Coupes Venus

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •2-quart (2-liter) narrow saucepan
• •Fine-mesh sieve
• •Baking parchment cut into an 8-inch (20 cm) round
• •Balloon whisk and chilled mixing bowl
• •Small piping bag or parchment cone
• •Four 6-to-8-fluid-ounce (180-to-240-ml) glass coupes

Instructions

1. 1

   Peel the peaches

   Prepare a bowl of ice water. Cut a very shallow cross through the skin at the base of each peach, then lower the fruit into a saucepan of boiling water for 20 to 30 seconds. Transfer it immediately to the ice water and slip off the skin from the cross upward, leaving the peach whole. If the skin clings, blanch that peach for another 10 seconds. Don’t force it and gouge the flesh, because every mark shows once the fruit is poached.

2. 2

   Infuse the syrup

   Empty the saucepan, then combine the measured water, sugar, and split vanilla bean in it. Warm gently, stirring only until the sugar dissolves, then bring the syrup to a brief boil. Cover, remove it from the heat, and let the vanilla infuse for 10 minutes. Strain the syrup through a fine-mesh sieve into the cleaned saucepan; this removes loose vanilla seeds that would mark the pale peaches.

3. 3

   Poach at a tremble

   Lower the peeled peaches into the vanilla syrup and cover them with a round of baking parchment so their surfaces remain wet. Poach over the lowest heat for 8 to 12 minutes, turning once if the syrup doesn’t cover them completely. The liquid should show only an occasional lazy bubble. A fine skewer should enter the flesh as far as the stone with slight resistance. If the syrup begins boiling, lift the pan from the heat and remove the peaches until it quiets, then continue more gently. Boiling turns their edges translucent and makes the flesh collapse before the centre is ready.

4. 4

   Cool beneath syrup

   Set the saucepan in the prepared ice bath and leave the peaches submerged beneath the parchment while they cool. Once cold, refrigerate them in their syrup for at least 1 hour. Submersion prevents the peeled fruit from oxidizing and keeps its natural pale colour. Before assembly, lift out the peaches, drain them thoroughly, and blot their bases gently. The poaching syrup does not go into the coupe; save it for another batch of fruit.

5. 5

   Whip the Chantilly

   Reserve a tablespoon of the measured cream, then whisk the remainder in a chilled bowl until it begins holding soft folds. Add the confectioners’ sugar and vanilla extract, and continue only until the cream makes a supple peak that holds a piped line. This is Chantilly, lightly sweetened vanilla whipped cream, not a stiff decoration. If it turns grainy, stop. Ça se rattrape: fold in the reserved unwhipped cream a teaspoon at a time until it smooths. Transfer it to a piping bag or parchment cone with a narrow plain opening.

6. 6

   Build the coupes

   Let the vanilla ice cream soften just enough to spoon cleanly, about 3 to 5 minutes. Half-fill each chilled coupe with ½ cup of ice cream and make a shallow hollow in the centre. Stand one well-drained peach upright in each hollow, settling it without pressing it deeply into the ice. Place one very red cherry in the peach’s stem hollow, then pipe a fine, unbroken thread of Chantilly around the peach. Keep it narrow, not a rosette or a billowing border. Serve immediately. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Choose peaches small enough to sit securely in the coupe, fragrant enough to smell before you cut them, and firm enough to withstand poaching. Soft fruit slumps; hard, scentless fruit remains hard and scentless.
• •Good prepared vanilla ice cream is intentional here. Choose one without caramel, cookie pieces, or another flavor competing with the peach. Let it soften only enough to spoon, then return it to the cold if it begins shining at the edges.
• •The cherry is part of the composition, not a casual garnish. It should be small, distinctly red, and thoroughly drained so no syrup stains the peach or runs into the ice cream.
• •The whole peach retains its stone because that helps it keep its rounded shape. Set a small dessert fork beside the spoon so the fruit can be eaten neatly.
• •Good whole baby peaches preserved in light syrup are an honest off-season answer. Drain them, warm them gently in freshly infused vanilla syrup, and chill them before assembly; handle them once, because preserved fruit is softer.

Advance Preparation

• •Poach the peaches up to 24 hours ahead and refrigerate them completely submerged in their syrup. Drain and blot them only when you are ready to assemble the coupes.
• •The Chantilly can be made up to 2 hours ahead and held cold in its piping bag. Massage the bag gently before piping if the cream has settled.
• •The coupes may be half-filled with vanilla ice cream up to 30 minutes ahead and held in the freezer. Add the peach, cherry, and Chantilly at the last moment; an assembled Coupe Vénus waits for no one.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 220g)