Moulded Ices

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •One 1-litre lidded decorative metal mould or 8 small silicone fruit moulds totaling 1 litre
• •Rimmed metal tray that fits flat in the freezer
• •Blender or food processor
• •Fine-mesh sieve
• •Ice-cream machine with a fully frozen canister
• •Small offset spatula
• •Chilled serving platter

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare the moulds

   Choose one strawberry mould holding about 1 litre, or eight small fruit moulds with the same combined capacity. Wash and dry every recess thoroughly, then set flexible moulds on a rimmed tray before chilling them; once filled, they will be too yielding to move neatly. Don't grease them. Oil blunts the detail and leaves an unwelcome film on the ice.

   Test an unfamiliar mould with measured water before beginning, then dry it completely. This tells you its capacity and prevents ice crystals from forming in droplets left inside.
2. 2

   Purée the strawberries

   Blend the strawberries with the lemon juice until completely smooth, then pass the purée through a fine-mesh sieve. Press firmly with a flexible spatula and stop when only dry seeds remain. The sieving is not fuss for its own sake: a smooth preparation settles into fine moulded details cleanly and gives the finished ice a dense, even texture.

3. 3

   Build the ice base

   Warm the milk, sugar, and salt in a small saucepan over gentle heat, stirring until the liquid is clear between strokes and no sugar remains on the pan floor. Take it off the heat before it boils, whisk in the cold cream, and cool the mixture over a bowl of ice water. Once thoroughly cold, stir in the strawberry purée. If the fruit's acidity makes the dairy look faintly grainy, don't discard it. Ça se rattrape: blend it for fifteen seconds and strain it once more. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, until colder than the bowl you mixed it in.

4. 4

   Churn until firm

   Churn the cold base according to your machine's instructions until it mounds on the paddle and a spoon drawn through it leaves a trench that closes slowly, usually 20 to 25 minutes. It must remain spreadable enough to enter the mould but firm enough not to drain from its details. If it still pours like cream after 30 minutes, stop; the base or freezer bowl was too warm. Chill the base again, refreeze the bowl completely, and rechurn rather than freezing a loose mixture into coarse crystals.

5. 5

   Fill and harden

   Working quickly, spoon the churned ice into the chilled moulds a little at a time. Press each addition firmly against the patterned surface with a small offset spatula, especially around leaves, beaks, petals, or fruit tips, then tap the supported tray twice against the counter to dislodge hidden air pockets. Level the surface, cover it directly with reusable freezer wrap or parchment, and add the lid if the mould has one. Freeze at 0°F / -18°C or colder for at least 8 hours, preferably overnight. Salted-ice packing belonged to the old service system; this hard final freeze is its home-kitchen equivalent, and it cannot be shortened.

6. 6

   Turn out cleanly

   Chill the serving platter for 30 minutes. For silicone moulds, invert each ice onto the platter and peel the silicone away from the frozen surface, supporting fine details with your fingers through the mould. For a rigid metal mould, dip only its outside in lukewarm water for 3 seconds, dry it, invert it, and lift. If it refuses to release, repeat for 2 seconds rather than forcing it. If a point or leaf tears away, press it back with the tip of a chilled spatula and return the ice to the freezer for 15 minutes. Ça se rattrape.

7. 7

   Hold and serve

   Return the unmoulded ices to the freezer for at least 20 minutes so their surfaces harden again. They may be turned out up to 2 hours before the celebration and kept loosely covered on their chilled platter. Give small ices about 3 minutes at the table before eating, just enough for the spoon to enter without softening the design. Shape first, strawberry second, pleasure throughout. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Use ripe strawberries whose perfume reaches you before the punnet does. Outside their season, unsweetened frozen berries picked ripe are the honest choice; thaw them in the refrigerator and include all their juices.
• •The source allows any finished ice preparation, but insists that it suit the mould. This formula belongs in a strawberry or related fruit design. A flower or bird calls for a preparation that makes equal sense of its own form; the joke should never need explaining.
• •Silicone is the easiest replacement for a hinged tin mould because it releases without prolonged warming. Choose substantial shapes with clear relief rather than needle-fine tips, which soften before the centre is ready to serve.
• •Keep the freezer at 0°F / -18°C or colder and place the mould away from the door. A soft freezer produces blurred details and large crystals, however carefully the base was made.
• •Never oil the mould and never fight a rigid mould with a knife. A second brief dip in lukewarm water releases it more cleanly and protects both the patterned surface and your fingers.

Advance Preparation

• •The strawberry base may be blended and refrigerated up to 24 hours before churning. Keep it covered and very cold, then whisk briefly before pouring it into the machine.
• •The filled moulds may be frozen up to 3 days ahead. Once completely hard, wrap them closely so the ice doesn't collect frost or borrow flavours from the freezer.
• •Small ices may be turned out up to 2 hours before serving, arranged on a chilled tray, loosely covered, and returned to the freezer. The source's cold holding becomes freezer holding in a modern kitchen; an ordinary refrigerator is too warm and will erase the design.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 106g)