Not Your Mother's Cookbooks

bombe composed in a regular kitchen mixing bowl

The art of frozen desserts has fascinated bakers for a multitude of centuries. Reliable refrigeration made this type of dessert, first created for royalty, a delight of the masses. The bombe, a sophisticated-looking classic French dessert, is composed of two layers: a sorbet, then an ice cream mixture, in a pretty mold.  What is great is that a simple bowl, which will be turned upside down, looks incredible, so no special mold is needed. There are so many excellent commercial ice creams and sorbets on the market today that the connoisseur doesn’t have to rely on the laborious task of making it at home anymore. Not only do they look fantastic all smooth and round, but what a lovely surprise everybody gets when you cut it open to reveal layer upon layer of different ice cream. This version is a favorite, a creation of my friend Lou Pappas in her book, Sorbets and Ice Cream (Chronicle Books, 2005).  A bombe can conveniently wait up to a week in the freezer before serving. Serve in wedges Nobel style, with Champagne.

Ingredients

• 1 quart raspberry sorbet

• 1 cup cold whipping cream

• 1/4 cup Amaretto liqueur

• 1 1/2 pints vanilla ice cream, softened

• 3/4 cup (about 4 pairs) crumbled amaretti cookies

• 1/2 cup (about 3 ounces) chopped toasted blanched almonds

• 1/2 cup (about 2 ounces) coarsely grated bittersweet chocolate

• 1 pint fresh raspberries, for garnish

Instructions

Chill an 8-cup fluted brioche tin, an ice cream mold, or sloping mixing bowl in the freezer for several hours.  Brush the inside of the mold with vegetable oil and line it with two 2-inch strips of aluminum foil crisscrossing across the bottom and overhanging 3 inches at the rim.  Pack the sorbet in an even layer over the bottom and sides; cover with plastic wrap and freeze until firm.

Whip the cream with the liqueur until stiff.  Remove from the mixer bowl and beat the vanilla ice cream until it forms mounds; quickly fold in the amaretti crumbs, the almonds, grated chocolate, and whipped cream.  Scrape in a layer over the sorbet.  Cover with plastic wrap and freeze at least 6 hours to overnight before serving.  To unmold, dip the mold into a basin of hot tap water, count to 5, then invert quickly onto a serving plate; gently pull on the foil strips to loosen the mold.  Ring with fresh berries and slice immediately to serve.  Makes 10 servings.