We’re pretty sure that this is the end of the Raspberry Days that take over August. We’re not complaining, though. At least all of these national holidays make some kind of sense. Raspberries are in season during August. Still, we could have done without something as dramatic as Raspberry Bombe Day on August 11th. It was easier than we thought, but still kind of intimidating. After all, a bombe–or bombe glacee–is an ice cream dessert frozen in a spherical mold so as to resemble a cannonball. A typical bombe combines sherbet, ice cream, heavy cream, chopped nuts, candied fruit, and rum.
Of course, we eliminated the raspberry liqueur to make this dessert more appropriate for the entire family. Also, we put our bombe into a loaf pan because…well, that’s what we had in the kitchen. This layered Vanilla and Raspberry Bombe (found via the Canadian Food Network) may take a little more time to prepare than usual, but we guarantee it is well worth the effort to get to these eight servings…. [photo via foodnetwork.ca]
Ingredients
- 4 cups vanilla ice cream
- 2 egg yolks
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup raspberry purée
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 and ½ teaspoons raspberry extract
- Fresh raspberries for decoration
Directions
- Line a small loaf pan with plastic wrap.
- Fill 3/4 full with the ice-cream, cover, and freeze until firm.
- When hard, use a sharp knife and a soup spoon to dig a trench down the center of the ice cream, reserving the ice-cream from the trench to make a top later. (The trench should leave an inch of vanilla ice cream along the edges of the pan and go three-quarters of the way down the pan.)
- Refreeze.
- Choose a large metal or glass bowl that will sit on a pot on the stovetop. Put approximately two inches of water in the pot and bring to a simmer.
- Meanwhile, beat the yolks and sugar together in the bowl (still on the countertop) with electric beaters until very thick and ribbon-like. Add the purée and extract.
- Set the bowl over the pot and continue beating until very thick and increased in volume, about 10 minutes. It should have the consistency of firmly whipped cream.
- Remove the bowl from the heat and set it over a large bowl full of ice cubes. Continue beating until cool.
- Whip the cream to soft peaks and fold it in.
- Remove the bombe mold from the freezer and pour the raspberry mixture into the well of vanilla ice cream.
- Cover and return to the freezer for several hours, or until completely set. Soften the reserved “trench” ice-cream and spread it over the top to fill the pan to the brim.
- Freeze again.
- To serve, uncover the mold. Decorate with fresh raspberries.
