Bombe Montmorency

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •1-litre smooth metal bombe mould or deep hemispherical metal bowl
• •Small ice-cream machine
• •Stand mixer or electric hand mixer
• •Instant-read or sugar thermometer
• •Fine-mesh sieve
• •Long thin slicing knife

Instructions

1. 1

   Churn the Kirsch ice

   Put the empty 1-litre metal bombe mould in the freezer. Combine ½ cup water and ½ cup sugar in a small saucepan, bring to a boil, and stir only until the sugar dissolves. Boil for one minute, remove from the heat, then add the ice-cold water and lemon juice. Chill the syrup completely before stirring in the 3 tablespoons of kirsch; adding the spirit while the syrup is hot wastes its perfume. Churn until smooth and softly frozen, firm enough to cling to a spoon but still spreadable.

   Kirsch eau-de-vie is dry and clear. A sweet cherry liqueur makes the shell cloying and too soft to hold its shape.
2. 2

   Clothe the mould

   Reserve ½ cup of the soft Kirsch ice for sealing the base and keep it frozen but spreadable. Chemiser, meaning to clothe, the frozen mould with the remaining ice in an even layer about 1 cm thick, using the back of a cold spoon and turning the mould as you work. This follows the rotate-and-set principle cited in Another Method of Preparing Aspics de Filets de Soles (No. 916), with Kirsch ice taking the place of jelly. Freeze for 15 minutes, inspect the shell against the light, and patch every thin place before freezing it for another 30 minutes. If the ice slides toward the bottom, stop and freeze the mould for 10 minutes before continuing. Ça se rattrape.

3. 3

   Concentrate the cherries

   Combine the sour cherries, ½ cup sugar, lemon juice, and salt in a wide saucepan. Cook over medium heat until the cherries collapse and their juices reduce, about 10 minutes. Purée until completely smooth, then press through a fine sieve and return it to the pan. Reduce gently to 1 cup, about 240 ml, stirring often so the sugar cannot catch. The purée should taste a shade sweeter than you want at the table because freezing dulls sweetness, but its sour-cherry edge must remain. Chill it until thoroughly cold.

4. 4

   Whip the pâte

   Whip the egg yolks in a heatproof mixer bowl until pale and thickened. Put the ⅓ cup sugar and 3 tablespoons water in a small saucepan, bring them to a boil without stirring, and cook the syrup to 118°C. With the mixer running at medium speed, pour the hot syrup in a thin stream between the whisk and the side of the bowl, never directly onto either. Increase the speed and beat until the pâte à bombe holds a broad ribbon and the bowl feels cool, 5 to 7 minutes. If the syrup hardens into threads on the bowl, set the bowl over barely warm water for a few seconds and keep whisking until they dissolve. Don't discard it. Ça se rattrape.

5. 5

   Fold the filling

   Fold the cold cherry purée and 1 tablespoon kirsch into the pâte à bombe. Reserve 1 tablespoon of the heavy cream, then whip the rest to soft peaks that bend at their tips. Fold one-third of the whipped cream into the cherry base to loosen it, then fold in the remainder with broad strokes until no white pockets remain. The mixture should fall from the spatula in a slow, airy ribbon. If overwhipped cream leaves the filling slightly grainy, fold in the reserved liquid cream a teaspoon at a time until it smooths.

6. 6

   Fill and seal

   Spoon the cherry filling into the frozen shell, pressing it gently against the sides so no air pockets remain. Stop 1 cm below the rim and level the surface. Soften the reserved Kirsch ice just enough to spread, then seal the filling beneath an even layer reaching cleanly to the edge of the shell. Cover the mould tightly and freeze it upright for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight. The centre must be firm before unmoulding; impatience here gives a slumped bombe, and no amount of candied cherry can argue with gravity.

7. 7

   Unmould and surround

   Chill a serving platter. Dip the mould in lukewarm water for 3 to 5 seconds, dry it, invert it over the platter, and wait. If the bombe does not release, wrap the mould briefly in a warm damp towel and try again; don't pull at the dessert or return it repeatedly to the water. Arrange the drained half-candied cherries closely around the base, let the bombe stand for 8 minutes so the filling softens to velvet, and cut it with a knife warmed in water and wiped dry. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Fresh Montmorency cherries have a short season, but unsweetened frozen sour cherries are an honest choice and often better than tired fresh fruit. Thaw and drain them before measuring. Sour cherries packed in water also work, but cherries in heavy syrup make the filling too sweet.
• •Use real kirsch eau-de-vie, clear, dry, and strongly scented of cherry stones. A sweet red cherry liqueur changes both the flavour and the freezing point, so the shell may refuse to stand.
• •Freeze the empty serving platter before unmoulding. For outdoor dining, keep the bombe frozen until shortly before dessert, serve it in deep shade, and set the platter over a concealed cold pack if the weather is warm.
• •For clean slices, warm a long thin knife in hot water and wipe it dry before every cut. The knife should pass through the shell without pressing the creamy centre out of place.

Advance Preparation

• •The Kirsch ice and strained cherry purée can be made a day ahead. Refrigerate the purée and keep the churned ice frozen, then let the ice soften only until spreadable before clothing the mould.
• •The assembled bombe can be frozen for up to 2 days, tightly covered. Add the half-candied cherries only after unmoulding so their syrup does not stain or soften the shell.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 210g)