This white chocolate and clementine bombe with real gold flakes is a decadent dessert featuring a smooth, creamy white chocolate ice cream encasing a vibrant, zesty clementine sorbet centre. This delightful combination perfectly balances sweetness and citrus, making it a luxurious treat for your Christmas dinner table.
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This recipe’s white chocolate ice cream is made from a rich egg custard base flavoured with white chocolate and real vanilla seeds.
The sorbet is made from whole clementines, simmered in sugar and water until tender, and then pureed whole, peel included. This recipe is rather shilpet (the Shetland word for eye-twitching sour), the way I like it, but if you prefer a sweeter sorbet, increase the sugar content by half.
I’ve also used Goldschlager in my sorbet. Adding alcohol keeps the clementine mixture from freezing solid, imparting a nice, edible texture. Goldschlager is an imported cinnamon schnapps liqueur containing real gold flakes.
Yes, this ice cream bombe dessert contains flakes of real gold!
Bombe (Also called: bombe glacée) – a dessert of ice cream lined or filled with sorbet, custard, cake crumbs, etc
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Ingredients
for the white chocolate ice cream
- 4 free-range egg yolks
- 100 grams caster sugar
- 300 ml full-fat milk
- 150 grams of white chocolate
- 300 ml double cream
- 1 vanilla bean pod
for the clementine sorbet
- 150 grams caster sugar
- 4 clementines
- 300 ml water
- 1/2 lemon
- 2 tbsp Goldschlager or Grand Marnier
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Instructions
- To prepare the ice cream, pour the milk into a saucepan and slowly heat it until it reaches boiling point, but do not allow it to boil.
- Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolks and caster sugar together until light and creamy.
- Whisking continuously, pour the hot milk over the egg mixture and return to the pan.
- Heat gently, stirring constantly, until the mixture forms a film on the back of a wooden spoon. It’s ready when you can drag your finger over the back of the spoon, and it will leave a line. Do not let it boil, or it will separate.
- Remove the custard mixture from the heat and stir in the broken pieces of white chocolate. Stir until melted. Cover in cling film and leave to cool to room temperature.
- Add the cream and vanilla seeds and transfer the mixture to the fridge to cool completely for a few hours.
- Meanwhile, to prepare the sorbet, coarsely chop the whole clementines and place them in a saucepan with the caster sugar and water. Bring to the boil and simmer, with the lid on, for 10 minutes.
- Puree with a hand blender and cool before adding the lemon juice and Goldschlager.
- Transfer the mixture to a freezer-proof container and freeze for a few hours.
- When the ice cream mixture is cold, churn in an ice cream machine.
- Line a 2-litre freezer-proof bowl with clingfilm and spoon the ice cream into it. Cover the back of a 0.5-litre freezer-proof bowl with clingfilm and press down into the centre of the ice cream to make a well. Place in the freezer for a few hours.
- When the ice cream is hard, remove the bowl in the centre.
- Transfer the frozen sorbet to a food processor and blend until light and creamy. Spoon the sorbet into the hole in the ice cream so that it is level. Return the ice cream to the freezer and leave overnight.
- To serve, tip the bowl upside down over a serving dish, remove the cling film and dust with icing sugar if desired. Serve immediately.
Recipe Difficulty Levels
Easy
Requires basic cooking skills and ingredients you most likely already have in your kitchen.
Moderate
Requires more experience, preparation and/or cooking time. You may have to source special ingredients.
Challenging
Recipes requiring more advanced skills and experience and maybe some special equipment.
White Chocolate and Clementine Bombe
Ingredients
for the white chocolate ice cream
- 4 free-range egg yolks
- 100 grams caster sugar
- 300 ml full fat milk
- 150 grams white chocolate broken into small pieces
- 300 ml double cream
- 1 vanilla bean pod seeds only
for the clementine sorbet
- 150 grams caster sugar
- 4 clementines
- 300 ml water
- 1/2 lemon juice only
- 2 tbsp Goldschlager or Grand Marnier
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Equipment
Instructions
- To prepare the ice cream, pour 300 ml full fat milk into a saucepan and slowly heat it until it reaches boiling point. Do not allow it to boil.
- Meanwhile, whisk 4 free-range egg yolks and 100 grams caster sugar together until light and creamy.
- Whisking continuously, pour the hot milk over the egg mixture and return to the pan.
- Heat gently, stirring constantly, until the mixture forms a film on the back of a wooden spoon. You’ll be able to drag your finger over the back of the spoon and it will leave a line. Do not let it boil or it will separate.
- Remove the custard mixture from the heat and stir in 150 grams white chocolate, broken into small pieces. Stir until melted. Cover in cling film and leave to cool to room temperature.
- Add 300 ml double cream and seeds from 1 vanilla bean pod and transfer the mixture to the fridge to cool completely for a few hours.
- Meanwhile, to prepare the sorbet, coarsely chop 4 clementines and place in a saucepan along with 150 grams caster sugar and 300 ml water. Bring to the boil and simmer, with the lid on, for 10 minutes.
- Puree with a hand blender and leave to cool before adding the juice of 1/2 lemon and 2 tbsp Goldschlager.
- Transfer the mixture to a freezerproof container and freeze for a few hours.
- When the ice cream mixture is cold, churn in an ice cream machine.
- Line a 2 litre freezerproof bowl with clingfilm and spoon the ice cream into it. Cover the back of a 0.5 litre freezerproof bowl with cling film and press down into the centre of the ice cream to make a well. Place in the freezer for a few hours.
- When the ice cream is hard, remove the bowl in the centre.
- Transfer the frozen sorbet to a food processor and blend until it is light and creamy. Spoon the sorbet into the hole in the ice cream so that it is level. Return the ice cream to the freezer and leave over night.
- To serve, tip the bowl upside down over a serving dish, remove the cling film and dust with icing sugar, if desired. Serve immediately.
Carrot, Beetroot & Ginger Juice Pulp Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
This bombe looks incredible! I have always wanted to buy an ice cream maker, but fear that it would become another one of those kitchen fad gadgets that end up in the back of the cupboard!
Your photos are sensational! xx
This is identical to one I saw in the local supermarket over Christmas when I was put off by the price.This would cosy just a fraction. What an eye-opener !
That looks so elegant and I just love the flavour combinations, fabulous!
What a show-stopping dessert! How elegant this would look on a New’s Year’s party table!
What a lovely dessert! And no judging here…I’d eat this in the bath too! 🙂
You had me at white chocolate! What a delicious and show-stopping dessert this is! Yes, please!
This looks fantastic. I love clementines. Thanks for joining in with we should cocoa
Looks heavenly! Gotta try this one. Thanks a lot for sharing!
Thanks Kimberly! Let me know what you think if you do make it!
Looks absolutely gorgeous! I might try this one!
Thanks Bethanie – let me know what you think if you do!
Beautiful! I’ve never been an ice cream person (it makes me thirsty. I hate being thirsty!) but I could change my mind with this. Really lovely. 🙂
How intriguing! I wonder why that is! 🙂
I am stuffed from the Thanksgiving meal and all the leftovers. I could use some healthier, lighter meals! Thanks for all the great ideas!!!
Glad to be of a help, and I hope you had a fantastic Thanksgiving!
This is just amazing.
Aw thanks! 🙂
Oh my, this looks absolutely delicious! I’ve yearned for an ice cream maker for so long – I’ve just put it on an Amazon wishlist which I am about to send to my OH!
Yay! I hope Santa is good to you this year 😀
Oh and thanks for the slinky linky to Simply Eggcellent xxx
My pleasure Dom, thanks for hosting!
Oh my word, how beautiful is this. Such a wonderful idea and I love the colour of the clementine core! A great Christmas alternative!
It is a rather attractive shade, isn’t it! Very festive. 🙂
This is an absolutely gorgeous dessert!!!
Thanks Aly 🙂
Beautiful!! Clementines are so versatile… And thanks for correcting my ignorance as to how bombes are made – clever clever! This makes me long for the hot Chirtsmases I grew up with in South Africa. This would be a perfect dessert there 🙂
Aw, so glad to have been able to teach you something! 😀
This sounds absolutely heavenly. I love white chocolate but have never paired it with orange before so I would like to see how that tastes.
They go really well together for sure. 🙂
This looks absolutely stunning! I have an ice cream maker that has never even come out of the box (although I have a plan for it next week). I would love to make desserts like this, but I think I would make such a mess of it.
It’s a really simple recipe to make, you’d be surprised! I hope you enjoy your ice cream maker once it’s out of the box! 😀
Absolutely beautiful looking cake!
I suppose it is an ice cream cake of sorts! Thank you 🙂
This looks beautiful! I’m sure this cake will impress a bunch of guests! 🙂
Thank you 🙂
Stunning doesn’t even begin to describe this. So beautiful. I’ve never heard of Goldschlager being used in sorbet – quite fantastic!
I used it since that’s all I had, but it totally worked! 😀
WOW! This is stunning and the flavours sound amazing. I love that you ate some in the bath – too funny. 🙂
Heehee, we all have our guilty secret pleasures. I like food in the bath 😀
Wow this looks incredible!! I never tried making an ice cream bombe before, but I really should try! Can I have a slice? 🙂
Oh you should give it a go! It’s so easy to make 🙂
Mmm – inspired to give this a go, although will probably try the no churn version as I have no maker!
This looks yummy. I will love to try this recipe this Christmas.
Give it a try! It really is simple to make. 🙂
Just wow! This looks very impressive! I’ve never tried making an ice cream bomb before and until I’d read this I don’t know where I would begin. You’ve made it look so easy. Thanks for posting
PS. I love that you used Goldschlager to stop the ice cream freezing too hard. Genius!
Aw thanks! I hope you try and make one some time. It’s really easy to do!
Such a stunning dessert. I love the colours and the flavours would work so well together. Must now make a bombe!
Let me know how you get on if you do! 🙂
this recipe looks amazing so pretty – definitely a showstopper on any Christmas table. R
thanks Rosana 🙂