Chef Juliette
The Making of Ices
Freezing is the recipe: pack ice hard with salt, keep the canister moving, and scrape each frozen film into the base until the Glaces turn smooth, fine, and homogeneous.
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The Moulding of Ices
Created by Chef Juliette
Based on No. 2745, The Moulding of Ices, from Le Guide Culinaire (1907) by Auguste Escoffier
Pack a prepared glace until no air remains, harden it under salted ice, and turn it out with one quick tepid dip: clean fluting, a close surface, and no hollow pockets.
Desserts
French
Make Ahead
Dinner Party
Special Occasion
20 min
Active Time
0 min cook•1 hr 20 min total
YieldOne 1-quart (950 ml) mould, 8 servings
Moulage des glaces teaches compression. The one true thing to know before touching the mould is this: every pocket of air becomes a hole when the ice is turned out. Fill tightly, strike the mould against a folded towel, and let the frozen preparation settle into every curve.
The original recipe assumed a cupboard of special metal moulds with close-fitting covers, a deep receptacle kept ready with broken ice and salt, and enough hands to fill and pack without delay. At home, a 1-quart lidded metal pudding mould, a deep stockpot, and a sturdy towel do the same work. The collection of decorative moulds and the brigade hands are scaffolding, so they can go; tight packing, an hour under salted ice, a thorough wash, and the instant in tepid water are the dish and they stay. One cook, one stove standing sensibly cold, one evening.
Turned out properly, the glace has sharp fluting, a close unbroken surface, and enough firmness to reach the table whole. Don't soften it into slush merely to make filling easy. It should yield beneath the spoon but still hold its body, because packing out every pocket of air is the step that decides the result.
Moulage des glaces belongs to the Parisian pâtisserie and the grand French dining table, where closely fitted metal moulds gave frozen preparations a shape sturdy enough to carry whole into the room. Cooks also served ices en rocher, in rock form, on folded napkins or portioned them into glasses; the mould changed the presentation, not the frozen preparation. Broken ice mixed with salt formed a compact freezing chamber, while washing the mould before its tepid dip kept the salt from tainting the dessert.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
prepared ice cream, sorbet, or fruit ice
Quantity
4 cups (950 ml / about 850 g)
fully frozen, then softened just until packable
broken or coarsely crushed ice
Quantity
about 20 cups (4.75 L / 2.5 kg)
coarse rock salt
Quantity
2 cups (475 ml / 575 g)
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| prepared ice cream, sorbet, or fruit icefully frozen, then softened just until packable | 4 cups (950 ml / about 850 g) |
| broken or coarsely crushed ice | about 20 cups (4.75 L / 2.5 kg) |
| coarse rock salt | 2 cups (475 ml / 575 g) |
Equipment Needed
- •1-quart (950 ml) lidded metal ice mould or smooth metal pudding mould
- •8-quart (7.5-liter) deep stockpot, bucket, or insulated cooler for packing
- •Sturdy kitchen gloves or an ice scoop
- •Thick folded kitchen towel
- •Basin large enough to dip the mould in tepid water
- •Chilled serving dish and clean folded napkin
Instructions
- 1
Chill and prepare
Chill the clean mould and its lid for 15 minutes. Place the broken ice beside a deep stockpot or bucket, but keep the rock salt separate until the mould is filled; once salt meets ice, the packing begins to melt. Fold a sturdy towel into a thick pad on the counter.
Use a metal mould. Metal conducts the cold and releases quickly; glass clings, insulates the dessert, and risks cracking during the tepid dip. - 2
Pack the mould
The frozen preparation should be firm but workable. If it is rigid and breaks into chunks, leave it at room temperature for 3 to 5 minutes; if it has become loose or glossy at the edges, return it to the freezer for 10 minutes. Spoon it into the chilled mould one-third at a time, pressing it firmly into every curve. Fill to the rim, set the mould upright on the folded towel, and bang it straight down several times until the surface settles and no new hollows appear. Add a final spoonful if the level drops, smooth the top, and fit the lid closely.
Don't add milk, cream, or water to soften a stubborn preparation. Extra liquid freezes into coarse crystals and weakens the moulded shape. - 3
Harden in salted ice
Mix the broken ice and rock salt. Spread a thick layer in the bottom of the deep receptacle, stand the covered mould upright on it, then pack the salted ice firmly around the sides and over the lid. Leave an ordinary, already-frozen glace buried for at least 1 hour. A light, aerated preparation put into the mould before it is fully frozen, as with bombes, needs the additional 2 hours specified by the classical method, making 3 hours in all. Replenish the packing if it sinks below the lid.
Salted ice becomes cold enough to injure bare skin. Handle the packing with sturdy kitchen gloves or a scoop. - 4
Wash away the salt
Chill the serving dish, then lay a clean folded napkin over it. Lift the mould from the packing with gloved hands and rinse its exterior thoroughly under cold water, paying particular attention to the lid and seam. Dry it well. This washing is part of the method, not decoration; one hidden grain of packing salt can taint the first spoonful.
- 5
Dip and turn out
Fill a basin with tepid water, never hot. Dip the covered mould to just below its seam for 1 to 2 seconds, only long enough to melt the thinnest film against the metal. Remove the lid, place the napkin-lined dish against the opening, invert both together, pause for a breath, and lift the mould straight upward. If the glace clings, don't twist or pull. Ça se rattrape: return the mould upright, refit the lid, dip it for 1 second more, and try again. If an overlong dip softens the details, return the covered mould to the salted ice for 10 minutes before repeating.
- 6
Serve without delay
Carry the moulded glace to the table as soon as it releases. The folded napkin steadies it and catches the first melt. Portion it with a serving spoon or a knife dipped briefly in warm water and wiped dry between cuts. Clean edges, a smooth interior, no fussy garnish. À table!
Chef Tips
- •This is a finishing method, so it begins with a prepared frozen dessert and supplies no flavouring of its own. Use the glace, sorbet, or fruit ice from its proper recipe without changing its balance.
- •A smooth 1-quart metal pudding mould with a close-fitting lid is the honest home equivalent of the special ice mould. Avoid insulated plastic, which slows the salted ice, and avoid any vessel with a loose cover that can admit brine.
- •Crush the packing ice to pieces roughly the size of hazelnuts and walnuts. Large cubes leave warm gaps around the mould; powder melts too quickly. The mixed sizes settle closely and keep the cold against the metal.
- •One hour is for a preparation that was already frozen before packing. If you fill the mould with a light, only partly frozen mixture, give it the full 3 hours or the centre may collapse as the mould lifts.
- •Without a suitable mould, the same prepared ice may be served en rocher on a folded napkin or portioned into chilled glasses, exactly as the source permits. Pleasant, certainly, but it is no longer moulage.
Advance Preparation
- •The mould may be filled and hardened earlier on the day of serving. After its hour in salted ice, rinse and dry the still-covered mould, then hold it in the coldest part of the freezer for up to 24 hours.
- •If the mould remains in its salted-ice packing until service, inspect it every hour and add more broken ice and salt whenever the level falls below the lid.
- •Chill the serving dish for at least 30 minutes, but keep the folded napkin clean and dry until the moment of unmoulding.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 106g)
Calories
220 calories
Total Fat
12 g
Saturated Fat
7 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
4 g
Cholesterol
45 mg
Sodium
85 mg
Total Carbohydrates
25 g
Dietary Fiber
1 g
Sugars
22 g
Protein
4 g
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