Pommes Irène

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •3 to 4 quart wide saucepan
• •Small covered saucepan
• •Fine-mesh sieve
• •Melon baller or narrow teaspoon
• •Kitchen scale
• •Small rimmed metal sheet pan
• •Broiler with an adjustable rack

Instructions

1. 1

   Cook the plums

   Put the quartered plums in a small covered saucepan and cook them over low heat for 8 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they collapse in their own juice. Press the fruit and skins through a fine sieve, then return the purée to the pan and reduce it gently until thick enough to hold the trail of a spoon. Measure exactly 4 ounces (113 g), a scant ½ cup (110 ml), and chill it completely. If you reduce it too far, restore the weight with cold water a teaspoon at a time; the purée must be concentrated, not jammy.

2. 2

   Poach the apples

   Combine the water and granulated sugar in a wide saucepan, stirring over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Bring the syrup to a bare simmer. Peel the apples and cut the thinnest possible wafer from each base so they stand upright, then lower them into the syrup and cover the surface with a round of parchment. Poach gently for 12 to 18 minutes, turning them once or twice, until a fine skewer enters the outer flesh but still meets a little resistance. Boiling will split them and soft apples cannot become cases. If a shallow crack appears, lift that apple out immediately and chill it with the crack facing upward; it can face the back at service.

3. 3

   Hollow the cases

   Let the apples rest in the syrup for 10 minutes, then lift them onto a rack and chill until completely cold, about 45 minutes. Cut a neat opening around each stem and use a melon baller or narrow teaspoon to withdraw the core and pulp, leaving walls and a base about ⅓ inch (8 mm) thick. Discard the seeds and tough core. Press the sound pulp through the fine sieve, mix it with the vanilla sugar, and spread a thin layer over the bottom of each apple case. Set the cases upright on a small metal sheet pan and chill them for 20 minutes.

4. 4

   Fold the frozen filling

   Let the vanilla ice cream soften only until a spatula can pass through it. Weigh 12 ounces (340 g) into a cold bowl and fold in the chilled 4 ounces (113 g) of plum purée. This is the source formula’s exact proportion, one part cooked plum to three parts vanilla ice. Work quickly and stop as soon as the color is even. Pack the mixture into the apple cases, level with the rims, then freeze them on the metal pan for 45 to 60 minutes, until the filling is very firm. If the mixture becomes pourable, return the bowl to the freezer until it is scoopable again before filling the apples.

5. 5

   Ready the final heat

   Set an oven rack 4 to 5 inches (10 to 12 cm) below the broiler and preheat the broiler at its highest setting for a full 10 minutes. Chill four serving plates. Fold the Kirsch gently into the completely cool Meringue à l’Italienne (No. 2383), taking care not to beat out its volume. The meringue must be cool before it touches the frozen filling; warmth here spends the little time the broiler is meant to give you.

6. 6

   Crown and color

   Take the apples from the freezer only when the broiler is fully heated. Spoon the kirsched meringue generously over the exposed ice, carrying it just over the apple rim so no filling shows, and raise a few broad peaks with the back of the spoon. Slide the cold metal pan under the broiler and watch without looking away. Color the meringue for 20 to 60 seconds, turning the pan if necessary, until its ridges are deep gold and the hollows remain ivory. If the meringue begins to slump or a bead of ice appears before it colors, pull the tray out, freeze it for 10 minutes, and finish under a fully reheated broiler. Ça se rattrape.

7. 7

   Serve without delay

   Transfer each apple immediately to a chilled plate and take them straight to the table. The pleasure is in the contrast between tender fruit, firm vanilla-plum ice, and the soft kirsched crown, and waiting erases that contrast. Have the guests seated before the apples meet the broiler. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Choose apples that keep their shape under gentle poaching: Reinette, Braeburn, Pink Lady, or another firm-tart variety. A mealy apple may taste pleasant, but it collapses when hollowed.
• •Use a dense, full-dairy vanilla ice cream with a clear vanilla flavor. A heavily aerated ice cream melts quickly when folded with the plum purée and gives the filling a thin, frothy texture.
• •Out of plum season, use unsweetened frozen plums and cook them directly from frozen. The classical pantry has always understood preservation, and a ripe frozen plum is better here than a hard fresh one.
• •Test the empty broiler with a small spoonful of leftover meringue on a metal tray. If it takes longer than a minute to color, move the rack slightly closer before the filled apples go underneath.

Advance Preparation

• •The cooked plum purée can be prepared up to two days ahead and refrigerated in a covered container. Measure the final 4 ounces (113 g) after reducing it.
• •The apples can be poached and hollowed earlier in the day. Cover and refrigerate them, then add the frozen filling 45 to 60 minutes before the meringue finish.
• •Prepare the Meringue à l’Italienne (No. 2383) on the day of service and hold it covered at cool room temperature for up to two hours. Fold in the Kirsch only when the broiler and frozen apples are ready.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 365g)