remove the plastic. Return the whole assembly to the freezer for at least 20 minutes while the meringue is made. The ice must be hard enough that firm pressure from a fingertip leaves no hollow.

5. 5

   Whip the meringue

   Beat the egg whites in a perfectly clean bowl until they hold soft peaks. Add the superfine sugar gradually, one spoonful at a time, beating until the meringue is dense, glossy, and stiff enough to stand upright from the whisk. Rub a little between two fingers; if it feels strongly gritty, keep beating. If the meringue loosens after the sugar goes in, set the bowl briefly over barely warm water and continue whisking until it gains body, then whisk off the heat until the bowl feels cool.

6. 6

   Seal the frozen dome

   Cover the tangerine ice and the exposed edge of the génoise with meringue at least 2 cm or 3/4 inch thick. Seal the join at the base first, then sweep the remaining meringue upward into broad peaks. Inspect the entire dome for bare spots, because one gap gives the oven a direct road to the ice. If the ice begins to soften or leak, stop and freeze the assembly for 30 minutes before patching it. Ça se rattrape. Freeze the sealed omelette surprise chinoise while the oven heats to its highest setting, ideally 260°C or 500°F.

7. 7

   Glaze the tangerines

   Have The Cooking of Sugar (No. 2344) ready at the large-crack stage just before the omelette goes into the oven. Holding each thoroughly dried tangerine on a sturdy wooden skewer, dip it quickly into the sugar, let the excess drain, and set it on a silicone mat until the shell hardens. Never touch the liquid sugar. If the first coating turns cloudy or slips, moisture remains on the fruit; let the failed shell cool, crack it away, dry the fruit again, and redip only when the surface is completely dry.

8. 8

   Flash-bake and serve

   Bake the frozen omelette surprise chinoise in the upper third of the fiercely hot oven for 3 to 5 minutes, just until the meringue peaks turn deep gold and bronze. Do not wait for perfectly even color; restraint keeps the center frozen. Transfer it immediately to a chilled oval platter with two broad spatulas and surround it with the six glazed tangerines, exactly as the dish requires. Carry it whole to the table, cut with a warm, dry knife, and give each serving one glazed fruit. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Choose small seedless tangerines with tight, unbroken skins. Large fruit overwhelms the platter, while loose-skinned fruit tends to separate beneath the sugar coating.
• •The tangerines must be dry before they meet the glaze. Peel them early, remove every thread of pith, blot gently, and leave them exposed to the air; a damp fruit cannot hold a clear shell.
• •When following The Cooking of Sugar (No. 2344), use a reliable sugar thermometer and clear the working area before you begin. Molten sugar clings and burns fiercely, so wear long sleeves, keep children away, and never use the finger tests of the professional sugar kitchen.
• •Meringue is insulation here, not decoration. Keep it thick at the base seam, where the frozen dome meets the sponge, and use every last spoonful rather than saving some for prettier peaks.
• •Serve the omelette surprise chinoise the moment it leaves the oven. The sugar shells soften in humidity and the ice begins its slow surrender as soon as the meringue is bronzed. A chilled demi-sec Champagne suits the sweet citrus without bullying it.

Advance Preparation

• •Make and mold the tangerine ice up to 3 days ahead. Keep its surface covered tightly so it does not collect freezer aromas.
• •Bake the génoise 1 day ahead, cool it completely, and wrap it well at room temperature.
• •Peel and dry the tangerines 1 to 2 hours before service. Do not refrigerate them once dried, because condensation will return to the surface.
• •The frozen dome may be sealed with meringue and held in the freezer for about 30 minutes. Glaze the fruit and bake only when the table is ready for dessert.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 355g)