Bombe Bourdaloue

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •1.5-litre metal bombe mould or deep stainless bowl, about 18 cm wide
• •Small heavy saucepan
• •Sugar or instant-read thermometer
• •Electric hand mixer or stand mixer
• •Small offset spatula or sturdy spoon
• •Fine-mesh sieve
• •Chilled serving platter

Instructions

1. 1

   Ready the cold

   Clear a level space in a freezer set to 0°F or -18°C. Chill a 1.5-litre metal bombe mould or deep stainless bowl for 20 minutes, along with the platter you will use for unmoulding. Metal conducts cold quickly and releases cleanly; a glass bowl freezes more slowly and asks for too much warming at the finish.

2. 2

   Soften the vanilla

   Move the vanilla ice cream to the refrigerator for 15 to 25 minutes, until a spoon passes through it with some resistance. It must spread like cold plaster, not pour. If the edges melt while the centre stays hard, stir gently to an even texture and return it to the freezer for 5 minutes; melted ice cream refreezes coarse.

3. 3

   Clothe the mould

   Following the mould-clothing principle preserved in Another Method of Preparing Aspics de Filets de Soles (No. 916), press the softened vanilla ice cream over the bottom and sides of the chilled mould in an even layer about 1/2 inch or 1.25 cm thick. Work from the deepest point upward with the back of a spoon or small offset spatula, closing every gap and keeping the rim neat. C'est la même grammaire: the cited aspic remains in its own entry, while the reusable technique gives this dessert its clean shell.

   If the ice cream slides down the sides, freeze the mould for 10 minutes and continue. If you find a thin spot after the first chill, ça se rattrape: patch it with another spoonful of softened ice cream and freeze again.
4. 4

   Harden the shell

   Set the clothed mould level in the freezer for at least 1 hour, preferably 90 minutes. The vanilla layer must feel completely hard and matte before it receives the centre. This pause is not brigade scaffolding. It is the dish.

5. 5

   Whip the cream

   Reserve 2 tablespoons of the cold cream, then whip the remainder to soft peaks that curl over when the whisk lifts. Stop before the surface looks grainy. If you go too far, ça se rattrape: fold in the reserved liquid cream a teaspoon at a time until the texture becomes smooth and supple again. Keep the whipped cream cold.

6. 6

   Cook the syrup

   Put the sugar and water in a small heavy saucepan. Warm gently, stirring only until the sugar dissolves, then raise the heat and cook without stirring to 244°F or 118°C. If crystals form and the syrup turns grainy, stop before it colours, add 1 tablespoon of water, and dissolve it again over low heat. Ça se rattrape. While the syrup rises, beat the yolks until pale and slightly thickened.

7. 7

   Make the pâte à bombe

   With the mixer running at medium speed, pour the hot syrup into the yolks in a very thin thread down the inside of the bowl, never directly onto the whisk. Increase the speed and beat for 6 to 8 minutes, until the pâte à bombe, a cooked yolk foam, is thick enough to fall in a ribbon and has cooled below 75°F or 24°C. If a few cooked flecks appear, pass the mixture through a fine sieve while still warm and continue beating; a few flecks can be rescued, but a fully scrambled base must be remade.

   The bowl may feel warm long after the mixture looks thick. Don't fold in the cream until the base is cool, because warmth melts the cream's structure and leaves the centre dense.
8. 8

   Finish the anisette centre

   Beat the salt into the cooled pâte à bombe, then add the anisette gradually, mixing just until even. Fold in one-third of the whipped cream to lighten the base, then fold in the remainder with broad strokes until no white streaks remain. This is the Anisette Bombe-preparation the entry requires. It should be airy and softly spoonable, with anise present but not medicinal.

9. 9

   Fill and freeze

   Spoon the Anisette Bombe-preparation into the frozen vanilla shell, easing it into the curve without crushing out its air. Fill the mould to the rim and level the surface. Cover closely with a parchment circle and then foil, set the mould level, and freeze for at least 8 hours. An overnight freeze gives the cleanest unmoulding and slices.

10. 10

    Turn out and finish

    Remove the parchment and dip the mould to just below its rim in lukewarm water for 5 seconds. Dry it, invert the chilled platter over the mould, and turn both together. If the bombe does not release, repeat the dip for 2 seconds only; too much warmth erases the vanilla shell. Return the unmoulded bombe to the freezer for 10 minutes if its surface has softened, then scatter the crystallised violets over it at the last possible moment. Cut with a knife dipped in hot water and wiped dry between slices. À table!

    Never refrigerate or freeze the bombe after adding the violets. Damp dissolves their sugar crust and turns their clear purple colour dull.

Chef Tips

• •Choose a dense, full-fat vanilla ice cream with a clear dairy flavour. A very airy ice cream compresses into a thin shell, while a low-fat one freezes coarse and releases water as it softens.
• •Anisette is a sweet, clear anise liqueur. Pastis is drier and more herbal, so it changes both the sweetness and perfume of the centre; use it only if you accept that the filling will no longer taste like the source formula.
• •Buy true crystallised violets that remain dry and crisp in their container. Keep them sealed at room temperature until serving, then scatter them with your fingers, generously and without arranging every petal.
• •For clean layers, slice the bombe directly from the freezer with a hot, thoroughly dried knife. Let each portion stand on its plate for 3 to 5 minutes before eating, just long enough for the anisette centre to soften.

Advance Preparation

• •The complete bombe can be frozen, well covered and without its violets, up to 3 days ahead. Keep it in the mould until shortly before serving so the vanilla shell stays protected.
• •The vanilla shell can be clothed and frozen a day before the pâte à bombe is made. Cover the hardened shell tightly so it does not collect freezer odours.
• •Keep the crystallised violets sealed in a dry cupboard and add them only after unmoulding. Once dampened, their sugar crust and colour cannot be restored.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 125g)