Bombe Odette

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •1.25 litre metal bombe mould or deep stainless-steel bowl
• •Small pale-lined saucepan
• •Digital sugar thermometer
• •Electric hand mixer or stand mixer
• •Food processor
• •Heatproof spatula
• •Parchment paper or silicone mat

Instructions

1. 1

   Chill the mould

   Set a 1.25 litre metal bombe mould or deep stainless-steel bowl in the freezer for 30 minutes. Move the vanilla ice cream to the refrigerator until it yields to a spoon but retains its body, usually 15 to 20 minutes. It should spread like cold butter, not pour. Reserve about 3/4 cup for sealing the base later.

   Metal chills quickly and releases cleanly. A deep stainless-steel mixing bowl gives the proper dome when a bombe mould isn't waiting in your cupboard.
2. 2

   Make deep-amber Pralin

   Warm the almonds and hazelnuts briefly in a dry pan, then keep them nearby. Put the Pralin sugar in a small, pale-lined saucepan over medium heat. Let it melt around the edges, drawing the liquid sugar gently through the dry patches with a heatproof spatula only as needed. When every crystal has melted and the caramel reaches a deep amber, a shade beyond copper, add the warm nuts and turn them quickly to coat. If the sugar crystallizes before taking colour, add 1 tablespoon of water and dissolve it again over low heat; ça se rattrape. If the caramel turns black or smells acrid, it cannot be rescued. Begin again before adding the nuts.

   The nuts must be ready before the caramel colours. Deep amber becomes burnt in moments, and this is no time to search the cupboard for almonds.
3. 3

   Grind the Pralin

   Immediately scrape the caramel-coated nuts onto baking parchment or a silicone mat and spread them into one layer. Leave them until completely cold and hard, about 20 minutes. Break the slab into small pieces and process until it becomes a very fine sandy powder, stopping before the released nut oil turns it into a loose paste. Scrape down the processor several times; coarse shards will feel unpleasant in the frozen centre.

4. 4

   Clothe the mould

   Clothe the chilled mould according to the principle in Another Method of Preparing Aspics de Filets de Soles (No. 916), using the freezer in place of broken ice. Press one-third of the softened vanilla ice cream over the bottom and sides, rotate the mould, and smooth it into an even layer. Freeze for 10 minutes, then repeat until the shell is about 1.5 cm thick with no metal showing. If the ice cream turns glossy and slides toward the bottom, stop and chill both mould and ice cream for 5 minutes. Ça se rattrape: scrape the heavy patch level, then fill any bare spots once everything is firm.

   Check the shell against a strong light. Thin patches appear darker and can be repaired now, when repair is still easy.
5. 5

   Whip the pâte à bombe

   Put the yolks in a mixer bowl and beat at medium speed until pale and slightly thickened. Meanwhile, boil the pâte à bombe sugar and water without stirring until the syrup reaches 118°C. With the mixer running on low, pour the syrup in a narrow stream down the inside of the bowl, avoiding the whisk. Raise the speed and beat until the mixture triples in volume, falls from the whisk in a thick ribbon, and the bowl no longer feels warm, about 7 minutes. If syrup hardens against the bowl, leave those threads where they are rather than scraping them into the mixture. If the base remains warm, whisk it over a bowl of ice until cool; warm pâte à bombe collapses the cream.

6. 6

   Fold the centre

   Whip the cold cream to soft peaks, stopping while the tips still bend. Fold the ground Pralin into the cool pâte à bombe, then fold in one-third of the cream to loosen it. Add the remaining cream in two portions with broad turns of the spatula, reaching to the bottom of the bowl. The finished pralined bombe preparation should be light but distinctly nutty, with enough body to mound softly. If it loosens because the base was still warm, set the bowl over ice and fold gently for a minute. Do not beat it harder, which only drives out the air.

7. 7

   Fill and freeze

   Scrape the pralined bombe preparation into the vanilla-lined mould, pressing it gently into the curve so no hollow pockets remain. Stop about 1 cm below the rim and freeze for 30 minutes. Spread the reserved vanilla ice cream over the centre to seal the base completely, level it with the rim, and press parchment directly against the surface. Wrap the mould and freeze for at least 6 hours, preferably until the following day.

8. 8

   Turn out and slice

   Chill the serving platter. Remove the parchment, dip the mould only to its rim in warm water for 4 to 6 seconds, dry it, and invert it onto the platter. If the bombe doesn't release, wrap the mould briefly in a warm damp towel and try again; don't keep dipping until the vanilla shell melts. Return a sweating or softened bombe to the freezer for 10 minutes. Cut it with a long knife dipped in hot water and wiped dry between slices, revealing the pale vanilla shell and deeper praline centre. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Pale Pralin tastes only of sugar once frozen. Wait for deep amber before the nuts go in, but trust your nose as well as your eyes: the moment caramel smells acrid, it has crossed the line and must be remade.
• •Choose a dense, full-fat vanilla ice cream with real cream near the top of its ingredient list. Airy ice cream melts too quickly while you clothe the mould and freezes into a weak shell.
• •Soft peaks for the cream, not stiff ones. Cream beaten rigid folds into little white knots and gives the centre a coarse texture instead of the close, creamy slice Bombe Odette deserves.
• •The bombe should stand at room temperature for only 3 to 5 minutes before cutting. That brief pause takes the iron edge off the cold without surrendering the clean distinction between shell and centre.

Advance Preparation

• •The Pralin can be made up to one week ahead and kept airtight at cool room temperature. Grind it shortly before assembling so humidity cannot make it sticky.
• •The finished bombe can be frozen up to three days ahead. Once completely hard, wrap the mould closely to protect the vanilla ice cream from freezer aromas.
• •Chill the platter and dessert plates before serving. The extra cold buys you a calm few minutes for unmoulding, slicing, and carrying Bombe Odette to the table.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 150g)