Bombe Mascotte

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •1½-quart (1.4-liter) bombe mould or rounded stainless-steel bowl, about 7 inches (18 cm) across
• •Fine-mesh sieve
• •Ice-cream machine or food processor and shallow metal tray
• •Stand mixer or electric hand mixer
• •Instant-read or sugar thermometer
• •Small offset spatula or sturdy dessert spoon

Instructions

1. 1

   Cook the clear syrup

   Put the ¾ cup sugar and ½ cup water in a small saucepan. Warm gently, stirring only until the sugar dissolves, then boil for one minute. Pour the clear syrup into a bowl and set that bowl over ice until completely cold. Chill the bombe mould or stainless-steel bowl at the same time. The fruit must never meet warm syrup, which would flatten the fresh peach perfume.

2. 2

   Sieve the peaches raw

   Score a shallow cross in the base of each peach. Lower them into boiling water for 10 to 15 seconds, then move them directly into ice water. Slip off the skins, halve and stone the fruit, then purée it and press it through a fine-mesh sieve. Stir in the lemon juice, salt, and cold syrup. If a skin resists, use a peeler rather than boiling the peach longer. The blanching loosens the skin; it must not cook the flesh.

   Taste the cold mixture. It should seem slightly sweeter and brighter than you want at the table because freezing mutes both sugar and acidity.
3. 3

   Churn the peach ice

   Chill the peach mixture until thoroughly cold, then churn it until dense and softly frozen. It should hold a ridge from the paddle but remain spreadable. Without an ice-cream machine, freeze it in a shallow metal tray until firm around the edges, process it until smooth, then return it to the freezer until it reaches the same spreadable consistency. If it freezes solid, soften it in the refrigerator and stir firmly; do not melt it back to liquid.

4. 4

   Clothe the mould

   Reserve about 1 cup of peach ice for the base. Using the mould-coating principle cited in Another Method of Preparing Aspics de Filets de Soles (No. 916), press the remaining peach ice over the bottom and sides of the chilled mould in an even layer about ⅝ inch thick. This is chemiser le moule. Smooth the inner wall with the back of a cold spoon, inspect it against the light for thin patches, and freeze for 45 minutes. If the coating slides or exposes the metal, press it back into place and freeze again before filling.

   The sole-aspic reference supplies the coating technique only. No part of that savoury preparation enters the dessert.
5. 5

   Make the pâte à bombe

   Whisk the pasteurized yolks in a heatproof mixer bowl until thickened and pale. Put the remaining ½ cup sugar and 3 tablespoons water in a small saucepan, dissolve the sugar gently, then boil without stirring to 244°F (118°C). With the mixer running at medium speed, pour the syrup in a thin stream down the inside of the bowl, never directly onto the whisk. Increase the speed and beat until the pâte à bombe is thick, holds a ribbon, and feels cooler than your hand, about 6 minutes. If the syrup turns grainy before reaching temperature, add a spoonful of water and dissolve it again over gentle heat. Ça se rattrape.

6. 6

   Fold in Kirsch cream

   Beat the Kirsch into the cool pâte à bombe a spoonful at a time. Whip the 1¼ cups cold cream to soft peaks, stopping while the surface remains smooth and supple. Fold one-third into the yolk base to lighten it, then fold in the rest with broad turns until no white streaks remain. If the cream becomes grainy from overwhipping, fold in the optional unwhipped cream one teaspoon at a time until it smooths. Never fold whipped cream into a warm base; chill the base over ice first or the filling will collapse.

7. 7

   Fill and seal

   Spoon the Kirsch filling into the frozen peach shell, pressing it gently against the wall so no air pockets remain. Leave about ⅝ inch below the rim and freeze until the surface is firm, about 45 minutes. Soften the reserved peach ice in the refrigerator just until spreadable, pack it over the filling to seal the bombe, and level it flush with the rim. Cover tightly and freeze for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight.

8. 8

   Turn out and serve

   Chill the serving platter. Dip the mould into warm water for 5 seconds, dry it thoroughly, place the platter over it, and invert both together. If the bombe does not release, wrap the mould in a warm damp towel for 3 seconds and try again; repeat briefly rather than warming it long enough to melt the peach shell. Let the turned-out bombe stand for 5 minutes, then cut it with a knife dipped in hot water and wiped dry between slices. The pale Kirsch centre should sit cleanly inside its coral peach ring. À table!

Chef Tips

• •The peaches must smell unmistakably of peaches before you buy them. If the fresh fruit is poor, use unsweetened frozen peach slices picked ripe, thaw them in the refrigerator, and sieve them raw. Canned peaches have already been cooked and cannot give Mascotte its defining perfume.
• •Keep the Kirsch to the measured amount. More does not merely make the filling stronger; alcohol lowers its freezing point and can leave the centre too soft to slice.
• •A rounded stainless-steel mixing bowl is the honest home equivalent of a lidded bombe mould. Choose one without a rolled interior seam, which can catch the frozen shell during unmoulding.
• •For an outdoor dinner, keep the bombe frozen until the table is ready and unmould it at the last moment. A chilled platter buys useful minutes in the shade, but direct sun will undo good work quickly.
• •Use pasteurized yolks. The hot syrup cooks and stabilizes the pâte à bombe, but pasteurized eggs provide the sensible margin for a dessert served frozen.

Advance Preparation

• •The peach base can be made and chilled one day before churning. Press parchment directly against its surface to protect its colour and fresh scent.
• •The completed bombe can be frozen up to three days ahead. Keep it tightly covered in its mould so the peach ice does not absorb freezer aromas.
• •Chill the serving platter and dessert plates for 30 minutes before unmoulding. This keeps the first slices neat while everyone is being served.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 215g)