Ice Cream Bombe by Camille Becerra
An ice cream bombe.
A holiday celebration is not complete without a pièce de résistance.
Somewhere in Europe I picked up an appreciation for stracciatella gelato, shaved irregular pieces of chocolate so thin that when frozen within ice cream the texture becomes crunchy, a very smart way to add contrast to the rich smoothness. It's one of Italy's favorite ice creams. This recipe adds homemade quality shaved dark chocolate along with pistachio and candied lemon peel to create an elevated and intellectual dessert.
I used my favorite dark chocolate, Guittard Santé 72% Dark Chocolate with Coconut Sugar for the semi-bitter note. I like to observe the contrast of it to the smooth sweetness of the cream. I used a store-bought quality ice cream and chose to use a plant-based option, as I have friends that are strictly vegan.
Inside the bombe, you may use a layer of vanilla cake. Chocolate lovers may consider baking their own chocolate cake, such as this option from Guittard as well as adding chocolate crunchies (a dose of nostalgia and for many, the favorite part of a Carvel ice cream cake).
Ingredients
1/2 cup Guittard Santé 72% Dark Choclolate with Coconut Sugar
1 round 9-inch cake or 3-4 thick slices of loaf pound cake
4 oz thin chocolate wafer cookies
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
3 pints vanilla ice cream
3 tbsp pistachios, roughly chopped
3 tbsp candied lemon peel, minced
1/2 cup pistachios, buzzed in a grinder to make a dust, optional
Directions
Chocolate Shavings:
Start by melting the 1/2 cup Guittard Santé 72% Dark Chocolate with Coconut Sugar, following the process of tempering (a technique of melting and cooling the chocolate various times so all the densities within the chocolate are melted). While tempering is not completely necessary I still apply the technique, mainly as a form of practice to refine my tempering skills. It also makes it easier to shave the chocolate. Mastering tempering takes many trials and practice is the only way to fully understand the process. Once tempered/melted, pour the chocolate onto a clean sheet pan and allow it to set while you gather up the other ingredients.
Chocolate Crunchies:
For the crunchies, add 4 oz of thin chocolate wafer cookies into a food processor. I used an organic and gluten-free variety. Once uniformly broken down and resembling sand, add 1/4 cup melted coconut oil, mix well and keep off to the side.
Assembly:
Remove the ice cream from the freezer to temper for about 10 minutes or until it resembles soft serve ice cream. For this cake, I used 1 tablespoon each of shaved chocolate, chopped Italian pistachios (bright green, but any shelled pistachio will do), and candied citrus per pint of ice cream.
Line a mold or cake pan with plastic wrap and lay down slices of cake.
Run a bench scraper over the now-hardened chocolate to create the shavings. Use the bench scraper to transfer the shavings to a container with a lid. Measure out 3 tablespoons and add it to the tempered ice cream. Delicately fold them along with pistachio and candied lemon peel into the ice cream.
Layer half of the ice cream on top of the cake-lined mold or pan, sprinkle the chocolate crunchies evenly and top with the remaining ice cream. Cover well with plastic wrap.
Freeze overnight.
The next day (or the day before you are planning to serve) run warm water over the mold, just to release the bombe. Invert it onto a plate, cover it well with plastic wrap, and freeze again overnight.
Remove from the freezer 10 minutes before serving. Carefully remove the plastic wrap. Gently press the pistachio dust onto the sides of the cake. Serve immediately with sparkling Pét-nat wine.
Happy Holidays.
