The Moulding of Ices

Moulage des glaces teaches compression. The one true thing to know before touching the mould is this: every pocket of air becomes a hole when the ice is turned out. Fill tightly, strike the mould against a folded towel, and let the frozen preparation settle into every curve.

The original recipe assumed a cupboard of special metal moulds with close-fitting covers, a deep receptacle kept ready with broken ice and salt, and enough hands to fill and pack without delay. At home, a 1-quart lidded metal pudding mould, a deep stockpot, and a sturdy towel do the same work. The collection of decorative moulds and the brigade hands are scaffolding, so they can go; tight packing, an hour under salted ice, a thorough wash, and the instant in tepid water are the dish and they stay. One cook, one stove standing sensibly cold, one evening.

Turned out properly, the glace has sharp fluting, a close unbroken surface, and enough firmness to reach the table whole. Don't soften it into slush merely to make filling easy. It should yield beneath the spoon but still hold its body, because packing out every pocket of air is the step that decides the result.