Best Ice Cream Bombes With Brandied Dried Cranberries And Cherries Recipes

BOOZY CHRISTMAS BOMBE

Steps:

• Put the dried fruit into a large bowl, add 2 tbsp brandy and the sugar, then cover with cling film. Microwave on High for 2 mins until the sugar has melted and the fruit plumped up. Give it a stir, then leave to cool and soak overnight. If you're short of time, carry on with step 2 and leave to soak for as long as it takes to complete step 2.
• Put the cream, remaining brandy and icing sugar into a large bowl and whip to soft peaks. Pour the custard into another bowl and fold the cream into it. Tip into a freezer container and freeze the mix for 4 hrs, stirring the frozen edges into the rest of the mixture every hour or so until the whole tub is soft, but frozen (or use an ice cream machine, churning for 20-30 mins until thick). Meanwhile, line a 1.2-litre pudding basin with cling film.
• Once the ice cream mix is thick, quickly fold the soaked fruit (and any liquid from it) and frozen cranberries through it and spoon into the lined basin. Freeze overnight or for at least 6 hrs. To serve, leave bombe at room temperature for 10 mins and turn out onto a serving plate.
• To make the cranberry brandy butter sauce, in a heavy-based pan gently heat muscovado sugar and butter until the sugar dissolves.
• Splash in brandy, add cranberries and boil gently till the cranberries pop, but still hold their shape and colour the sauce. If you want to, sieve the seeds out of the sauce and add some more cranberries for a really glossy finish. Serve hot or warm.

RUM CRANBERRY ICE CREAM WITH WALNUTS AND CHOCOLATE CHUNKS

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine the cranberries and dark rum. Cover and let stand at room temperature for 2 hours; drain, reserving 2 tablespoons of rum.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar.
• In a medium, heavy-bottomed saucepan, bring milk and heavy cream to a boil; remove from heat and add sea salt. Whisking constantly, slowly drizzle the milk mixture into the yolks until completely combined. Scrape the custard back into the saucepan and simmer over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until the custard is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon (do not let it come to a boil). Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl; stir in the reserved rum and cranberries and chill until very cold, at least 3 hours.
• Transfer the custard to an ice cream maker and churn according to the manufacturer's instructions. When the ice cream is almost finished, pour the chocolate and walnuts into the machine and allow to incorporate completely. Freeze in an airtight container.

BRANDIED DRIED CRANBERRIES AND CHERRIES

Steps:

• In a small saucepan simmer all ingredients except brandy, stirring,
• 5 minutes, and remove pan from heat. Stir in brandy and cool. Brandied fruits may be made 2 days ahead and chilled, covered. Bring brandied fruits to room temperature before serving.

ICE CREAM BOMBE

Steps:

• Freeze an 8-inch bowl. When it's cold, place the mango sorbet in the bowl and press it against the sides of the bowl. If you have a 6 1/2-inch bowl the same shape as the 8-inch bowl (such as from a set of nesting bowls), cover it with plastic wrap and press it into the sorbet to make the layer even. Freeze the sorbet for 30 minutes or until firm. Remove the 6 1/2-inch bowl.
• Spread an even layer of softened raspberry sorbet on top of the mango sorbet (a 4 1/2-inch nesting bowl wrapped in plastic wrap helps with this) and freeze for another 30 minutes or until firm. Remove the 4 1/2 inch bowl.
• Finally, spoon in enough softened strawberry ice cream to fill the bowl. Freeze until hard.
• To unmold, dip the bowl up to the rim in warm water. Run a knife around the edge to loosen the bombe and unmold upside down onto a flat plate. You may need to run a flexible metal spatula along the edge of the bombe to release it. Freeze until ready to serve. Serve in wedges.
• Mango Sorbet:
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 5 large ripe mangoes, peeled and seeded
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• Place the sugar and 1/2 cup water in a small saucepan and cook until the sugar dissolves. Set aside.
• Place the mangoes in a food processor fitted with the steel blade and puree. You should have about 5 cups of mango. If you want a smoother sorbet, you can process the puree through a food mill fitted with a medium blade.
• Combine the mango, sugar syrup, orange juice, and salt and refrigerate until cold. Freeze in an ice cream machine according to the manufacturer's directions. (The sorbet will be soft.) Serve directly from the ice cream machine.
• Yield: 1 1/2 quarts; 6 servings

PECAN PRALINE

Steps:

• Lightly oil a baking sheet.
• In a dry heavy saucepan cook sugar over moderate heat, stirring with a fork, until melted and cook, without stirring, swirling pan, until a golden caramel. Stir in pecans with salt until coated well. Immediately pour mixture onto baking sheet, tilting baking sheet to make a thin layer, and cool completely, about 20 minutes. Carefully remove praline in shards from baking sheet. Break about one eighth shards into smaller pieces and in a food processor pulse until ground coarse. Break remaining praline into 12 shards for garnishing desserts. Praline may be made 2 days ahead, ground praline kept in an airtight container at cool room temperature (if it clumps, regrind in food processor before using), and shards kept between sheets of wax paper in another airtight container at room temperature.

BRANDIED DRIED FRUIT

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the currants, cranberries, cherries, pears and apricots. Zest the orange and add the zest to the bowl. Add the lemon, ginger, anise seeds, black pepper, nutmeg, cinnamon and cardamom.
• Juice the orange and add the liquid to the bowl. Add the brandy and stir to combine. Transfer the mixture to a jar, cover and refrigerate. (If you don't have a jar that's large enough, keep the mixture in the bowl and cover with plastic wrap.) Allow the fruit to sit in the liquid for 2 to 14 days before using. The flavor of the fruit, spices and brandy will improve with time. At least once a day, turn the jar upside-down (or thoroughly stir the mixture if it's in a bowl) to make sure all the dried fruit gets coated in the brandied liquid. The mixture keeps in the refrigerator for months, stored in an airtight container.

CREAMY CARAMEL SAUCE

Steps:

• In a heavy saucepan stir together sugar, water, corn syrup, and a pinch salt and boil over moderate heat, stirring, until sugar is dissolved. Boil mixture, without stirring, until a golden caramel. Remove pan from heat and stir in cream. Cool sauce. Sauce may be made 2 days ahead and chilled, covered. Bring sauce to room temperature before using.