Bombe Brésilienne

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •1.5-liter metal bombe mould or round-bottomed metal bowl
• •Countertop ice-cream machine or shallow metal freezing pan
• •Electric hand mixer or stand mixer
• •Sugar thermometer
• •Fine-mesh sieve
• •Small offset spatula
• •Chilled serving platter

Instructions

1. 1

   Build the pineapple ice

   Combine the ¾ cup sugar and ½ cup water in a small saucepan. Warm gently, stirring only until the sugar dissolves, then simmer for one minute and cool completely. Purée the pineapple chunks with the lemon juice and salt until very smooth, then pass the purée through a fine sieve to remove stubborn fibers. Stir in the cooled syrup, cover, and chill for at least two hours, until thoroughly cold.

   Taste the mixture cold. It should seem slightly sweeter than you want at the table because freezing mutes sweetness; if the pineapple is unusually sharp, dissolve another tablespoon of sugar in a spoonful of warm water and stir it in.
2. 2

   Churn the ice

   Churn the cold pineapple mixture until it is dense and spoonable, like firm soft ice cream. Transfer it to the freezer for ten minutes if it still flows; it must cling to the mould rather than slide down its walls. Without a machine, freeze the mixture in a shallow metal pan and beat it thoroughly every thirty minutes until fine-textured and spreadable.

3. 3

   Clothe the mould

   Freeze the metal bombe mould for twenty minutes. Apply the clothing-the-mould operation from Another Method of Preparing Aspics de Filets de Soles (No. 916): press pineapple ice over the bottom and sides in an even layer about 10 mm thick, using a cold offset spatula and working from the base toward the rim. Freeze for thirty minutes, inspect for thin or translucent patches, and cover them with a second coat. Reserve at least ¾ cup of pineapple ice for sealing the base. If the coating slides, return both mould and ice to the freezer for ten minutes and continue; the shape has not been lost.

   Measure the shell with the end of a clean skewer at the rim. An even shell cuts neatly and protects the softer filling; a thick crown with thin sides unmoulds badly.
4. 4

   Cook the pâte à bombe

   Put the ⅔ cup sugar and 3 tablespoons water in a clean small saucepan and cook without stirring to 118°C. When the syrup reaches about 110°C, begin beating the yolks until pale and thick. With the mixer running, pour the hot syrup in a thin stream down the inside of the bowl, away from the beaters, then beat until the mixture holds a broad ribbon and the bowl no longer feels warm. If the syrup crystallizes before reaching temperature, add 2 tablespoons of water and dissolve it again over gentle heat; nothing is lost.

5. 5

   Fold the filling

   Beat the vanilla seeds and the single tablespoon of rum into the cooled pâte à bombe. In a separate cold bowl, whip the cream to soft peaks that bend rather than stand rigid. Fold one-third of the cream into the yolk mixture to loosen it, then fold in the remainder with broad strokes. Add the thoroughly dried pineapple dice last. If the filling becomes loose because the pâte à bombe was still warm, set the bowl over ice for five to ten minutes and fold gently until it regains body.

6. 6

   Fill and seal

   Take the frozen shell from the freezer and spoon in the filling immediately, pressing it gently against the pineapple ice so no large air pockets remain. Stop about 1 cm below the rim and level the surface. Soften the reserved pineapple ice in the refrigerator just until spreadable, then cover the filling completely and smooth it level with the rim. Do not force ice that is frozen hard, or the shell may crack.

7. 7

   Freeze the bombe

   Cover the mould closely and freeze it level for at least six hours, preferably overnight. Rum fights the freeze, which is why the measured spoonful matters: it perfumes the center without leaving it slack. If the middle still yields deeply when pressed through the cover, give it another two hours. Patience, not more cold flavoring.

8. 8

   Unmould and slice

   Chill the serving platter. Dip the mould in lukewarm water for five seconds, dry it, invert it onto the platter, and lift straight upward. If it holds, repeat for two seconds rather than tugging. If the surface softens before release, return the whole arrangement to the freezer for fifteen minutes. Ça se rattrape. Cut with a knife warmed in water and wiped dry between every slice, then serve at once, especially outdoors. À table!

   The first slice is cleanest when the bombe rests only three to five minutes after unmoulding. Beyond that, a warm-day table begins deciding the texture for you.

Chef Tips

• •Use a fragrant ripe pineapple when the market has one. Out of season, frozen pineapple makes an honest ice, and canned pineapple packed in juice makes dependable dice; drain and dry it thoroughly because loose juice freezes into hard pockets.
• •Keep the rum to one tablespoon. Alcohol lowers the freezing point, so a generous freehand pour gives you a filling that tastes loud and refuses to stand. Vanilla leads here, rum follows.
• •Heavy cream should contain at least 35 percent fat and be properly cold before whipping. A lighter cream will not hold enough air to give the pâte à bombe its soft, close texture.
• •Metal conducts cold quickly and releases cleanly. A 1.5-liter bombe mould is ideal, but a deep, round-bottomed metal mixing bowl of the same capacity is an honest home equivalent.

Advance Preparation

• •The pineapple ice mixture can be prepared and chilled up to two days ahead. Keep the pineapple dice separate and dry them shortly before folding them into the filling.
• •The completed bombe may be frozen up to three days ahead. Cover the mould closely so the pineapple ice does not pick up freezer aromas or grow coarse crystals.
• •Freeze the serving platter for twenty minutes before unmoulding. The cold surface buys you precious time when the bombe is served at an outdoor celebration.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 210g)