Bombe Sultane

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •1-litre metal bombe mould or deep stainless-steel bowl
• •Ice-cream machine
• •Electric hand mixer or stand mixer
• •Instant-read or sugar thermometer
• •Silicone mat
• •Mortar and pestle or food processor
• •Thin slicing knife

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare the cold

   Freeze the bowl of the ice-cream machine according to its instructions, if required. Set a 1-litre metal bombe mould or deep stainless-steel bowl in the freezer for at least 30 minutes, clear a level space around it, and prepare an ice bath large enough to hold the saucepan. Frozen desserts reward organization because every warm pause costs texture.

2. 2

   Cook the chocolate custard

   Heat the milk, the 1/2 cup cream, half the chocolate-ice sugar, and the salt until small bubbles gather around the pan. Whisk the 3 yolks with the remaining sugar, then pour in one-third of the hot milk while whisking. Return everything to the pan and stir constantly over gentle heat until the crème anglaise coats the spoon and reaches 82°C to 84°C (180°F to 183°F). Do not boil it. If fine grains appear, lift the pan immediately, blend briefly, and strain into the cold bowl. Ça se rattrape. A custard that smells of cooked egg has gone too far and must be remade.

3. 3

   Build the chocolate ice

   Sift the cocoa into the hot custard and whisk until smooth, then pour it over the chopped chocolate. Wait one minute and stir from the centre outward until the mixture forms a dark, glossy emulsion. Strain it into a clean bowl, set it over the ice bath, and stir until thoroughly cold. Churn until dense and softly mounded, usually 20 to 25 minutes. It should spread without flowing.

4. 4

   Clothe the mould

   Clothe the mould, using the coating principle preserved in Another Method of Preparing Aspics de Filets de Soles (No. 916). Press the soft chocolate ice over the bottom and sides of the frozen mould in an even layer about 1.5 cm thick, leaving a hollow centre and reserving about 3/4 cup for the final base. Use the back of a cold spoon to smooth the lining, then freeze it for 45 minutes. Hold the mould toward a light to find thin patches. If one appears, press on more chocolate ice and refreeze for 15 minutes; ça se rattrape.

   Keep the rim clean. Chocolate ice smeared across it prevents the final base from joining neatly to the shell.
5. 5

   Make the Pralin

   While the shell freezes, spread the almonds on a tray and toast them at 175°C (350°F) until golden through the centre, about 8 minutes. Put the Pralin sugar and water in a small pale saucepan, dissolve the sugar over gentle heat, then boil without stirring until the caramel turns a deep amber. If crystals gather at the edge, cover the pan for 30 seconds so condensation washes them down. Add the warm almonds, turn them through the caramel, and scrape the mixture onto a silicone mat to cool completely.

6. 6

   Pound the Pralin

   Break the cold almond caramel into pieces and pound it in a mortar, or pulse it in a food processor, until it resembles coarse golden sand with a few pinhead-sized pieces. Stop before the almonds release enough oil to form a paste. If it begins clumping, spread it on a cold plate and finish chopping it with a knife. The centre wants the dry texture of pounded Pralin, not nut butter.

7. 7

   Make the pâte à bombe

   Put the pâte à bombe sugar and water in a small saucepan and boil without stirring to 118°C (244°F). Meanwhile, whisk the remaining 3 yolks until pale and thick. With the mixer running at medium speed, pour the hot syrup in a fine stream down the inside of the bowl, never onto the whisk, then beat at high speed until the mixture triples in volume and the bowl feels cool. If a little syrup hardens into threads on the bowl, remove the threads and keep whipping; the smooth mixture beneath is sound.

8. 8

   Fold the praline centre

   Whip the cold 3/4 cup cream to soft peaks. Fold one-quarter into the pâte à bombe to loosen it, then fold in the rest with broad turns until no white streaks remain. Only now add the pounded Pralin, folding four or five times, just enough to distribute it. This order decides the dish. Add the Pralin before the cream is through and the centre goes flat. If the mixture softens because the pâte à bombe was still warm, set the bowl over ice for five minutes and fold gently once more, never whisking.

   Softly whipped cream folds without lumps. If you overwhip it, stir in a spoonful of unwhipped cream before adding it to the pâte à bombe.
9. 9

   Fill and freeze

   Spoon the pralined Bombe-preparation into the chocolate-lined mould, pressing lightly so no empty pockets remain, and stop 1 cm below the rim. Freeze for 20 minutes. Soften the reserved chocolate ice just until spreadable, seal it across the exposed centre, and smooth the base level with the rim. Cover tightly and freeze for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight, until completely firm.

10. 10

    Unmould and serve

    Chill the serving platter. Dip the mould in warm water for 5 seconds, dry it, invert it onto the platter, and lift straight upward. If it holds, wrap the mould briefly in a warm towel and try again; never keep soaking, or the chocolate shell will melt before the centre releases. If the surface softens, return the bombe to the freezer for 15 minutes. Cut with a thin knife dipped in hot water and wiped dry between slices. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Use chocolate between 64% and 70% cocoa. A very bitter chocolate freezes hard and overwhelms the Pralin, while a sweet confectionery bar leaves the shell without backbone.
• •A metal mould releases cleanly and carries cold quickly. A deep stainless-steel mixing bowl is the honest home equivalent of a bombe mould; choose one with a rounded base and about 1 litre capacity.
• •Keep the Pralin coarse enough to notice under the teeth. Process it to a paste and it weighs down the pâte à bombe, exactly the failure the final fold is meant to prevent.
• •Let the bombe stand for 5 minutes before slicing, but no longer in a warm room. Serve it without ornamental fuss, with small glasses of Banyuls or Maury if you want wine beside the chocolate.

Advance Preparation

• •The Pralin can be made up to one week ahead and kept airtight at cool room temperature. Humidity makes caramel sticky, so do not refrigerate it.
• •The chocolate custard can be cooked and chilled one day ahead. Churn it before clothing the mould, since a fully hardened ice must be softened again and can turn coarse.
• •The completed bombe keeps well for three days, tightly covered in the freezer. Unmould it only when the table is ready and chill the serving platter beforehand.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 125g)