Bombe Saint Laud

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •1.5-litre hemispherical metal bombe mould or stainless-steel bowl
• •Domestic ice cream machine with at least a 1-litre capacity
• •Digital sugar thermometer
• •Stand mixer or electric hand mixer
• •Fine-mesh sieve and damp muslin or coffee filter
• •Small offset spatula
• •Chilled serving platter

Instructions

1. 1

   Chill the equipment

   Freeze a clean 1.5-litre hemispherical metal mould or stainless-steel bowl for at least 1 hour. Chill the mixer bowl, beaters, and offset spatula as well, and prepare the ice-cream-machine canister according to its instructions. Cold equipment buys working time and keeps every layer where you put it.

   Metal conducts cold quickly and releases the finished bombe cleanly. Glass is slow to freeze and can crack during unmoulding, so leave it in the cupboard.
2. 2

   Make the raspberry base

   Stir the 100 g granulated sugar and 45 ml water over medium heat just until the sugar dissolves, then boil for 1 minute and cool completely. Purée the raspberries and press them through a fine sieve, taking the smooth pulp and leaving every seed behind. Whisk in the cold syrup, lemon juice, and salt, then chill the mixture for at least 30 minutes. It should taste slightly sweeter and sharper than you want at the table, because freezing mutes both.

3. 3

   Churn the raspberry ice

   Churn the raspberry mixture until it is dense, matte, and firm enough to hold the ridges made by the paddle, usually 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer it to a shallow chilled container. If it is too loose to spread, freeze it for 15 minutes and stir every 5 minutes; if it has become hard, soften it in the refrigerator until pliable. You need raspberry ice with the consistency of thick mortar, neither flowing nor brittle.

4. 4

   Concentrate the melon

   Purée the diced melon until smooth, then pass it through a fine sieve. Set the purée in a sieve lined with damp muslin or a coffee filter and let it drain over a bowl for 20 to 30 minutes without pressing. Measure 1 cup (240 ml / 250 g) of thick purée. It should settle slowly from a spoon rather than run like juice. If it still pours freely, keep draining; that excess water is what would freeze into splinters.

5. 5

   Whip the pâte

   Begin beating the pasteurized yolks at medium speed until pale and lightly thickened. Put the 90 g granulated sugar and 30 ml water in a small saucepan, dissolve the sugar gently, then boil without stirring to 118°C. If crystals form on the pan before the syrup reaches temperature, add the reserved tablespoon of water, cover for 30 seconds, and let the condensation dissolve them before continuing. Pour the hot syrup in a thin stream down the inside of the mixer bowl while beating, keeping it away from the moving whisk. Increase the speed and whip until the pâte à bombe is thick, pale, cool, and falls in a broad ribbon, about 7 minutes.

6. 6

   Finish the melon base

   Whip the 180 ml cream for the melon filling to soft peaks. Fold the drained melon purée into the cool pâte à bombe, one third at a time, then lighten it with one third of the whipped cream before folding in the remainder. Keep the spatula broad and deliberate so the air stays in the mixture. If the pâte à bombe still feels warm, chill it over a bowl of cold water before adding the cream; warmth collapses the foam. Refrigerate the finished melon appareil à bombe until spoonable.

7. 7

   Whip the Chantilly

   Reserve 1 tablespoon of the measured cream, then whip the remainder with the confectioners' sugar and vanilla until it holds soft, definite peaks. Chantilly must have enough body to remain a separate layer but should never look grainy. If it begins to roughen, stop and fold in the reserved liquid cream by hand; the texture will smooth again. Keep it cold.

8. 8

   Clothe the mould

   Following the coating action in Another Method of Preparing Aspics de Filets de Soles (No. 916), chemiser, or clothe, the frozen mould with raspberry ice. Rotate the mould as you spread an even layer 8 to 10 mm thick over the bottom and sides, working from the centre toward the rim. Freeze for 20 minutes, then hold the mould toward the light and patch any thin or translucent places. If the coating slides, the ice or mould is too warm; refreeze both for 10 minutes and rebuild the patch. Reserve enough raspberry ice to close the top.

9. 9

   Build the layers

   Spoon one third of the melon appareil à bombe into the hard raspberry shell and smooth it level. Freeze for 10 minutes, just until the surface resists a light fingertip, then add half the Chantilly. Repeat with another third of melon, the remaining Chantilly, and the final melon layer, firming each briefly before the next enters. Leave about 8 mm below the rim. If a pale layer begins sinking into the one beneath it, stop and freeze the mould for another 10 minutes. Ça se rattrape. Seal the filled mould with the reserved raspberry ice and smooth it flush with the rim.

10. 10

    Freeze until firm

    Freeze the uncovered bombe for 1 hour, then wrap the mould closely once the surface is hard. Continue freezing for at least 5 hours, preferably overnight. The centre must be completely firm before unmoulding, or the weight of the filling will split the raspberry shell.

11. 11

    Unmould and serve

    Chill the serving platter. Wrap the outside of the mould with a towel wrung out in hot water for 5 to 8 seconds, loosen the rim with a fingertip, and invert onto the platter. If the bombe does not release, repeat for 3 seconds rather than warming it continuously. Return a soft-looking bombe to the freezer for 20 minutes. Let the unmoulded dessert stand for 8 minutes, then cut it with a knife dipped in hot water and wiped dry between slices. The raspberry shell should yield cleanly around the striped melon and Chantilly centre. À table!

Chef Tips

• •The melon decides the dessert. Smell it at the stem end before buying; if there is no clear floral melon perfume, sugar cannot manufacture one. This dish truly needs the season, so choose another frozen dessert when every melon is hard and mute.
• •Frozen raspberries are the classical pantry's honest answer outside berry season. Buy unsweetened fruit frozen at its peak, thaw it completely, and include every drop of its juice in the purée.
• •Use pasteurized yolks because the bombe receives no further cooking after the hot syrup is added. The syrup must reach 118°C so the pâte à bombe gains enough structure without becoming heavy.
• •An inexpensive stainless-steel mixing bowl makes an excellent home bombe mould. Measure its capacity with water first, then freeze it completely dry.
• •Serve the bombe without an extra sauce or ornamental fruit. Its cut layers are its finish, and the first slice drawn from that ruby shell supplies all the theatre a generous table needs.

Advance Preparation

• •Freeze the ice-cream-machine canister and metal mould the day before assembly if their designs require a long chill.
• •The raspberry ice can be churned up to 2 days ahead. Cover it closely, then soften it in the refrigerator until spreadable before clothing the mould.
• •Assemble and freeze the complete bombe the day before serving. It keeps well for 3 days when tightly wrapped, but melon perfume fades during longer storage.
• •Unmould the bombe shortly before dessert and return it to the freezer on its platter. Give it about 8 minutes at the table before cutting.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 180g)