Bombe Jeanne d’Arc

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •1.5-litre hemispherical metal bombe mould or stainless-steel bowl
• •Digital instant-read or sugar thermometer
• •Stand mixer or electric hand mixer
• •Small offset spatula
• •Small heavy saucepan

Instructions

1. 1

   Chill the mould

   Clear a level space in the freezer and chill a 1.5-litre hemispherical metal mould or stainless-steel bowl for 20 minutes. Set aside about one-quarter of the vanilla ice cream for closing the base, then leave the remainder at room temperature just until a spoon passes through it with resistance. It must be spreadable, not liquid; melted ice cream refreezes coarse.

2. 2

   Clothe the mould

   Use the coating action preserved in Another Method of Preparing Aspics de Filets de Soles (No. 916): turn the cold mould as you spread the softened vanilla ice cream over its entire interior, building an even shell about 1.5 cm thick. Work in two thin coats, freezing the first for 15 minutes before adding the second, then freeze the finished shell for 45 minutes. Thin coats are easier to control than one heavy layer. If the ice cream slides toward the bottom, stop and freeze it for 10 minutes, then patch the bare place with a cold spoon. Ça se rattrape.

   Hold the mould up to a window after the first coat. Darker-looking patches are thin and need another swipe of ice cream before the shell freezes hard.
3. 3

   Cook the syrup

   Put the sugar and water in a small heavy saucepan. Stir over low heat only until the sugar dissolves, then stop stirring and boil until the syrup reaches 118°C, the soft-ball stage. If crystals gather at the edge, cover the pan for 30 seconds so condensation washes them down. If the whole syrup crystallizes, add 1 tablespoon of water and melt it gently again. Do not throw it out.

4. 4

   Whip the pâte

   Begin whisking the yolks at medium speed when the syrup reaches 112°C. At 118°C, remove the syrup from the heat and pour it down the inside of the bowl in a thin stream while the whisk runs, keeping it away from the beaters. Increase to high speed and whisk until the pâte à bombe is thick, pale, and glossy, falling in a ribbon that rests briefly on the surface, about 5 minutes. Stop while the bowl still feels distinctly warm, around 45 to 50°C.

5. 5

   Melt in the chocolate

   Immediately add the finely chopped chocolate to the warm pâte à bombe in three additions, whisking gently after each until it melts completely. Whisk in the fine pralin until the mixture is smooth and satin-dark. Chocolate goes into the warm base, never a cold one. If it catches into dark grit, set the bowl over barely simmering water and whisk in 1 tablespoon of the measured cream, warmed first, until smooth. Ça se rattrape, but gentleness matters.

6. 6

   Fold in the cream

   Let the chocolate base cool to about 30°C, still supple but no longer warm enough to melt whipped cream. Whip the cold cream to soft peaks, then fold one-third into the chocolate base to loosen it. Fold in the remainder with broad strokes until no pale streaks remain. If the chocolate base stiffens before folding, warm it for a few seconds over the water bath; if it feels warm, stir it over a bowl of ice before adding the cream.

7. 7

   Fill and freeze

   Spoon the chocolate-praline filling into the frozen vanilla shell, pressing it gently against the sides so no hollow pockets remain. Leave about 1 cm at the top. Soften the reserved vanilla ice cream just enough to spread, cover the filling completely, and smooth it flush with the rim. Press reusable wrap directly against the surface and freeze on a level shelf for at least 8 hours, preferably overnight.

8. 8

   Unmould and serve

   Chill the serving platter. Remove the wrap, place the platter over the mould, and invert both together. Hold a warm, wrung-out towel against the mould for 5 seconds, then lift gently. If the bombe refuses to release, repeat once rather than warming it continuously. Return a softened surface to the freezer for 15 minutes. Rest the bombe at room temperature for 8 minutes, then slice with a knife warmed in hot water and wiped dry between cuts. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Choose a dense, full-fat vanilla ice cream with a clean vanilla flavour. Low-fat frozen desserts refreeze icy and make a brittle shell; this mould needs the softness supplied by real cream.
• •Use fine dry pralin, not a sweetened hazelnut spread. Pralin is caramelized nuts ground to a powder, and it perfumes the filling without adding the extra oil and milk found in spreads.
• •Have the chocolate chopped before the syrup goes on the stove. The warm pâte à bombe gives you a short working window, and the chocolate must enter while that warmth can still melt it evenly.
• •For guests who are pregnant, elderly, very young, or immunocompromised, use pasteurized egg yolks. Hot syrup cooks the yolks substantially, but the finished temperature can vary with pouring speed and bowl size.
• •Serve the bombe by itself or with small glasses of Banyuls from Roussillon. It needs no spun sugar, flowers, or decorative theatre; the clean ivory shell and dark centre make their own celebration.

Advance Preparation

• •Clothe the mould with vanilla ice cream up to one day before making the filling. Cover the frozen shell once firm so it does not pick up freezer odours.
• •The completed bombe can be frozen for up to three days, tightly covered. Unmould it shortly before serving, then return it to the freezer if the surface needs to firm.
• •Transfer the bombe from a deep freezer to a standard freezer about 30 minutes before serving if it has frozen extremely hard. It should slice cleanly without becoming soft at the edges.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 145g)