Bombe Florentine

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •1.5-liter (6-cup) metal bombe mould or deep stainless-steel bowl
• •Fine-mesh sieve
• •Countertop ice-cream maker, or shallow metal pan and sturdy whisk
• •Stand mixer or electric hand mixer
• •Instant-read or sugar thermometer
• •Flexible spatula

Instructions

1. 1

   Chill the mould

   Clear a level freezer shelf and set the freezer to at least -18°C / 0°F. Chill a clean 1.5-liter metal bombe mould or deep stainless-steel bowl for 30 minutes. Chill the serving platter too; a cold platter buys you precious time when the bombe is unmoulded.

2. 2

   Make raspberry ice

   Heat the 150 g caster sugar with the 120 ml water only until the sugar dissolves, then cool the syrup completely. Push the raw raspberries through a fine sieve, pressing firmly and discarding the seeds. Stir the cold syrup and lemon juice into the purée. Do not cook the fruit. Cooking flattens its perfume, and this shell has nowhere to hide. Chill thoroughly, then churn until the ice is thick, smooth, and soft enough to spread. Without an ice-cream maker, freeze it in a shallow metal pan and whisk vigorously every 30 minutes until it reaches the same dense, spreadable consistency.

   If the raspberry ice freezes hard before the mould is ready, move it to the refrigerator for 5 minutes and work it firmly with a spatula. Do not melt it into liquid and start again.
3. 3

   Clothe the mould

   Use the clothing-the-mould operation from Another Method of Preparing Aspics de Filets de Soles (No. 916): press the soft raspberry ice over the bottom and sides of the chilled mould, rotating it as you work, until the coat is an even 1 to 1.5 cm thick. Freeze for 20 minutes, inspect it against the light, and patch every thin place with more ice. If the coating slides toward the bottom, the mould or ice is too warm. Ça se rattrape: freeze both for 10 minutes, then press the layer back into place. Reserve enough raspberry ice to close the base later, and freeze the clothed mould for at least 45 minutes.

   Pay particular attention to the curve where the sides meet the bottom. A heavy pool there and a thin wall above it give uneven slices and invite the bombe to crack.
4. 4

   Cook the pâte à bombe

   Begin whisking the yolks at medium speed until they lighten. Put the 135 g sugar and 60 ml water in a small saucepan, dissolve the sugar over gentle heat, then boil without stirring to 118°C / 244°F. With the mixer running, pour the syrup in a thin stream down the inside of the bowl, safely away from the moving whisk. Beat at high speed until the pâte à bombe (cooked yolk foam) triples in volume, falls in a thick ribbon, and the bowl no longer feels warm. If the syrup crystallizes before reaching temperature, cover the pan for 30 seconds so condensation washes the sides, then uncover and continue. Ça se rattrape. If hard threads form on the mixer bowl, leave them there rather than scraping them into the foam.

5. 5

   Fold praliné and cream

   Stir one quarter of the pâte à bombe into the praliné, the caramelized nut paste, to loosen it, then fold that mixture gently through the remaining foam. Whip the 475 g cream to soft peaks that bend at the tip, not stiff peaks, and fold it into the pralined base in three additions. The filling must be cool, full, and softly spoonable. If the bowl is still warm, keep beating before adding cream or it will lose its body and soften the raspberry shell. If the cream goes slightly grainy from overwhipping, fold in the optional 30 g unwhipped cream one spoonful at a time until it smooths.

6. 6

   Fill and seal

   Spoon the pralined bombe preparation into the frozen raspberry shell in two additions, pressing gently into the curve so no large air pockets remain. Stop about 1 cm below the rim. If the shell begins to soften while you fill it, stop and return the mould to the freezer for 10 minutes; forcing ahead is how the two layers blur. Spread the reserved raspberry ice over the filling to seal the base level with the rim. Cover closely and freeze on the level shelf for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight.

7. 7

   Unmould, cut, serve

   Dip the mould in lukewarm water for 5 seconds, dry it, set the chilled platter over the top, and invert decisively. If the bombe does not release, wrap the mould briefly in a warm, damp towel and try again. Do not soak it. If the surface softens, return the unmoulded bombe to the freezer for 15 minutes. Let it stand for 3 minutes before cutting, then use a knife dipped in hot water and wiped dry between every slice. The raspberry shell should cut cleanly around the pale praline center. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Fresh raspberries are splendid in season, but unsweetened frozen berries are an honest choice because they were picked ripe. Thaw them, leave them raw, and sieve them thoroughly. Seeds interrupt the clean cut of the shell.
• •Buy pure praliné paste made from caramelized nuts and sugar. Chocolate-hazelnut spread is not praliné; cocoa and added fat would change the filling and dull its nut flavor.
• •The title Another Method of Preparing Aspics de Filets de Soles (No. 916) looks peculiar in a dessert recipe because the book is borrowing a construction method from the cold kitchen. Only the mould-coating operation comes across. No fish or jelly enters the bombe.
• •A thermometer matters for the pâte à bombe. The syrup needs enough concentration to stabilize the yolks and keep the frozen center supple. For children, pregnant guests, older diners, or anyone with reduced immunity, use pasteurized egg yolks.
• •For outdoor dining, keep the bombe in its mould inside a well-packed insulated cooler and unmould it at the last possible moment. Shade helps, but frozen cream does not negotiate with a warm afternoon.

Advance Preparation

• •The raspberry mixture can be sieved and chilled up to 24 hours before churning. Stir it well before it goes into the ice-cream maker.
• •The completed bombe can be frozen in its mould for up to 3 days. Cover its base closely once solid so the raspberry ice does not collect frost or absorb freezer aromas.
• •Chill the serving platter and dessert plates for at least 30 minutes before unmoulding. The cold surfaces slow melting and keep the first slices as clean as the last.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 215g)