Cherry bombe

Serves 12
Cooking Time Prep time 1 hr 30 mins, cook 40 mins (plus cooling, chilling, freezing)

5	egg yolks
110 gm (½ cup)	caster sugar
3	eggwhites
40 gm	plain flour
20 gm	cornflour
40 gm	butter, melted and cooled
For greasing:	vegetable oil
Cherry ripple ice-cream
220 gm	cherries, pitted
50 gm	liquid glucose
30 ml	cherry brandy (see note)
390 gm	caster sugar
12	egg yolks
1 litre (4 cups)	pouring cream
200 ml	milk
Scraped	seeds of 1 vanilla bean
Cherry sorbet
165 gm	caster sugar
Peeled	rind and juice of 1 lemon and ½ orange
400 gm	cherries, pitted
Italian meringue
330 gm (1½ cups)	caster sugar
4	eggwhites

1	Preheat oven to 160C. Whisk yolks and 50gm sugar in an electric mixer until thick and pale (3-4 minutes), transfer to a large bowl, set aside. Whisk eggwhite and a pinch of salt in a clean bowl until soft peaks form (2-3 minutes). Whisking continuously, gradually add remaining sugar and whisk until firm peaks form. Fold one-third of eggwhite mixture into yolks, then fold in remaining eggwhite mixture. Sieve over flour and cornflour, fold to combine, then fold in butter. Spread one-fifth of the mixture into a 5mm thick, 20cm-diameter round on a baking tray lined with baking paper, then spread remaining mixture in a 25cm x 40cm baking tray greased and lined with baking paper. Bake until light golden (4-5 minutes for round; 6-7 minutes for sheet), cool completely, then peel off baking paper.
2	Lightly oil a 1.5-litre bombe mould (see note), then line with thin strips of baking paper, allowing edges to overhang sides (these will make it easier to unmould bombe). Cut sponge sheet into triangles and line bombe mould, filling all gaps (reserve round). Freeze until required.
3	For cherry ripple ice-cream, combine cherries, glucose, brandy and 90gm sugar in a saucepan, stir over medium-high heat until sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil, simmer until liquid reduces by half (10-12 minutes), then refrigerate until chilled (1-1½ hours). Meanwhile, yolks and remaining sugar in a heatproof bowl until thick and pale (4-5 minutes). Bring cream, milk and vanilla to the simmer in a saucepan. Pour onto yolk mixture, whisk continuously to combine, then return to pan. Stir continuously over medium heat until mixture coats the back of a wooden spoon thickly (5-6 minutes), strain through a sieve into a bowl placed over ice, cool. Freeze in an ice-cream machine, then transfer to a container and stir through cherry mixture to form a ripple effect. Freeze until just firm, then spoon into bombe mould, spreading up sides. Freeze until firm (2-3 hours).
4	Meanwhile, for cherry sorbet, combine sugar, rinds and 125ml water in a saucepan, stir over medium-high heat until sugar dissolves. Add cherries, simmer until just tender (2-3 minutes), cool to room temperature, then remove rinds. Process in a food processor until puréed, pass through a fine sieve (discard solids), add juices, then freeze in an ice-cream machine. Spoon into bombe mould, smooth top, and freeze until firm (4-5 hours), then cover with reserved sponge round.
5	For Italian meringue, combine sugar and 60ml water in a saucepan, stir over medium-high heat until sugar dissolves, bring to the boil, cook until syrup reaches 115C on a sugar thermometer (5-6 minutes), then remove from heat. Meanwhile, whisk eggwhite and a pinch of salt in an electric mixer until soft peaks form (2 minutes). Whisking continuously on low speed, slowly add hot syrup. Whisk on high speed until thick and glossy and cooled to room temperature (15-20 minutes).
6	Unmould bombe and place on a serving plate. Spoon over Italian meringue to completely cover, forming peaks and swirls as you go. Brown with a blowtorch, cut into wedges with a hot knife and serve.

Note Cherry brandy is available from select bottle shops. You can substitute brandy. Bombe moulds are available from specialist cookware shops. Our mould was 15cm deep at its deepest, with a 20cm-diameter base. If the dimensions of your mould are different, you will need to adjust the recipe accordingly.

This recipe is from the December 2010 issue of Australian Gourmet Traveller.

Drink Suggestion Pink moscato.