Baked Alaska is a
dessert comprising the seemingly impossible combination of hot
meringue and
sponge with cold ice-cream. It was created at
Delmonico's in
1867 to celebrate the acquisition by the
USA of the territory of the same name. It was popularized by
Jean Giroix, who was chef of the
Hotel de Paris in
Monte Carlo.
The
bane of
microwave oven advertisers, who would like to say anyhing can be cooked in their little
wonders; along with
Peking Duck, they had to admit defeat in this case.
It is the amazing
insulation power of the sponge and meringue, due to the huge amount of air trapped in their structures, which prevents the ice-cream from
melting while the whole dessert is baked in the oven for a whole 10 minutes.
Preparation:
- Ice Cream - Pack ice-cream into a mixing bowl, and freeze for at least 8 hours.
- Sponge - Bake a light sponge cake in a tin of approximately the same size as the opening in the bowl of ice-cream.
- Meringue - Make enough meringue to liberally cover everything.
Place the sponge on a
baking sheet covered with
greaseproof paper. Turn the ice-cream out on top, and cover the whole lot with the meringue mix. Ensure the meringue comes right down to the baking sheet, otherwise the
heat will get in.
Now place in the oven, which has been
preheated to
220C, 425F, Gas Mark 7. Bake for 8-10 minutes on the lowest shelf until the meringe starts to
brown.
Time the cooking carefully, so your
guests are ready for it immediately after it comes out of the oven.
Source:
http://www.met-office.gov.uk/calendar/january.html (really)
http://www.hub-uk.com/cooking/tipsalaska.htm
Thanks to NordicFrost for the microwave section.