Bombes to make Xmas bang! go with a

From chocolate to Stilton and turkey, the new foodie fad

LOOKING for a high-impact dish to grace your Christmas lunch table? The latest foodie craze is to serve up a bombe.

Traditionally, these are dome- shaped French desserts made from ice-cream, socalled because they’re shaped like a cannonball or bomb, and with a hidden ‘exploding’ liquid or surprise centre.

But this holiday season they come in all flavours and guises — often with a special surprise in the middle. Here, AMANDA CABLE rates the bombes that will add a taste explosion to any festive feast — and the ones best left off the menu.

DOUBLE CHOCOLATE BOMBE

£15, www.cookfood.net, 550g (main picture)

VERDICT: This huge chocolate bombe feeds ten people — but once they reach the soft raspberry toffee ‘surprise’ in the middle, it could turn into a brawl as they all try to get some more. Believe me, it’s much more delicious than it sounds.

The outside layer is made from chocolate sponge, soaked in sweet Marsala wine, and covered with a dusting of cocoa. Inside is rich chocolate mousse and whipped cream — with the raspberry toffee centre. It comes ready to eat.

Perfect for a dinner party — and as it looks homemade, you could pretend you’ve made it yourself. 5/5

TURKEY BOMBE

Around £34 (varies according to size), Morrisons

VERDICT: This savoury bombe features layers of bacon on the outside, turkey on the inside and a centre filling of sage and onion stuffing. Needs baking according to instructions.

I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the thick, succulent bacon, which could be straight from the farm. There were more than 22 rashers layered so beautifully on top that it felt like a crime to carve through them.

The turkey is tasty and matches the bacon for quality, and as you carve through the bombe each layer of bacon, turkey and delicious stuffing falls away in perfect appetising slices. A winner if you want the wow factor. 4/5

STUFFING BOMBE

£5 for 650g, Asda

VERDICT: This stuffing bombe looks so spectacular it could outshine the Christmas turkey. The size and shape of a medium Christmas pudding — it serves eight to ten — the edges are artfully lined with thin delicious-looking orange slices.

The first problem is removing it from the plastic bowl. I slid a knife into the side and gently eased it out. Then you pop it in the oven.

When finished, it looks impressive with a golden crust on the stuffing and the pretty orange slices glistening. But oh dear, the taste. It contained so much cinnamon and spice, it was like tasting a mouthful of Christmas potpourri — horrible! If only this tasted as good as it looks. 2/5

HESTON’S HIDDEN ORANGE CHRISTMAS PUDDING

£15 for 1.5kg, Waitrose

VERDICT: This is the original surprise-in-the -middle (therefore qualifying it as a bombe) pudding produced by the master of molecular gastronomy.

Launched in 2010, this helped create the current bombe trend. This year they cost £15 — if you are lucky enough to find one on the shelves.

Preparation is relatively timeconsuming — it has to be steamed for three hours. Alternatively, it can be microwaved for around eight minutes.

But it’s hugely satisfying to cut into the pudding and hear the squelch of the whole candied orange — one which has been previously soaked and preserved i n sugar syrup — buried in the middle.

Its delicious citrussy juices and flavour infuse the fruity surroundings. The combined taste of sweet orange and Christmas pudding is glorious. A real treat. 5/5

HIDDEN CLEMENTINE CHRISTMAS PUDDING

£4 for 454g, Tesco

VERDICT: Tesco have cheekily come up with the little brother of Heston’s bombes — a Christmas pudding with a smaller Clementine inside instead of an orange. You steam it for one hour, or microwave for three minutes. It’s not only just as tasty as Heston’s bigger orange version, but the Tesco pudding has less saturated fat — 2.9g per 100g compared to 3.4g.

I’d recommend Tesco for smaller gatherings of four or so, and Heston for a larger group. 5/5

FINEST BELGIAN CHOCOLATE BOMBE

£2.50 for 227g, Tesco

VERDICT: The middle contains a thick dollop of melting chocolate, which isn’t exactly unexpected but tastes delicious all the same. Gloriously rich, it even defeated the appetite of my 13-year-old son Charlie, who stopped halfway through his second helping, declaring: ‘If I eat any more of this bombe I’ll explode!’ 3/5

PETIT FOUR BOMBES

£4.99 per 35g bombe, www. selfridges. co.uk

VERDICT: Pile these on to your Christmas table and they’ll look more like decorations. Mine were just so pretty I stuck them in a tree.

These are different flavoured chocolate bombes each wrapped in a small hexagon- shaped, brightly coloured cardboard box.

Inside each is a domed chocolate bombe, crafted by petit four company Marasu’s. Choose from a variety of f l avours such as espresso, peanut butter, praline and Amaretti biscuit. My favourite, however, has to be pavlova.

Far too good for children — but the perfect way for adults to round off a Christmas meal! 4/5

CHOCOLATE AND CHERRY SNOW BOMBE

£6 for 810g, The Co-Operative

VERDICT: The Co-op has been turning quietly foodie this last year, with some surprisingly delicious products. This one will look really attractive on any Christmas table and better still, is ready to serve.

There’s white chocolate ‘snowflakes’ on the outside, and inside the bombe is a brown chocolate sponge, with a surprising middle of melting dark chocolate.

This gives a snow-capped ‘wow’ factor to your table, but I found it a bit too sweet and sugary for an adult palate. One slice was more than enough.

My kids, however, felt otherwise and greedily asked for seconds.

3/5

CHEDDAR BOMBE WITH CHILLI AND RED PEPPER

£3.00 for 250g, Tesco

VERDICT: Warning — don’t feed this to your children without telling them about the chilli. I made that mistake and all three complained their mouths were on fire.

It is a great twist for your cheeseboard though, and because of the dome shape it looks far more impressive than a simple block of cheese. There’s a dramatic topping of red pepper and chilli flakes.

The chilli and red pepper is flecked throughout the delicious orange-coloured cheddar cheese, and each bite brings a new flavour. A great way to make cheese and biscuits more interesting, although some might find the chilli kick a bit too intense. 3/5

CHOCOLATE CREAM BOMBE

£4.40 for 550g, lepain quotidien. co.uk

VERDICT: It may look like a simple, cocoa- covered bombe. But cut inside, and the soft Belgian chocolate mousse is so tasty you won’t be able to stop eating. Rather than a surprise in the middle, this has a surprise base of soft almond biscuit.

So good that you will find room for more — and it’s not too rich for adults or children. 5/5

WHITE STILTON CHRISTMAS PUDDING BOMBE

£3 for 250g, Tesco

VERDICT: If you want to confuse your mother-inl aw af te r t he Christmas lunch, s erve up this Christmas pudding- s haped Stilton. It certainly doesn’t resemble any Stilton she’s ever tried before.

It is topped with drie d cranberries, and inside there’s a host of other dried fruit such as apricots, dates, and raisins.

Great if you love dried fruit, but I found the hint of alcohol from the Grand Marnier extract in the cheese too sickening.

Imagine cheese crossed with Christmas pudding, and this is the-over-complicated a nd unappetising flavour you get here.1/5