Coupes à la Favorite

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Small heavy saucepan
• •Digital kitchen scale
• •Blender or food processor
• •Two shallow metal pans
• •Six clear 180 ml stemmed coupe glasses
• •Six flexible acetate strips or baking-paper rectangles
• •Piping bag with a 1 cm plain tip

Instructions

1. 1

   Make one syrup

   Combine the granulated sugar and water in a small saucepan. Warm gently, stirring only until the sugar dissolves, then let the syrup boil for 30 seconds. It should be perfectly clear. If crystals cling to the sides, cover the pan for 30 seconds so condensation washes them down. Cool the syrup completely over a bowl of ice.

2. 2

   Flavor both ices

   Measure a scant ½ cup (105 ml / 130 g) of the cold syrup into a bowl. Add the cold water, kirsch, maraschino liqueur, and 2 teaspoons (10 ml / 10 g) of the lemon juice. Stir well. For the pineapple ice, blend the pineapple, reserved juice, remaining 1 teaspoon (5 ml / 5 g) lemon juice, and all the remaining syrup until completely smooth. One syrup serving two ices is the honest home method; separate batches were pastry-kitchen scaffolding, not the heart of the dish.

3. 3

   Freeze and smooth

   Pour the mixtures into separate shallow metal pans, no deeper than 2 cm. Freeze for 45 minutes, then scrape the frozen edges into the softer centers and whisk each mixture smooth. Repeat twice at 30-minute intervals. Pulse each slushy ice separately in a food processor until fine and even, pack into covered containers, and freeze for at least 2 hours. The kirsch-maraschino ice will remain softer because of the alcohol. If it still flows, spread it shallowly and freeze for another 30 minutes; if either ice becomes hard, rest it for 5 minutes and beat it smooth. Ça se rattrape.

   Process the pineapple ice first, then wash and dry the bowl before the kirsch-maraschino ice. A trace of pineapple would muddy the clear liqueur flavor.
4. 4

   Make strawberry Chantilly

   Blend the strawberries and pass the purée through a fine sieve. Measure 3 tablespoons (45 ml / 45 g) and chill it thoroughly. Whip the cold cream with the confectioners' sugar and vanilla until it holds soft, rounded peaks, then fold in the strawberry purée in three additions. Stop as soon as the color is even. If the Chantilly loosens, set the bowl over ice for 10 minutes and whisk briefly until it holds a soft mound.

5. 5

   Set first half

   Chill six clear coupe glasses and six flexible acetate or baking-paper dividers. Stand one divider vertically across the diameter of each glass. Let the kirsch-maraschino ice soften just enough to pack, then press one-sixth firmly against one side of every divider, stopping about 2 cm below the rim. Smooth the exposed face and freeze the glasses for 25 to 30 minutes, until the ice no longer yields beneath the back of a chilled spoon. This first freezing is the step that decides the dish.

   Work with one coupe at a time and leave the others in the freezer. A clean division comes from cold components, not hurried spoon work.
6. 6

   Add vanilla half

   Soften the vanilla ice cream until pliable but never glossy or melting. Peel each divider straight upward and pack vanilla into the empty half, working gently against the frozen face of the kirsch-maraschino ice. Smooth the top and return each coupe to the freezer for 20 minutes. If the line smears, freeze the cup for 10 minutes, shave away the crossover with a warm teaspoon, and refill that spot with the correct ice. Ça se rattrape.

7. 7

   Finish the coupes

   Let the pineapple ice soften for 3 to 5 minutes and beat it until smooth enough to pipe. Spoon it into a piping bag fitted with a 1 cm plain tip, then pipe a narrow cordon, a neat rope, around the inside rim of each coupe. Place a rounded spoonful of strawberry Chantilly at the center where the two halves meet. Serve at once, while every flavor remains distinct and the glass is cold with condensation. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Maraschino here means the clear cherry liqueur, not the red syrup from cocktail cherries. The syrup would dye the ice and replace maraschino's delicate cherry-kernel perfume with plain sweetness.
• •Use pineapple packed in juice, never heavy syrup. A properly ripe fresh pineapple also works, but an honest preserved fruit is better than a tired fresh one and gives the ice dependable acidity.
• •Choose a dense, full-fat vanilla ice cream made with real cream. A very airy ice cream collapses as it softens and won't hold the clean vertical face this coupe requires.
• •The kirsch and maraschino are added cold, so their alcohol remains. This is an adult dessert, and omitting both liqueurs changes the defining flavor rather than making an invisible substitution.

Advance Preparation

• •Both flavored ices can be made up to 3 days ahead and kept tightly covered in the freezer. Let them soften briefly and beat them smooth before assembling the coupes.
• •The kirsch-maraschino and vanilla halves can be assembled up to 4 hours before serving. Cover the glasses once firm so they don't collect freezer odors.
• •The strawberry purée can be strained a day ahead. Whip and fold the Chantilly no more than 1 hour before serving, then keep it very cold.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 170g)