Bombe Africaine

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •5-cup (1.2 litre) metal bombe mould or smoothly rounded stainless-steel bowl
• •Electric hand mixer or stand mixer
• •Sugar thermometer
• •Small offset spatula or sturdy dessert spoon
• •Chilled flat serving platter

Instructions

1. 1

   Chill the mould

   Set a clean 5-cup (1.2 litre) metal bombe mould or smoothly rounded stainless-steel bowl in the freezer for 30 minutes. Soften the chocolate ice cream only until a spoon passes through it with firm resistance, about 8 to 12 minutes at room temperature. Reserve ½ cup (120 ml / 100 g) for closing the base and keep that portion frozen. The rest must be pliable, never liquid; melted ice cream refreezes coarse and cannot hold an even wall.

   Metal conducts cold quickly and releases cleanly. A thick ceramic bowl warms too slowly during unmoulding and asks for more persuasion than this dessert needs.
2. 2

   Clothe the mould

   Use the motion described in Another Method of Preparing Aspics de Filets de Soles (No. 916): place spoonfuls of softened chocolate ice cream around the frozen mould, then rotate it as you spread the ice upward with the back of a spoon or a small offset spatula. Form a complete chemise 5 to 7 mm thick, with no heavy ridge at the bottom and no bare metal showing. Hold the mould toward the light to find thin patches, smooth them immediately, and freeze for 30 minutes. If the ice cream slides or pools, don't build it thicker. Chill the mould and ice cream separately for 10 minutes, then patch the wall. Ça se rattrape.

   The thin chemise is the dish. A thick shell freezes harder than the apricot centre and makes every slice taste chiefly of chocolate.
3. 3

   Cook the syrup

   Put the sugar and water in a small heavy saucepan. Warm gently, stirring only until the sugar dissolves, then stop stirring and boil to 118°C (244°F), the soft-ball stage. Brush any crystals from the pan wall with a pastry brush dipped in water. If the syrup crystallizes before reaching temperature, add a spoonful of water, return it to low heat until completely clear, and begin the boil again without stirring. Keep your hands clear of the syrup; hot sugar clings and burns.

   A thermometer removes guesswork here. The syrup must be hot enough to stabilize the yolks but not cooked to caramel.
4. 4

   Make the pâte à bombe

   While the syrup approaches temperature, beat the yolks in a deep heatproof bowl until pale and slightly thickened. With the mixer running at medium speed, pour the 118°C (244°F) syrup into the yolks in a very thin stream down the inside of the bowl, keeping it away from the beaters so it does not spin into hard threads. Increase the speed and beat for 7 to 10 minutes, until the pâte à bombe triples in volume, falls from the beaters in a broad ribbon, and feels barely cool. If a few hard sugar threads form on the bowl, leave them there and transfer the smooth foam to a clean bowl rather than scraping them into the filling.

5. 5

   Fold the filling

   Reserve 2 tablespoons (30 ml / 30 g) of the liquid cream, then whip the remainder to soft peaks that bend over rather than stand rigid. Fold the cold apricot purée into the pâte à bombe in three additions. Stir the first third of the whipped cream in firmly to lighten the mixture, then fold in the rest with broad turns until no white streaks remain. If the cream has gone grainy from overwhipping, add the reserved liquid cream a teaspoon at a time and fold gently until smooth. Ça se rattrape. The finished apricot Bombe-preparation should be light, thick, and clearly fruity.

6. 6

   Fill and close

   Check that the chocolate chemise is frozen hard. Spoon in the apricot Bombe-preparation, pressing it lightly against the shell so no air pockets remain, and stop about 1 cm below the rim. Smooth the surface and freeze for 30 to 45 minutes, until firm enough to touch without lifting any filling. Soften the reserved chocolate ice cream and spread it across the opening to close the bombe, joining it cleanly to the frozen edge of the chemise. Scrape the base level so the unmoulded bombe will stand without rocking.

7. 7

   Freeze until firm

   Cover the mould closely and freeze at minus 18°C (0°F) for at least 8 hours, preferably overnight. This long freeze is part of the method, not idle waiting: the apricot pâte à bombe must set through its centre before the chocolate shell is asked to release. Keep the mould level and away from strongly scented freezer foods.

8. 8

   Unmould and slice

   Chill the serving platter. Dip only the outside of the mould in warm water for 5 seconds, dry it, invert the platter over it, and turn both together. Cover the mould with a warm towel and lift gently. If it holds, repeat the warm-water dip for 2 seconds rather than forcing it. If the surface softens during release, return the unmoulded bombe to the freezer for 15 minutes. Let it stand for 5 to 8 minutes before cutting, then use a knife dipped in hot water and wiped dry between slices. The dark shell should part cleanly around the golden centre. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Choose a dense dark chocolate ice cream without chips, nuts, ripples, or pieces. Those additions tear the chemise, and a highly aerated ice cream makes a weak shell.
• •Frozen unsweetened apricot purée is excellent here. Out of season, canned apricot halves packed in juice are the honest pantry answer: drain them thoroughly, purée until smooth, and weigh the finished purée.
• •Use pasteurized yolks when serving pregnant guests, older people, young children, or anyone with reduced immunity. The hot syrup warms and stabilizes the yolks, but careful sourcing still matters.
• •Five to seven millimetres is enough chocolate. Cooking well is not cooking fancy, and more chocolate is not automatically more generous when it erases the apricot.
• •Serve the bombe without sauce or decorative clutter. Its clean dark shell and apricot-gold centre are already the presentation.

Advance Preparation

• •Assemble and freeze the bombe up to three days before serving. Cover the mould closely once the chocolate base has hardened so the ice does not absorb freezer aromas.
• •The chocolate chemise can be formed a day before making the apricot filling. Once hard, cover the mould without touching the inner surface.
• •After unmoulding, return the bombe to the freezer until 5 to 8 minutes before serving. Leftovers keep for up to one week when wrapped closely, though the texture is finest during the first few days.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 160g)