Instructions: Place a 7 1/2-cup capacity mold and one medium mixing bowl into freezer. Transfer all sorbets and ice cream from freezer to refrigerator until slightly soft, about 1 hour.

Place black-currant sorbet into chilled mixing bowl. Stir to a spreadable consistency. Remove mold from freezer. Using a rubber spatula, coat the sides of mold with sorbet, making a 1-inch-thick layer. Return mold and clean mixing bowl to freezer for 30 minutes.

Place raspberry sorbet in chilled mixing bowl. Stir to a spreadable consistency. Remove mold from freezer. Pack raspberry sorbet over black currant, about 3/4 inch thick. Return mold and clean mixing bowl to freezer for 30 minutes.

Place vanilla ice cream in chilled mixing bowl. Stir until spreadable. Remove mold from freezer. Fill remaining space with vanilla ice cream. Using a rubber spatula, smooth ice cream. Return to freezer.

To serve, place a serving plate upside-down on top of the mold. Holding plate against mold, invert both. Place a hot wet kitchen towel over the mold. Remove the mold, and serve bombe immediately, garnished with fresh berries.

This recipe yields 12 servings.

Comments: A bombe is a dessert made from softened ice cream or sorbet that is layered inside a mold and refrozen, then unmolded and sliced before serving. In the Victorian period, the most popular molds for this dessert were spherical, or bomb shaped. Antique molds can be fun to collect and use, but new molds are also available in an increasingly wide range of shapes and sizes. When making a bombe, work as quickly as possible to prevent the ice cream from developing ice crystals and turning gummy. Allowing your ice cream to soften a little in the refrigerator will make handling it easier.

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