Ice-Cream Bombes with Brandied Dried Cranberries and Cherries

Preparation

1. Step 1

   With scissors carefully cut through rims of cups and cut evenly around each cup to create a 2 3/4-inch-deep cup.

   Step 2

   In a double boiler or a metal bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water melt chocolate, stirring until smooth, and remove double boiler or pan from heat. With a small pastry brush, lightly coat insides of cups with chocolate just to cover and on a tray freeze cups, right side up, until chocolate is firm, about 3 minutes. Add more coats of chocolate in same manner until an 1/8-inch-thick chocolate coating is formed inside each cup.

   Step 3

   Spoon about 2 heaping tablespoons ice cream into bottom of each cup, smoothing surface with the back of a long-handled small metal spoon. Freeze cups until firm, about 30 minutes. Top ice cream in each cup evenly with 1 heaping tablespoon caramel sauce and sprinkle evenly with 1 tablespoon ground praline. Freeze cups 15 minutes. Top praline in each cup with a scant 1/4 cup ice cream, filling just to rim and smoothing with a spatula. Freeze cups until ice cream is frozen hard, about 1 hour. Ice-cream bombes may be prepared up to this point 5 days ahead and kept frozen, covered, in plastic cups.

   Step 4

   To unmold bombes, carefully tear rim of each cup and continue tearing to remove cup. Ice-cream bombes may be unmolded 4 hours ahead and kept frozen, wrapped in plastic wrap.

   Step 5

   Arrange bombes, ice-cream sides down, on each of 6 dessert plates. Spoon brandied dried fruit over and around bombes and garnish with praline shards.