Corn

This is a molded ice from Ranhofer's cross-referenced system, so half the work sits in recipes printed elsewhere in the book: hazelnut ice cream, lemon water ice, vanilla ice cream and whipped cream. Assume you are supplying those yourself and that this page is purely the assembly and freezing method.

• The hinge: pack the mold solidAny air pocket left in the mold shows up as a dent or a hole once the ear is turned out, and the whole point of the dish is the illusion. Press each ice firmly into the ribbed cavities with a small spatula. Ranhofer says only "partly" one ice and "partly" the other, so how you divide them is your choice; filling in halves lengthwise gives a clean division. Close the hinge only when the cavities are full.
• "Close the molds forcibly"Ice molds of this period were commonly hinged metal (the recipe specifies tin) that clamped shut, and forcing them closed will push excess ice out at the seam. Wipe that ooze away before freezing or it sets into a fin you will have to trim off.
• Freezing without a salt-ice pack"Pack and freeze" means burying the sealed molds in crushed ice mixed with coarse salt, roughly three parts ice to one of salt, which holds well below 32F. A modern freezer at 0F does the same job but more slowly; give the molds two to three hours rather than the three-quarters of an hour Ranhofer allows, and expect them to need a brief warm-cloth wipe or a few seconds in cool water to release.
• PrunelleA sloe liqueur, still made in France and sometimes sold as prunelle de Bourgogne. It is not prune brandy and not slivovitz. Sloe gin is the closest easy substitute; use it sparingly, since the ladyfingers should be damp rather than sodden or the center will not hold together in the mold.
• Lady fingersSavoiardi or French-style piped sponge biscuits. Cut them into short lengths so a soaked column runs down the axis of the ear, giving a soft pale core when the ice is sliced across.
• The accompanying sauceEqual parts vanilla ice cream and whipped cream beaten together, with kirsch stirred in, produces something between a sauce and a soft mousse. Beat it just before serving and keep the bowl cold; it slackens quickly.
• Dressing on a napkinA folded linen napkin on the serving dish absorbs meltwater and keeps the molded ices from sliding. It is a standard service convention of the period rather than decoration, and a chilled platter will do the same work.
• YieldThe original gives none. Reckon one ear per person, and figure on roughly 3 to 4 oz of combined ice per medium mold, so about a quart of ice in total -- say a pint of each -- will fill eight to ten.