Guest Bloggers Braxton & Kazden Haugen tackle a dessert I have wanted to make since I was a little girl flipping through Sunset magazine!
Braxton
Taking on new projects in the kitchen has always been a fun activity, yet attacking Baked Alaska was different kind of adventure. Not only was it deep with steps, but the time in which it took to prepare each aspect of the recipe took time. Throughout our time creating Baked Alaska, it often felt like a race against the clock, as so many parts of the process needed to be dealt with in a timely manner. Melting ice cream, cooling cakes, falling meringue, and the final torching were all about working quick and efficiently. When all was said and done, Baked Alaska was one of the more enjoyable cooking experiences I’ve had in the kitchen. It’s tricky and sometimes a little complicated, but the end result makes for a rewarding treat worth the effort. Perhaps what excites me the most, would be all the potential variety you have when making Baked Alaska, such as replacing cake with brownies and vanilla ice cream with chocolate or coffee flavors. Also, if I were to make it again I would likely sneak in some chocolate shavings or truffles into the ice cream or between one of the layers. It would also be fun to cut the layers super thin and really go crazy on the height. The possibilities are endless and I look forward to making it again.
Kazden
I chose the recipe baked Alaska because I have wanted to make this dish ever since I learned what it was. According to foodreference.com Baked Alaska is a dish that was made popular by chef Jean Giroix in Monte Carlo. Thomas Jefferson served a type of Baked Alaska at a White House dinner in 1802. Baked Alaska can also be called Omelette Surprise or Omelette a la Norvegienne, a version American physicist Benjamin Thompson claimed to have created in 1804. I always thought it was called Baked Alaska because it looked like an igloo and was full of ice cream. Overall, this was a very fun experience that was not too difficult. It was just a matter of being organized and quickly moving through the steps. We enjoyed sharing this experience with our neighbors and both sets of grandparents. The funniest quote of the night was when my grandma asked me, “How did you bake the cake without the ice cream melting?” Since there are so many variations of this recipe, you don’t really need one. Below is what we came up with after reading several recipes in cookbooks and online.
Decide on the size of your Baked Alaska and fill containers with partially melted ice cream.
Put a layer of plastic wrap in the bottom of each container.
Pack the ice cream in tightly.
Cover with another layer of plastic wrap.
Make sure you have a template for your cake size. Put ice cream in the freezer.
Now it is time to make the cake layer. Simply follow directions on the box.
Once cake is cooled, cut the domed top with a large bread knife so the layers are even. You can use what you cut to make another layer.
Cut to the right size, you can use 1, 2 or 3 layers.
Now to make the meringue. Separate 8 egg yolks from the whites.
Beat egg whites in a mixer on high. Add 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar and slowly add 1 cup of sugar.
Beat until the egg whites form stiff peaks. Now, put your layers together.
Kazden added a layer of lemon curd.
Braxton added hazelnut spread, then topped with the ice cream.
Place ice cream on top layer.
Cover the entire thing with beaten egg white.
Make any kind of design you want.
Put back in the freezer for at least 2 hours and up to one day.
Bake in a preheated oven at 450º about 5 min. or until meringue turns light brown.
Or, use a blow torch to brown the meringue.
If you really want to liven things up, you can flambe.
This should be done only with an adult present and possibly a fire extinguisher nearby. Put 151 Rum in a stainless steel pan and light it on fire. Pour it over the Baked Alaska.
Nice job boys! We had ourselves a great couple days in the kitchen with this project. A few products we used were recent purchases that came in handy were the Five Piece Snack Tray for the ice cream and the fun silicone trivets.
Easy to hang while storing.
Another beneficial utensil used was a large bread knife. Pictured above is the Shun Classic Bread Knife. I’ve been using this knife given to my by Kai USA Ltd, for 4 years and it has remained sharp.
