Chef Juliette
Various Almond Preparations
Five almond preparations, one discipline: remove the skins cleanly, dry every kernel through, then cut, toast, or cloak it in pale caramel without letting its fragrant oils escape.
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Coupes Clo-clo
Created by Chef Juliette
Based on No. 2797, Coupes Clo-clo, from Le Guide Culinaire (1907) by Auguste Escoffier
Coupes Clo-clo marry vanilla ice, maraschino-soaked marrons glacés, and strawberry Chantilly in a festive glass: cold against cream, cherry perfume against chestnut, softness against a firm piped ridge.
Desserts
French
Christmas
Dinner Party
Celebration
30 min
Active Time
8 min cook•1 hr 10 min total
Yield4 coupes (4 servings)
Coupes Clo-clo (vanilla ice coupes with maraschino chestnuts and strawberry whipped cream) teach one cold-kitchen rule: control the water and you control the finish. Before touching a pan, know this: the strawberry purée must be concentrated and completely cold. Warm or watery purée loosens the Chantilly, and a loose border slips.
The original entry assumed a professional cold pantry with vanilla ice ready, strained fruit purée waiting, and a pastry hand piping each coupe at service. At home, good bought vanilla ice cream replaces the separate ice station, a brief berry reduction replaces the prepared purée, and four chilled glasses keep everything composed. That professional scaffolding can go. The maraschino-macerated chestnut fragments, the whole marron at the centre, and the strawberry Chantilly must stay. One cook, one stove, one evening.
The finished coupe is ivory, rose, and polished chestnut brown, with cherry perfume rising through the vanilla as the spoon reaches the hidden fragments. The final fold matters most: add the cold purée gently, then stop as soon as the Chantilly holds a clean ridge.
Coupes Clo-clo belongs to the Parisian grand-kitchen family of named ice-cream coupes, composed in individual stemmed bowls from prepared ices, preserved fruits, liqueurs, and piped cream. The surviving formula records its composition more securely than the identity behind its playful name, so attaching it confidently to a particular person would be invention. Its design passed naturally from formal dining-room service to celebration tables because the components wait well in the cold, leaving only the Chantilly to pipe at the last moment.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
fresh or unsweetened frozen strawberries
Quantity
1 cup (240 ml / 150 g)
hulled and thawed if frozen
brisures de marrons glacés
Quantity
½ cup (120 ml / 80 g)
broken into pea-size fragments
maraschino liqueur
Quantity
2 tablespoons (30 ml / 32 g)
premium vanilla ice cream
Quantity
3 cups (720 ml / 600 g)
whole marrons glacés
Quantity
4 whole (about 80 g)
cold heavy cream
Quantity
1 cup (240 ml / 240 g)
confectioners' sugar
Quantity
2 tablespoons (30 ml / 16 g)
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| fresh or unsweetened frozen strawberrieshulled and thawed if frozen | 1 cup (240 ml / 150 g) |
| brisures de marrons glacésbroken into pea-size fragments | ½ cup (120 ml / 80 g) |
| maraschino liqueur | 2 tablespoons (30 ml / 32 g) |
| premium vanilla ice cream | 3 cups (720 ml / 600 g) |
| whole marrons glacés | 4 whole (about 80 g) |
| cold heavy cream | 1 cup (240 ml / 240 g) |
| confectioners' sugar | 2 tablespoons (30 ml / 16 g) |
Equipment Needed
- •Four 180 to 240 ml stemmed coupe glasses or shallow dessert bowls
- •Small blender
- •Fine-mesh sieve
- •Small saucepan
- •Chilled mixing bowl and balloon whisk
- •Piping bag fitted with a 12 mm closed-star tip
Instructions
- 1
Concentrate the purée
Blend the strawberries until smooth, then press them through a fine sieve into a small saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring often, until reduced to ¼ cup (60 ml / about 60 g), bright red and thick enough that a spatula drawn across the pan leaves a path for two seconds, about 6 to 8 minutes. Scrape the purée onto a cold plate and refrigerate until completely cold. Do not fold it into cream while even faintly warm; warmth loosens the Chantilly before the piping bag is filled.
- 2
Macerate the marrons
Put the brisures de marrons glacés in a small bowl and spoon over the maraschino. Fold once without crushing the chestnuts, then leave them to macerate for 30 minutes. Lift the fragments from any unabsorbed liqueur before they meet the ice cream. They should be fragrant and moist, not swimming, because excess alcohol softens the ice.
- 3
Build the frozen base
Chill four coupe glasses in the freezer. Let the vanilla ice cream stand at room temperature for 5 to 8 minutes, just until pliable but still matte, then fold in the drained chestnut fragments with a cold spatula. Do not beat them through. If the ice turns glossy or slushy, stop and return the bowl to the freezer for 10 minutes. Ça se rattrape. Divide the mixture among the chilled coupes, level it lightly, and set one whole marron glacé upright in the centre of each. Freeze for 15 minutes while you make the Chantilly.
- 4
Whip the Chantilly
Whisk the cold cream in a chilled bowl until it holds soft ridges. Sift in the confectioners' sugar and continue whisking until firm peaks stand cleanly without looking grainy. Fold in the completely cold strawberry purée in three additions, turning the bowl and cutting through the centre so the cream keeps its air. Test a spoonful: its ridges must remain distinct. If they slowly close, chill the bowl for 10 minutes, set it over ice, and whisk briefly by hand until the ridges hold. Stop there; beating past firm turns the Chantilly rough.
- 5
Pipe and serve
Fit a piping bag with a 12 mm closed-star tip and fill it with the strawberry Chantilly. Pipe a firm ring of touching rosettes around the central marron in each coupe, keeping enough pressure on the bag that every ridge stands clearly. Serve at once, or hold the finished coupes in the freezer for no more than 20 minutes so the Chantilly stays supple rather than freezing hard. À table!
Chef Tips
- •Maraschino is a clear cherry liqueur with an almond-like perfume from the fruit's stones. Red cocktail-cherry syrup is not its substitute; it brings sugar and colour but none of the proper aroma.
- •Buy four handsome whole marrons glacés for the centres and less costly brisures for folding through the ice. Once broken and macerated, the fragments are doing exactly the job the source gives them.
- •Outside strawberry season, use unsweetened frozen berries picked ripe. The purée is strained and reduced, so a good preserved berry serves better than a pale fresh one.
- •Keep the piping bag cold and use a proper star tip. A warm bag softens cream under your hand, while a plain cut corner cannot give the firm ridges that define this finish.
- •Serve with black coffee or a small glass of maraschino. The coupe already contains sweetness, cream, fruit, and liqueur; it needs no further decoration.
Advance Preparation
- •The concentrated strawberry purée can be made up to 3 days ahead and refrigerated in a covered container. Stir it smooth before measuring.
- •The chestnut fragments may macerate in maraschino overnight in the refrigerator. Drain any unabsorbed liqueur before folding them into the ice cream.
- •The chestnut ice-cream bases can be assembled and frozen up to 4 hours ahead, covered once firm. Whip and pipe the strawberry Chantilly during the final 20 minutes before serving.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 275g)
Calories
760 calories
Total Fat
47 g
Saturated Fat
29 g
Trans Fat
2 g
Unsaturated Fat
16 g
Cholesterol
185 mg
Sodium
100 mg
Total Carbohydrates
75 g
Dietary Fiber
2 g
Sugars
63 g
Protein
9 g
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