Plombières is a type of French

ice cream Ice cream is a frozen dessert typically made from milk or cream that has been flavoured with a sweetener, either sugar or an alternative, and a spice, such as Chocolate, cocoa or vanilla, or with fruit, such as strawberries or peaches. Food ...

made with

almond The almond (''Prunus amygdalus'', Synonym (taxonomy)#Botany, syn. ''Prunus dulcis'') is a species of tree from the genus ''Prunus''. Along with the peach, it is classified in the subgenus ''Amygdalus'', distinguished from the other subgenera ...

extract,

kirsch ''Kirschwasser'' (, , ; German for 'cherry water'), or just ''Kirsch'' (; the term used in Switzerland and France, less so in Germany), is a clear, colourless brandy from Germany, Switzerland, and France, traditionally made from double distill ...

, and candied fruit.

History

The origin of plombières ice cream is disputed.« La glace Plombières : références littéraires »
''www.glace-plombieres.fr'' (consulté le 6 février 2019). It is unclear whether its name refers to the commune of

Plombières-les-Bains Plombières-les-Bains () is a commune in the Vosges department in Grand Est in eastern France. It was the seat of the former canton of Plombières-les-Bains. ''Les bains'' refers to the hot springs in the area, whose properties were first di ...

. A folk etymology suggests that the dish was first served to Napoleon III at the signing of the Treaty of Plombières in 1858; but

Marie-Antoine Carême Marie-Antoine Carême (; 8 June 1783 or 178412 January 1833), known as Antonin Carême, was a leading French chef of the early 19th century. Carême was born in Paris to a poor family and, when still a child, worked in a cheap restaurant. La ...

provided a recipe for "plombière cream" in his 1815 book, ''Pâtissier royal parisien''. Similar recipes can be found in other French cookbooks from the 19th century. According to Pierre Lacam in 1893, "plombière cream" takes its name from a utensil used to make it. A similar etymological theory was proposed by

Joseph Favre Joseph Favre (; 17 February 1849 – 17 February 1903) was a Swiss chef who worked in Switzerland, France, Germany, and England. Although he initially only received primary education because of his humble origins, as an adult he attended scien ...

in his book ''Dictionnaire universel de cuisine'', which says that "plombière is a synonym for ''bombe'', which is used to grind the ingredients of the dish". Other scholars have suggested that the dessert takes its name from the mold in which the cream is pressed. Plombières ice cream is mentioned in ''

Splendeurs et misères des courtisanes ''Splendeurs et misères des courtisanes'', translated variously as ''The Splendors and Miseries of Courtesans'', ''A Harlot High and Low'', or as ''Lost Souls'', is an 1838–1847 novel by French novelist Honoré de Balzac, published in four ini ...

'', published in 1844 by

Honoré de Balzac Honoré de Balzac ( , more commonly ; ; born Honoré Balzac; 20 May 1799 – 18 August 1850) was a French novelist and playwright. The novel sequence ''La Comédie humaine'', which presents a panorama of post-Napoleonic French life, is ...

. Plombières should not be confused with Malaga ice cream, a vanilla ice cream served with dried raisins soaked in Malaga wine or rum.. In the Soviet Union, ''

plombir Plombir is a type of ice cream made with vanilla, cream, eggs and sugar, originally created in the Soviet Union in 1937. Soviet — and now Russian — state standards require natural ingredients and specific levels of fat and sugar content. His ...

'' () became a popular dish that is still seen in post-Soviet states.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Plombières (dessert) Ice cream French cuisine French desserts

History

See also

References