Adapted from A Passion For Ice Cream by Emily Luchetti
Pyrotechnics and dessert, what's not to love? Baked Alaska is a classic dessert that has never gone out of favor and can be made in a multitude of variations. My favorite are these individual little delights that will light up your next dinner party.
I included the Banana Ice Cream recipe for all you Foodies out there. But for my dessert I didn't have an ice cream maker, so I just bought a pint of top quality ice cream. Since I just purchased the Butane Kitchen Torch that I have been lusting over for many many moons. I figured Pap would be none to happy if I also bought an ice creamer maker.
Ingredients for Banana Ice Cream:
2 bananas
3 large egg yolks
6 tablespoons sugar
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup milk
1 & 1/4 cups heavy cream
Ingredients for Chocolate Cake:
6 ounces bittersweet chcocolate, finely chopped
4 large eggs, separated
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 & 1/2 tablespoons brewed strong coffee or espresso
Large pinch of kosher salt
1/3 cup sugar
Ingredients for Meringue:
1/2 cup egg whites (about 4)
1 cup sugar
Directions:
1. To make the ice cream: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Put the unpeeled bananas on a baking sheet. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until soft and beginning to give off some liquid. Let cool. Remove the skins from the bananas. Puree the bananas in a food processor.
2. In a bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, 3 tablespoon of the sugar, and the salt in a bowl. Combine the milk, cream, and remaining 3 tablespoons sugar in a heavy saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until almost simmering. Slowly pour the milk and cream into the eggs, whisking as you pour. Return the milk mixture to the saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a heat-resistant plastic or wooden spatula, until the custard reaches 175 degrees and lightly coats the spatula.
3. Strain the custard into a clean bowl and cool over an ice bath until room temperature. Stir the banana puree into the custard. Cover and refrigerate the custard for at least 4 hours or up to overnight. Churn in an ice cream machine according to the manufacturer's instructions. Freeze until scoopable, about 4 hours, depending on your freezer.
4. To make the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with nonstick cook spray. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper.
5. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler over hot water. In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, vanilla extract, coffee or espresso, and slat until combined. In an electric mixer, whip the whites on medium-high speed until they begin to increase in volume. Whip in the sugar in a slow, steady stream. Continue to whip until stiff, glossy peaks form. Stir in the chocolate into the egg mixture. Fold the egg whites into the chocolate mixture in 2 additions. Spread the batter evenly into the pan. Bake until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean, about 15 minutes. Let cool to room temperature. Run a paring knife around the inside edge of the pan. Place a cutting board on top of the pan and invert the pan and cutting board. remove the pan and carefully peel off the parchment paper. With a glass or round cutter, cut the cake into eight 2 & 1/2 inch rounds.
6. To make the Meringue and assemble the baked Alaskas: Place the cake rounds on a baking sheet. Place a scoop of ice cream on each, making sure to leave a little more than a 1.4-inch border of cake around the ice cream. Freeze the cakes for 1 hour or up to overnight. If freezing overnight, cover with plastic wrap.
7. In a bowl, whisk together the egg whites and sugar until combined. Put the bowl in a saucepan of simmering water and whisk constantly until the egg whites are very warm Remove the whites from the hot water and whip with an electric mixer on medium-high speed with a stand mixer, or high speed with a handheld mixer, until stiff, glossy peaks form and the mixture has cooled to room temperature. Remove the cakes from the freezer. Using a small spatula, spread the meringue over the ice cream, completely covering it but leaving the cake edges exposed. If desired, this can be done several hours in advance. Do not cover. Keep frozen until ready to serve.
8. There are two ways to bake the Alaskas. You can either brown the meringue with a propane or butane torch, or bake them in the oven. If you use a torch, constantly move the flame over the meringue about 1 inch from the surface of the meringue until lightly browned. If you prepare them in the oven, preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Bake the Alaskas in the cent of the oven until lightly browned, about 3 minutes.
9. To serve: Using a large metal spatula, transfer the Alaskas from the sheet pan onto plates. Serve immediately.
Pyrotechnics and dessert, what's not to love? Baked Alaska is a classic dessert that has never gone out of favor and can be made in a multitude of variations. My favorite are these individual little delights that will light up your next dinner party.
I included the Banana Ice Cream recipe for all you Foodies out there. But for my dessert I didn't have an ice cream maker, so I just bought a pint of top quality ice cream. Since I just purchased the Butane Kitchen Torch that I have been lusting over for many many moons. I figured Pap would be none to happy if I also bought an ice creamer maker.
Ingredients for Banana Ice Cream:
2 bananas
3 large egg yolks
6 tablespoons sugar
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup milk
1 & 1/4 cups heavy cream
Ingredients for Chocolate Cake:
6 ounces bittersweet chcocolate, finely chopped
4 large eggs, separated
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 & 1/2 tablespoons brewed strong coffee or espresso
Large pinch of kosher salt
1/3 cup sugar
Ingredients for Meringue:
1/2 cup egg whites (about 4)
1 cup sugar
Directions:
1. To make the ice cream: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Put the unpeeled bananas on a baking sheet. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until soft and beginning to give off some liquid. Let cool. Remove the skins from the bananas. Puree the bananas in a food processor.
2. In a bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, 3 tablespoon of the sugar, and the salt in a bowl. Combine the milk, cream, and remaining 3 tablespoons sugar in a heavy saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until almost simmering. Slowly pour the milk and cream into the eggs, whisking as you pour. Return the milk mixture to the saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a heat-resistant plastic or wooden spatula, until the custard reaches 175 degrees and lightly coats the spatula.
3. Strain the custard into a clean bowl and cool over an ice bath until room temperature. Stir the banana puree into the custard. Cover and refrigerate the custard for at least 4 hours or up to overnight. Churn in an ice cream machine according to the manufacturer's instructions. Freeze until scoopable, about 4 hours, depending on your freezer.
4. To make the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with nonstick cook spray. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper.
5. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler over hot water. In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, vanilla extract, coffee or espresso, and slat until combined. In an electric mixer, whip the whites on medium-high speed until they begin to increase in volume. Whip in the sugar in a slow, steady stream. Continue to whip until stiff, glossy peaks form. Stir in the chocolate into the egg mixture. Fold the egg whites into the chocolate mixture in 2 additions. Spread the batter evenly into the pan. Bake until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean, about 15 minutes. Let cool to room temperature. Run a paring knife around the inside edge of the pan. Place a cutting board on top of the pan and invert the pan and cutting board. remove the pan and carefully peel off the parchment paper. With a glass or round cutter, cut the cake into eight 2 & 1/2 inch rounds.
6. To make the Meringue and assemble the baked Alaskas: Place the cake rounds on a baking sheet. Place a scoop of ice cream on each, making sure to leave a little more than a 1.4-inch border of cake around the ice cream. Freeze the cakes for 1 hour or up to overnight. If freezing overnight, cover with plastic wrap.
7. In a bowl, whisk together the egg whites and sugar until combined. Put the bowl in a saucepan of simmering water and whisk constantly until the egg whites are very warm Remove the whites from the hot water and whip with an electric mixer on medium-high speed with a stand mixer, or high speed with a handheld mixer, until stiff, glossy peaks form and the mixture has cooled to room temperature. Remove the cakes from the freezer. Using a small spatula, spread the meringue over the ice cream, completely covering it but leaving the cake edges exposed. If desired, this can be done several hours in advance. Do not cover. Keep frozen until ready to serve.
8. There are two ways to bake the Alaskas. You can either brown the meringue with a propane or butane torch, or bake them in the oven. If you use a torch, constantly move the flame over the meringue about 1 inch from the surface of the meringue until lightly browned. If you prepare them in the oven, preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Bake the Alaskas in the cent of the oven until lightly browned, about 3 minutes.
9. To serve: Using a large metal spatula, transfer the Alaskas from the sheet pan onto plates. Serve immediately.
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