Iced Biscuit Marquise

Biscuit glacé Marquise (iced biscuit marquise) teaches one law: in a layered frozen dessert, firmness is part of the architecture. Kirsch lowers the freezing point, so its pale biscuit glacé stays tender while strawberry ice firms sooner. Set each kirsch band completely before adding red above it, or four bands become a very pretty muddle.

The compact original assumes a pastry brigade with kirsch ice and strawberry ice already waiting in separate freezing cans, plus a marquise mould ready for service. At home, matched small batches, a 1.5-liter loaf tin, an ice cream maker, and an ordinary freezer do the same work. The dedicated cans and brigade portions are scaffolding and can go; two kirsch bands alternating with two strawberry bands are the dish and must stay. One cook, one stove, one evening's work, then the freezer keeps watch.

Cut it and the reward is immediate: cream ivory, strawberry red, cream ivory, strawberry red, four generous bands carrying the clean scent of cherries from the kirsch. Keep the remaining mixtures cold between layers, and give each kirsch band the longer set. That pause decides every clean slice.