Bombe Strogoff

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •1.5 litre stainless-steel bombe mould or deep mixing bowl
• •Ice-cream machine or shallow metal pan and food processor
• •Stand mixer or electric hand mixer
• •Digital sugar thermometer
• •Fine-mesh sieve

Instructions

1. 1

   Flatten the Champagne

   Pour the Champagne into a wide jug, cover it loosely, and refrigerate it for at least 4 hours, or overnight, until no stream of bubbles rises when the jug is moved. Do not whisk or shake it. Measure the flat Champagne into a small saucepan and simmer gently until reduced to ⅓ cup (80 ml / 80 g), about 12 minutes. Cool it completely. The reduction concentrates the wine without beating unwanted gas into the yolks.

2. 2

   Make the peach ice

   Combine the sugar and water for the peach ice in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring only until the sugar dissolves, then simmer for 1 minute and cool. Blend the peaches, lemon juice, and syrup until perfectly smooth, then pass the purée through a fine sieve. Chill it thoroughly and churn until dense but still spreadable. Without an ice-cream machine, freeze it in a shallow metal pan until firm around the edges, process it smooth, and freeze it once more to a thick spreading consistency. This replaces the brigade's salt-and-ice freezer without changing the peach ice itself.

   Do not freeze the peach ice solid before lining the mould. It should hold on an upright spoon but yield beneath it, rather like firmly whipped cream.
3. 3

   Clothe the mould

   Freeze a 1.5 litre stainless-steel bombe mould or deep bowl for 30 minutes. Reserve about 1 cup (240 ml) of peach ice for the base. Use the mould-clothing action named in Another Method of Preparing Aspics de Filets de Soles (No. 916): press the remaining peach ice over the bottom and sides while turning the mould, making an even shell about 1.25 cm thick. The cross-reference supplies the motion only; none of its savoury contents belongs here. Freeze for 30 minutes, inspect the shell for thin spots, and patch them with more peach ice. If the surface begins to melt while you work, stop and freeze it for 10 minutes. Ça se rattrape.

4. 4

   Whip the pâte à bombe

   Place the yolks in the bowl of a stand mixer and begin beating at medium speed. Combine the sugar and water for the pâte à bombe in a small saucepan and cook without stirring to 118°C. With the mixer running, pour the syrup in a thin stream down the inside of the bowl, never directly onto the whisk. Beat at high speed until the pâte à bombe, the hot-syrup yolk base, is pale, thick, and completely cool, about 7 minutes. If the syrup crystallizes in its pan, add 1 tablespoon (15 ml / 15 g) water and melt it again gently without scraping crystals from the sides. Check that the yolk mixture reaches at least 71°C just after the syrup is added; if it does not, whisk it over barely simmering water until it does, then continue beating until cool.

5. 5

   Fold the filling

   Reserve 2 tablespoons (30 ml / 30 g) of the cold cream, then whip the remainder to soft folds that slump from the whisk. Fold the cold Champagne reduction into the pâte à bombe, one-third at a time, followed by the whipped cream. Work broadly and gently so the filling keeps its lightness without becoming frothy. If the cream turns grainy from overwhipping, whisk in the reserved cold cream a spoonful at a time until it relaxes, then fold it in.

6. 6

   Fill and seal

   Spoon the Champagne filling into the frozen peach shell, pressing it lightly into the curve so no hollow pockets remain. Stop about 1.25 cm below the rim and smooth the surface. Freeze for 45 minutes, until the filling has begun to set, then soften the reserved peach ice just enough to spread and use it to close the base completely. Level it with the rim, cover tightly, and freeze for at least 8 hours.

7. 7

   Unmould and serve

   Chill the serving platter. Wrap the outside of the mould with a towel dipped in warm water and wrung nearly dry for 8 to 10 seconds, invert it onto the platter, and lift gently. If the bombe refuses, repeat with the towel rather than soaking the mould in hot water. Should the peach shell turn glossy or soft, return the bombe to the freezer for 15 minutes. Let it stand for 8 minutes before slicing with a warm, dry knife, revealing the pale Champagne centre inside its coral-gold peach shell. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Use Brut Champagne. The sugar in the peach ice and pâte à bombe supplies all the sweetness the dessert needs, while a dry wine leaves a clean Champagne finish. A 375 ml half-bottle gives enough for the recipe with a glass left for the cook.
• •Ripe summer peaches give the fullest perfume, but unsweetened frozen peach slices are the classical pantry's honest answer outside the season. Thaw them, drain away excess water, and weigh the fruit after draining.
• •A metal mould freezes faster and releases more cleanly than glass. A deep stainless-steel mixing bowl works perfectly well; the curved dome matters, not a ceremonial piece of equipment.
• •The source's Another Method of Preparing Aspics de Filets de Soles (No. 916) is a technique cross-reference. It defines clothing the mould, meaning coating its interior evenly before filling; sole, forcemeat, jelly, and crayfish butter have no place in Bombe Strogoff.
• •Cut with a knife warmed in hot water and wiped completely dry between slices. Water left on the blade freezes against the dessert and drags through the peach shell.

Advance Preparation

• •Open the Champagne and let it go flat the day before. The finished reduction can be refrigerated overnight in a covered container.
• •The peach ice can be churned up to 3 days ahead. Keep it covered and frozen, then soften it in the refrigerator until spreadable before clothing the mould.
• •Assemble the bombe at least 8 hours before serving. Once completely firm, wrap the mould tightly; the finished dessert keeps well for 2 days without losing its clean fruit flavour.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 175g)