Bombe Duchesse

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •1½-quart (1.4-liter) metal bombe mould or round-bottomed stainless-steel bowl
• •Ice-cream machine or shallow metal freezing pan and food processor
• •Stand mixer or electric hand mixer
• •Instant-read or sugar thermometer
• •Blender and fine-mesh sieve
• •Small offset spatula or sturdy dessert spoon

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare the cold

   Clear a level freezer shelf. Chill a 1½-quart (1.4-liter) metal bombe mould or round-bottomed mixing bowl for at least 30 minutes, along with the serving platter and the bowl and beaters for the cream. Set up an ice bath large enough to hold a saucepan. Temperature is part of the mise en place here, not something to arrange after the fruit is cut.

   A metal mould freezes faster and releases more cleanly than glass or thick ceramic. A stainless-steel mixing bowl is an honest substitute for a formal bombe mould.
2. 2

   Make the banana base

   Combine the water and sugar for the banana ice in a small saucepan. Warm gently until every crystal dissolves, then boil for 1 minute without allowing the syrup to color. Set the pan in the ice bath and stir until the syrup is thoroughly cold. Only then peel the bananas and blend them immediately into the syrup with the lemon juice and half the salt until perfectly smooth. If a grey film appears while the purée waits, skim it, blend once more, and proceed at once; the flavor is sound, though waiting will not improve the color.

3. 3

   Churn the banana ice

   Churn the banana mixture until it holds the texture of a firm, smooth slush, usually 20 to 25 minutes. It must be soft enough to spread but firm enough to cling to a vertical surface. If it is flowing, freeze it for 10 minutes and stir again; if it has become hard, leave it in the refrigerator for 5 minutes. This working consistency matters more than the clock.

   Without an ice-cream machine, freeze the base in a shallow metal pan until firm around the edges, process it until smooth, then freeze and process it once more. The texture will be slightly less fine, but it will clothe the mould properly.
4. 4

   Clothe the mould

   Using the mould-clothing principle preserved in Another Method of Preparing Aspics de Filets de Soles (No. 916), press the banana ice over the bottom and sides of the frozen mould in an even ½-inch (1.25-cm) layer. Work with the back of a chilled spoon, turning the mould as you go, and carry the layer cleanly to the rim. If the ice slides downward, both it and the mould are too warm. Freeze them for 10 minutes and begin again. Ça se rattrape. Fill thin spots with more banana ice, smooth the inner wall, and freeze the shell until hard, at least 45 minutes.

5. 5

   Prepare the pear purée

   While the shell hardens, put the diced pears in a small saucepan with their sugar, lemon juice, and the remaining salt. Cover and cook over medium-low heat until the fruit collapses under a spoon, 8 to 12 minutes. Uncover and stir until loose juice has evaporated and the pears resemble a thick compote. Blend until smooth, then pass through a fine sieve to remove any grit. Spread the purée in a shallow bowl and chill it over ice until cold to the touch. Warm pear purée will melt the filling before it ever reaches the mould.

6. 6

   Whip the pâte à bombe

   Begin beating the egg yolks at medium speed until they are thick and pale. Put the sugar and 3 tablespoons (45 ml / 45 g) water for the pâte à bombe in a clean saucepan, dissolve the sugar gently, then boil without stirring to 244°F (118°C). With the mixer running, pour the syrup into the yolks in a thin stream down the side of the bowl, never directly onto the beaters, and whip at high speed until the mixture is voluminous, holds a broad ribbon, and the bowl feels cool, 7 to 10 minutes. If the syrup crystallizes before pouring, add the reserved tablespoon of water, dissolve it completely over low heat, and bring it back to temperature. Do not scrape crystals from the pan wall into the yolks.

7. 7

   Fold the pear filling

   Stir the cold pear purée and Kirsch together, then fold them through the cool pâte à bombe in three additions. Whip the cold cream to soft peaks that bend rather than stand rigid, and fold it into the pear mixture with a broad spatula, preserving as much volume as possible. The finished filling should be pale, thick, and softly mounded. If the base feels even slightly warm, stop before adding the cream and set it over the ice bath until cool. Once chilled, it will fold normally.

8. 8

   Fill and freeze

   Check that the banana shell is firm from rim to center. Spoon in the pear pâte à bombe, pressing gently against the shell so no large air pockets remain, then level the filling flush with the rim. Cover the surface directly with parchment and wrap the mould well. Freeze on the level shelf for at least 8 hours, preferably overnight. The long freeze is not ceremony; the center must become solid enough to release and slice without crushing the shell.

9. 9

   Unmould and serve

   Remove the wrapping and press the chilled platter over the mould. Dip the outside of the mould in warm water for 5 seconds, dry it, then invert both mould and platter together. If the bombe resists, cover the mould with a warm towel for another 3 seconds and try again. Too much warmth melts the banana detail before the center releases. Cut with a long knife dipped in hot water and wiped dry between slices. Serve while the banana shell is firm and the pear center yields cleanly to the fork. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Choose fragrant bananas with brown freckles on yellow skins, not green fruit and not bananas that have collapsed to black. The first lack perfume; the second make a muddy ice.
• •Comice or Bartlett pears purée smoothly. Outside their season, use 12 ounces (340 g) well-drained canned pear halves packed in juice, then cook them briefly to remove excess moisture. An honest preserved pear is better than a hard fresh one.
• •Kirsch means clear cherry eau-de-vie, not a sweet red cherry liqueur. Keep it to the measured amount because alcohol softens frozen mixtures, and a generous extra pour can prevent the center from setting.
• •Do not reduce the sugar. Here it controls texture as well as sweetness: too little makes the banana shell hard and icy, while the pâte à bombe loses the syrup it needs for body.
• •For young children, pregnant guests, older adults, or anyone with reduced immunity, use pasteurized egg yolks. The hot syrup warms the yolks, but home mixing does not guarantee a precise pasteurization temperature.

Advance Preparation

• •The pear purée can be cooked, sieved, and chilled up to 2 days ahead. Keep it tightly covered so it does not absorb refrigerator odors.
• •The plain sugar syrup for the banana ice can be made up to 3 days ahead and chilled. Do not add the banana until you are ready to churn and clothe the mould.
• •The completed bombe is best made 1 or 2 days before serving. Once frozen solid, wrap the mould tightly; it will keep for up to 1 week, though the banana color is brightest during the first few days.
• •Chill the serving platter and prepare a container of hot water for the knife before unmoulding. Once the bombe is released, dinner-party delay becomes the enemy.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 190g)