Bombe Fanchon

Bombe Fanchon (a praline-lined Kirsch ice bombe) teaches one discipline above all: every part must be properly cold before it meets the next. The mould wears a shell of glace pralinée (pralined ice), while the centre stays pale and light with Kirsch pâte à bombe, a cooked yolk foam folded with cream. Small coffee drops interrupt all that softness with a dark, crisp little snap.

The original formula assumed a pastry brigade with finished ices waiting, a metal bombe mould packed in freezing salt and ice, and separate hands making the filling. At home, a 1.5-litre metal bowl replaces the specialized mould, an ordinary freezer replaces the ice packing, and two small preparations make eight generous servings. Those stores of ready components were brigade scaffolding and may go. The praline shell, Kirsch filling, and last-minute addition of the coffee drops are the dish itself and must stay.

Keep the shell hard and the pâte à bombe cool before you fold in the cream. Then add the coffee drops on the final turn of the spatula, no sooner. That one restrained fold keeps them whole, crisp, and scattered rather than crushed into the filling.