Coupes Emma Calvé

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Light-coloured heavy saucepan, about 1 quart (1 litre)
• •Parchment-lined heatproof tray or plate
• •Food processor or mortar and rolling pin
• •Fine-mesh sieve, about 6 inches (15 cm)
• •Four glass dessert coupes, 6 to 8 ounces (180 to 240 ml) each

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the Pralin

   Toast the almonds in a dry, light-coloured saucepan over medium-low heat for 4 to 5 minutes, tossing often, until biscuit-gold and fragrant. Transfer them to a plate. Let the pan cool briefly, wipe it clean, then add the 3 tablespoons sugar and 1 tablespoon water. Stir once to moisten the sugar, set over medium heat, and cook without further stirring until the syrup turns a clear deep amber. If crystals form around the edge before the syrup colours, cover the pan for 20 seconds so droplets wash them down, then uncover and continue. Add the warm almonds, turn them through the caramel once, and immediately spread everything in a thin layer on parchment. Caramel burns fiercely, so leave it untouched until completely cold and brittle.

   Judge caramel by colour, not the clock. Pale gold tastes merely sweet; deep amber gives the Pralin its necessary roasted bitterness. Black caramel cannot be rescued, so take the pan off as soon as the colour resembles dark honey.
2. 2

   Fold the Pralin

   Chill a mixing bowl and sturdy spoon for 10 minutes. Break the cold almond caramel into pieces and pulse it in a food processor until it resembles sandy nougat powder, with a few grains left large enough to crunch. Let the vanilla ice cream stand only until a spoon can work through it while the ice still holds firm ridges. Beat it briefly in the chilled bowl to make it pliable, then fold in all the cold Pralin. If the ice turns glossy or begins to flow, stop and return the bowl to the freezer for 15 minutes before continuing. Ça se rattrape. Pack the pralined ice into a shallow covered container and freeze until firm, at least 2 hours.

   Do not process the Pralin into nut paste. Short pulses preserve dry caramel grains, which should remain distinct inside the ice cream.
3. 3

   Stew the cherries

   Combine the cherries, ¼ cup sugar, and ¼ cup water in a small saucepan. If using frozen cherries, count their thawing juice as part of the measured water. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, until the fruit is tender but still holds its shape. Lift the cherries into a bowl with a slotted spoon, then reduce the liquid until it lightly coats a spoon. If it remains watery, keep reducing it without the fruit; if it becomes sticky, loosen it with a spoonful of water. Pour the syrup over the cherries, cool for 10 minutes, and stir in the Kirsch while the fruit is warm rather than hot. Chill thoroughly before assembly.

   Once the Kirsch goes in, do not boil the cherries again. Its clean cherry perfume is the flavouring the classical entry specifies, and hard heat drives it away.
4. 4

   Press the raspberry purée

   Process the raspberries only until liquid, then press them through a fine-mesh sieve with the back of a ladle, leaving the seeds behind. You should have about ¾ cup (180 ml / 170 g) of smooth crimson purée. Keep it raw and unsweetened; its fresh acidity is what cuts through the vanilla ice and caramel. If thawed berries release a great deal of thin juice, reserve that juice before blending and add only enough to make a purée that pours in a broad ribbon. Cover and chill.

   Press firmly but stop when only dry seeds remain. Scraping seed fragments through the sieve makes the purée gritty and faintly bitter.
5. 5

   Build the coupes

   Chill four glass coupes for 15 minutes. Divide the pralined vanilla ice among them, placing it in the bottom rather than spreading it up the sides. Set one-quarter of the cold Kirsch cherries and a little syrup upon each portion. Pour the raw raspberry purée over the cherries, covering them generously while leaving the three layers legible through the glass. Serve immediately, without whipped cream, biscuits, or stray decoration. The composition is complete. À table!

Chef Tips

• •The book calls for vanilla ice as a finished component, so good bought ice cream is the honest home equivalent to a pastry station's prepared tub. Choose one made with real cream and a clear vanilla flavour; added caramel, cookie pieces, or gums that make it elastic will blur the Pralin.
• •Frozen sour cherries picked ripe are better than tired fresh cherries out of season. Jarred Morello cherries also work if they are not heavily sweetened; drain them and count their juice toward the water in the stew.
• •Kirsch means clear cherry eau-de-vie, not a red cherry liqueur or cocktail syrup. Two tablespoons are enough to perfume the fruit without turning the coupe harsh.
• •The raw raspberry purée should taste brighter than you expect on its own. Do not sweeten it automatically; against vanilla, caramel, and stewed cherries, that tartness becomes balance.
• •A demi-sec Champagne suits the caramel and berries without covering the Kirsch. Coffee is equally sensible, and after a generous dinner it may be all the accompaniment the coupe needs.

Advance Preparation

• •The Pralin can be made up to 1 week ahead. Keep it whole in an airtight container at room temperature and grind it shortly before folding so humidity cannot soften the caramel.
• •The pralined vanilla ice can be prepared up to 3 days ahead and kept tightly covered in the freezer. Move it to the refrigerator for 10 minutes if it becomes too hard to scoop.
• •The Kirsch cherries keep for 3 days under their syrup in the refrigerator. Make the raw raspberry purée the day it will be served, or at most 24 hours ahead, to preserve its fresh perfume and colour.
• •Do not assemble the coupes in advance. The fruit will melt the ice and the Pralin will surrender its crispness; keep all three components cold and unite them only when dessert is called.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 290g)