Watermelon Bombe Tested Recipe

Watermelon Bombe Recipe

A bombe is a frozen dessert made by layering different flavors of ice creams and/or ices in a mold. Sounds simple enough, and it is. There are many recipes for this kind of dessert but I am particularly fond of this Watermelon Bombe as the contrast of flavors and textures is quite refreshing. It layers lime sherbet, with vanilla ice cream, and then raspberry sorbet that is mixed with a few chocolate chips for the "watermelon seeds". And what is great about this recipe is that you can use store bought ice cream and ices. Just remember when making this dessert it is important to freeze each layer before adding the next layer. Do not rush this process, for if one layer isn't frozen before you add the next layer, the layers will run together and you won't get the desired effect.

Although this recipe makes a 12 cup (3 quart) bombe you can adjust the recipe to make a smaller, 8 cup bombe. Just reduce the ices and ice cream (about 3 - 4 cups of both the lime and raspberry sherbet (sorbet) and about 1 cup of vanilla ice cream). The reason we start with more ice cream and ices than the mold can hold is because as we beat the ice cream (ices) to soften them before placing them in the mold, some of the air (overrun) that was incorporated into the ice cream (ices) when it was commercially made is released. Which means we end up with less ice cream (ices) than what we started with. The amount of air released will depend on the quality of the ice cream and ices (the higher the quality of the ice cream and ices the less air there will be to release).

For those who are unfamiliar with sorbet and sherbets I will explain the difference. Sorbet (pronounced Sor-BAY) is French for sherbet and contains fresh fruit (juices/purees), sugar, water and sometimes lemon/lime juice. It contains no eggs, milk or cream. Sherbets (pronounced SHER-biht), on the other hand, contain milk, cream, and sometimes eggs which gives them a smooth and rich consistency somewhere between an ice cream and a sorbet. You can use either a sorbet or a sherbet in this bombe.


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Watermelon Bombe: Take a 12 cup metal or plastic mixing bowl and line it with plastic wrap, making sure there is enough plastic wrap to overhang the edges of the bowl (this makes it easy to unmold). Alternatively, spray the bowl with a nonstick vegetable spray. Place the lined bowl in the freezer for about 15 - 30 minutes so the bowl will be cold.

Place the lime sherbet in the bowl of your electric mixer and beat on low speed until the sherbet is soft enough to spread easily, about 20-30 seconds. Remove the plastic wrap lined metal bowl from the freezer, and with a rubber spatula or spoon, coat the whole inside of the bowl with an even layer of the softened lime sherbet. Return the bowl with the sherbet to the freezer to refreeze the sherbet. This will take about 30 minutes to an hour.

Once the lime sherbet is frozen, take the vanilla ice cream and place it in a clean mixing bowl. As with the lime sherbet, beat the ice cream until it is spreadable (20-30 seconds). Remove the bowl from the freezer and again, using a rubber spatula or spoon, evenly coat the lime sherbet layer with the vanilla ice cream. Return the bowl to the freezer so the vanilla ice cream can refreeze. This will take about 30 minutes to an hour.

Once that layer has frozen, take the raspberry sorbet and place it in a clean mixing bowl. Again, beat the sorbet until it is spreadable, 20-30 seconds. Fold in the chocolate chips. Remove the bowl from the freezer and fill the center of the bowl with the raspberry sorbet. Return the bowl to the freezer and freeze until the sherbet/sorbet and ice cream is completely hardened (this will take several hours or overnight).

To serve: Place a cold serving plate upside down on top of the bowl. Holding the plate against the bowl, turn it upside down. Use a hair dryer on low, or place a hot wet towel over the metal bowl for a few seconds to loosen the bowl from the ice cream. Remove the metal bowl and place the watermelon bombe back in the freezer until serving time (the lime sherbet may have soften a bit from the hot towel).

Store any leftovers in the freezer.

Serves 12-14 people. Preparation time 1 hour.

Watermelon Bombe:

5 - 6 cups (about 3 pints) lime sherbet or sorbet

2 cups vanilla ice cream

5 - 6 cups (about 3 pints) raspberry sorbet or sherbet

2-3 tablespoons miniature chocolate chips