Coupes à la Malmaison

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Four 6-ounce (180 ml) chilled dessert coupes
• •Small sharp paring knife
• •Medium chilled mixing bowl
• •Flexible spatula
• •Small heavy saucepan
• •Sugar or instant-read thermometer
• •Two wooden spoons and a dinner fork
• •Baking parchment

Instructions

1. 1

   Chill bowls and tools

   Place four 6-ounce dessert coupes in the freezer for at least 30 minutes. Chill a medium mixing bowl and flexible spatula for 15 minutes as well. Cold equipment buys you working time, which matters once the ice cream begins to soften.

2. 2

   Peel and dry grapes

   Rinse the grapes while their skins are still intact, dry them thoroughly, and pull them from the stems. Starting at the blossom end, lift the skin with the point of a small paring knife and peel it away with your fingers, taking care not to pierce the flesh. Lay the peeled grapes in a single layer on a clean towel and blot gently, then refrigerate them uncovered for 20 minutes. Do not rinse them after peeling. If they still dampen a fresh towel, leave them uncovered in the cold for another 10 minutes and blot again. Ça se rattrape, but they must be dry before folding.

   Set aside any grape that splits or leaks juice. One damaged grape can seed a surprising amount of ice through the cream.
3. 3

   Fold grapes into ice

   Let the vanilla ice cream stand at cool room temperature for 8 to 12 minutes, only until a spatula can cut through it with some resistance. Transfer it to the chilled bowl and fold in the dry grapes with three or four broad turns, distributing them without crushing them. If the ice cream turns shiny or begins slumping, stop and return the entire bowl to the freezer for 10 minutes before continuing. Soft is workable; melted refreezes coarse.

4. 4

   Set the coupes

   Divide the grape-filled ice cream among the chilled coupes, building a generous rounded mound in each without packing it hard. Return the coupes to the freezer for 45 to 60 minutes, until firm enough to hold the spun sugar without sinking. Once firm, cover them loosely so no wrapping touches the surface.

5. 5

   Spin the sugar

   Line the floor and counter edge with parchment. Extend two wooden spoon handles about 8 inches beyond the counter, set 6 inches apart, and weight their bowl ends securely. Put the sugar and water in a small heavy saucepan, stir only until evenly moistened, and bring to a boil over medium heat. Cover for 1 minute so condensation washes crystals from the sides, then uncover and cook without stirring until the syrup reaches 310°F (155°C) and turns pale straw-gold. Remove it from the heat and wait 30 to 60 seconds. Dip a fork into the syrup and flick it briskly back and forth over the spoon handles, drawing out fine threads. Droplets mean the syrup is still too fluid, so wait another few seconds; if it stiffens in the pan, warm it gently until it flows again.

   If the syrup becomes opaque and grainy before it colors, add 2 tablespoons (30 ml / 30 g) water over low heat and dissolve it completely before boiling again. Ça se rattrape. Never add water after the sugar has caramelized, since it can spit fiercely.
6. 6

   Veil and serve

   Let each sheet of sugar threads set for several seconds, then gather it lightly with dry fingertips and divide it into four airy veils. Remove the coupes from the freezer, drape the spun sugar over the ice cream without pressing, and serve immediately. Humidity and contact with the cold cream begin dissolving the sugar at once, which is why this flourish belongs to the final minute. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Choose small, firm, seedless Muscat grapes with a pronounced floral scent. A plain seedless green grape gives the right shape but loses the perfume that identifies Malmaison; if Muscat isn't at market, serve that cousin knowingly.
• •Buy dense full-fat vanilla ice cream with a direct flavor of cream and vanilla. A highly aerated tub collapses during folding and freezes back with a coarse texture.
• •Do not blanch the grapes to loosen their skins. It saves a little knife work but introduces the very water this dessert punishes.
• •Spin the sugar in the driest room available and never refrigerate it. Cooked sugar burns more fiercely than boiling water, so use a long fork, keep the saucepan handle turned inward, and let every drip harden before handling it.

Advance Preparation

• •The grapes may be peeled up to 4 hours ahead. Hold them uncovered in a single layer on a clean towel in the refrigerator so surface moisture can escape.
• •The grape-filled coupes may be assembled 1 to 3 hours before serving. Cover them loosely once firm to protect them from freezer odors.
• •Spin the sugar immediately before serving whenever possible. In a very dry room it can wait about 30 minutes under a large overturned container, but it must never enter the refrigerator.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 205g)