Miso Caramel Ice Cream Bomba
Inspired by Ixta’s favourite childhood dessert, this decadent marriage of caramel, ice-cream and chocolate is perfect for impressing guests.
From the book
MEZCLA: Recipes to Excite
From the co-author of Ottolenghi's FLAVOUR
100 vibrant and colourful dishes with inventive ingredient combinations
A blend of Italian dishes, with Mexican flavours, and Brazilian spices
Introduction
A bomba di gelato – ice cream bomb – is essentially just ice cream set in a large bowl. As a child in Italy, this was my favourite way of eating gelato, undoubtedly because of the size and drama of the presentation.
This dessert features three elements – an ice cream, a caramel and a chocolate topping – which all need time freezing and chilling. You’ll definitely need to start the day before you plan to eat it, but I’d highly recommend starting 2 days ahead, that way you can finish the whole thing the day before, and just casually whip it out of the freezer – ta dah! – when you’re ready to serve.
Having said all that, you absolutely don’t have to construct a bomba if you’re more interested in just eating the damn thing sooner rather than later. For a simpler version, make the ice cream and freeze until set. Scoop into serving glasses, drizzle over the chocolate shell and finish with chunks of the caramel brittle.
Don’t be tempted to whip all the ice cream ingredients together from the get-go. If you add the miso too early, the cream will split.
Ingredients
| For the miso caramel ice cream: | |
|---|---|
| 380g | double cream, at least 45% fat content, fridge cold (light, single and whipping cream won’t work here) |
| 3 large | good-quality egg yolks |
| 90g | maple syrup |
| 30g | white miso paste |
| 1½ tsp | vanilla bean paste |
| For the miso caramel brittle: | |
| 80g | roasted and salted peanuts or roasted and salted almonds |
| 140g | maple syrup |
| 70g | double cream |
| 25g | white miso paste |
| 1 tsp | vanilla bean paste |
| For the chocolate shell: | |
| 140g | dark cooking chocolate |
| 60g | milk cooking chocolate |
| 2 tbsp | coconut oil |
| To serve: | |
| 1-2 tbsp | cocoa, for dusting |
Essential kit
You will need: a stand mixer and a wire rack.
Method
Line a 1.2-litre capacity bowl (that’s a medium-sized bowl – mine was 18cm wide and 19cm tall) with two layers of cling film, so that it drapes over the sides. Alternatively use a loaf tin.
For the ice cream, put the (chilled) cream and egg yolks into the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment in place. Whip on high speed until thickened into medium peaks the consistency of loose soft-serve ice cream. This usually takes about 3 minutes but could take up to 6 minutes depending on the fat content of the cream you’re using. In a small bowl, whisk together the maple syrup, miso and vanilla until completely smooth, then fold this mixture through the cream until fully incorporated. Spoon into the prepared bowl and smooth the top to make sure it’s level. Cover tightly with foil and freeze overnight, or until frozen through.
The next day, start the caramel brittle. Preheat the oven to 170°C fan/190°C. Once the oven is hot, spread the peanuts on a flat tray and roast for 6 minutes, or until deeply golden-brown (although the peanuts are already roasted and salted, most shop-bought varieties are still quite pale and frankly not roasted long enough, hence the extra roast). If you’re using roasted salted almonds, you shouldn’t need to roast them again. Once cool, roughly chop the nuts.
Place the maple syrup, double cream, miso and vanilla bean paste in a medium saucepan on a medium heat. Cook for 6 minutes, stirring often; the mixture should bubble away and thicken to the consistency of a thick butterscotch sauce. Transfer to a bowl, stir in the nuts, then set aside until completely cool.
Remove the ice cream bowl from the freezer. Spoon the thick, nutty caramel on to the ice cream, smoothing it out to evenly cover the surface (if the caramel has set relatively hard, this might be easiest with your hands). Cover loosely with foil and return to the freezer for another 4 hours.
After 4 hours (or the next day), make the chocolate top layer. Put the chocolate and coconut oil into a bowl and set over a pan of gently simmering water. Once most of the chocolate has melted, remove from the heat and stir until completely smooth. Set aside until the chocolate has cooled completely but is still liquid.
Remove the ice cream bowl from the freezer and leave to stand for 5 minutes. Place a wire rack over the bowl, then quickly flip the whole thing over so the bomba ends up on the rack.
Place the rack on a tray, remove the bowl and then carefully peel off the cling film. Pour the cooled chocolate evenly over the bomba to cover it, working quickly because the chocolate will solidify as soon as it touches the cold ice cream. Dust the surface with cocoa powder, then leave for about 5 minutes, or until the chocolate has set hard.
Use a large spatula to carefully transfer the bomba to a large plate. Refrigerate for 5 minutes, or until the chocolate is completely hard. If making ahead, store the bomba in the freezer, and take it out 15–20 minutes before serving, so the ice cream softens.
Use a large, sharp knife dipped in hot water to crack through the shell and cut large slices of the bomba. There’s almost no way the slices will be neat, but there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that.
Notes:I’ve divided the ingredients list with subheadings for clarity, but please note that some of the main ingredients feature throughout the recipe. You’ll need a total of 450g of double cream, 230g of maple syrup, 55g of white miso paste and 2½ teaspoons of vanilla bean paste.
