Abricots à la Parisienne

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •1 1/2-quart / 1.5-liter shallow saucepan
• •Slotted spoon
• •Wire cooling rack
• •Small ice cream scoop
• •Chilled mixing bowl and whisk or hand mixer
• •Piping bag with a 1/2-inch / 12 mm plain or open-star tip

Instructions

1. 1

   Harden the vanilla ice

   Line a small tray with baking paper. Scoop the vanilla ice cream into four compact balls, about 2 tablespoons each and the size of a walnut, then freeze them for at least 45 minutes. They must be firm enough to handle without flattening; if a scoop takes a fingerprint when touched, give it more time in the freezer.

   A dense vanilla ice cream holds longer than a very airy one. Keep the tray in the cold until the apricot halves are drained, blotted, and ready.
2. 2

   Make the vanilla syrup

   Combine the water, granulated sugar, vanilla pod, and half the vanilla seeds in a saucepan just wide enough to hold the apricot halves in one layer. Warm gently, stirring only until the sugar dissolves, then simmer for 3 minutes. The syrup should remain clear and pale; caramel has no business in this dish.

3. 3

   Poach the apricots

   Lower the apricot halves into the syrup, cut sides down. Hold the syrup at the faintest tremble for 3 to 5 minutes, turning the fruit once, until a paring knife enters with slight resistance. The halves must soften without losing their shape. If an edge begins to fray, lift that half out immediately with a slotted spoon and cool it on a plate; once cold, it will still reconstruct neatly beneath the Chantilly.

4. 4

   Cool and drain dry

   Take the pan off the heat and set it in a bowl of cold water. Let the apricots cool in their syrup for 15 minutes, then refrigerate them for 30 minutes. Lift the cold halves onto a rack, cut sides down, and drain for another 30 minutes. Blot every surface gently, especially the hollow left by the stone. If the fruit still feels slippery, blot again and chill it uncovered for 10 minutes. Ça se rattrape. Dry fruit is the difference between a standing cone and cream on the plate.

   Do not press the apricots while blotting. Lay the towel against them and let it take up the syrup without bruising the flesh.
5. 5

   Whip the Chantilly

   Pour 2 tablespoons of the cold cream into a small cup and return it to the refrigerator as insurance. Whip the remaining cream with the icing sugar and reserved vanilla seeds until it holds firm, smooth piping peaks. Stop as soon as the whisk leaves clean ridges. If the Chantilly turns grainy, whisk in the reserved cream one teaspoon at a time until it smooths; it can be rescued provided it has not gone all the way to butter.

6. 6

   Reconstruct the apricots

   Place one macaroon on each chilled dessert plate with its flat underside facing upward, exactly what the old instruction means by overturned. Take one ice cream ball from the freezer and close two matching apricot halves around it, rebuilding the shape of the whole fruit. Set it immediately on its macaroon and repeat with the remaining portions, returning any softening ice cream to the freezer before it begins to slump.

7. 7

   Form the Chantilly cones

   Transfer the Chantilly to a piping bag fitted with a large plain or open-star tip. Pipe a broad ring around the base of each apricot, then spiral upward in narrowing circles until the fruit is completely covered and the cream ends in a compact cone. If the cream slides, lift it away, blot the apricot again, chill the assembly for 5 minutes, and repipe with colder Chantilly. Sprinkle each cone evenly with the fine filbert Pralin (No. 2352), then serve at once while the macaroon remains crisp and the vanilla ice holds firm. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Choose apricots that smell fragrant at the stem but still feel firm. Very ripe fruit collapses before the syrup can perfume it, while hard fruit remains sour and cottony.
• •The macaroon here is a large, plain almond biscuit, not a coconut macaroon and not a filled sandwich macaron. Its flat underside faces up, making a stable, absorbent base for the reconstructed fruit.
• •The entry calls for filbert, meaning hazelnut, Pralin (No. 2352). It must be a fine, dry powder that falls lightly over the Chantilly, not a heavy jarred praline paste.
• •When fresh apricots are out of season, use 8 excellent jarred halves packed in light syrup. Warm them for 1 minute in the fresh vanilla syrup, then cool, drain, and blot them exactly as directed; they will be softer, so handle them with a broad spoon.
• •A demi-sec Champagne suits the vanilla, apricot, and caramelized filbert without flattening them. Keep the pour modest and the dessert generous.

Advance Preparation

• •The apricots can be poached up to 4 hours ahead. Once cold, drain and blot them, then refrigerate them in a single layer on an absorbent towel.
• •The walnut-sized vanilla ice cream balls can be frozen up to 2 days ahead. Once hard, cover them so they do not take on freezer aromas.
• •The macaroons and prepared Pralin (No. 2352) can wait at room temperature in separate airtight containers. Keep both dry.
• •The Chantilly can be whipped up to 1 hour before serving and held cold in its piping bag. Rewhisk it briefly if it relaxes, but do not assemble the desserts until the table is ready.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 185g)