Flambe Showstopper Baked Alaska Recipes

Steps:

• Sponge cake:.
• In a small saucepan, warm the milk and 2 teaspoons butter together over medium-low heat. In an electric mixer beat the eggs and 1 cup of the sugar on medium-high speed until the mixture is pale yellow, thick, and has tripled in volume, about 8 minutes. With the mixer on low, beat in the warm milk mixture.
• Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium-size mixing bowl. Fold the flour mixture into the egg mixture and blend thoroughly until smooth. Add the vanilla and mix gently.
• Grease a 17 X 12-inch baking pan or jelly-roll pan very generously with butter. Sprinkle evenly with the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar. Pour the cake batter into the pan, spreading it evenly. Bake until the cake springs back when touched, about 15 minutes. Cool for about 2 minutes, then gently flip it out onto a large wire rack or a large sheet of parchment paper. Let cool completely.
• Place the inverted 5-cup-capacity metal bowl in one corner of the sponge cake trace and cut out the circle and place aside.
• Spray the metal bowl with cooking spray; line with plastic. Layer the bottom and side of the bowl with sponge cake. You may drizzle with optional liquor and or jam of choice.
• Fill 1/3 to 1/2 way up with the ice cream. Layer optional berries if using. If any sponge cake is leftover place sponge layer then fill with remaining ice cream.
• (If there is any cake or ice cream leftover it`s for the chef or little people (children)that helped.).
• Top with the circle of cake that was set aside and cover surface with plastic wrap, press to remove air bubbles and place in freezer. Freeze until ice cream is very hard, at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours.
• Meringue:.
• Beat the egg whites with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Add the sugar and beat until the meringue is stiff and glossy.
• Remove the cake from the freezer and place serving dish removing plastic. With a rubber spatula, carefully spread the meringue evenly over the tops and sides of the cake. Making peaks in the meringue. With a small blow torch, brown the meringue.
• Optional:.
• To brown it in the oven, preheat the oven to 400ºF. Put the baked Alaska in the hot oven until the meringue is tinged golden brown, 2 to 4 minutes. Or use a hand torch to brown all meringue.
• Optional baking:.
• Preheat oven to 500° or higher if you have a higher setting.
• Place frozen dome on parchment paper covered frozen cookie sheet pan (dome up/wide flat side down). Spread meringue over cake. If ice cream starts to soften, return cake to freezer for 15 minutes.
• Place in oven, and bake until meringue just starts to brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from oven.
• Flambe Option:.
• To flambe successfully, choose a high alcohol content liquor-- 80 proof or higher. Before browning the dessert, embed it like a small cup in the meringue. Just before serving, place 1/4 cup liquor and a ladle in a small saucepan. Heat the ladle and the liquor just until the liquor begins to bubble (do not allow the liquor to boil off, or it will not stay lit when you need it to). Immediately ask someone to turn out the lights. Ladle part of the liquor into the eggshell and ignite it with a match. As the liquor burns, fill the warmed ladle half full with more of the warmed liquor and drizzle it slowly into the eggshell, raising the ladle as high as you safely can. The flame will go out by itself when the alcohol burns off. Walla! Here comes the Ooohhhh`s and AAAhhhh`s!

Steps:

• To make the chocolate sauce: chop the chocolate to a rough consistency.
• Heat the cream just to a scald, then pour over the chocolate.
• Do not stir.
• Let it sit for about 5 minutes, then stir with a whisk until smooth.
• Makes about 1 cup.
• To make the raspberry sauce: Puree the raspberries in a blender with the remaining ingredients.
• Strain through a fine mesh strainer to remove the seeds.
• Refrigerate until needed.
• Makes about 1 cup.
• To assemble the ice-cream bases: line a baking sheet with parchment.
• Using a 3" round cookie cutter (or a glass) cut 6 circles out of the cake, and place them on the parchment.
• Place a scoop of ice cream in the center of each piece of cake, making sure you leave a small margin of cake visible all the way around.
• Place in the freezer until the meringue is ready.
• To prepare the meringue: combine the sugar, corn syrup and water in a heavy, 1-quart saucepan over medium heat.
• Bring to a boil, then cook until the syrup reaches 230 degrees F.
• (thread stage) on a candy thermometer.
• Meanwhile, place the egg whites in the bowl of your mixer, and fit the whip attachment to your mixer.
• When the syrup reaches the thread stage, start whipping your egg whites on high speed.
• When the syrup reaches 245-250 degrees F.
• (firm-ball stage), lower the speed of the mixer to low, and very, very, VERY slowly start pouring the syrup in, in a slow, steady, thin stream until it is all used up.
• Immediately return the mixer to high speed and continue whipping until the meringue reaches a very stiff peaked consistency.
• Transfer the meringue to a piping bag fit with a plain tip.
• Remove the ice cream bases from the freezer.
• Now you are going to create a meringue"beehive" around each scoop of ice cream.
• I find it easier to do this by removing one ice-cream scoop at a time to a cake turntable or a flat-work surface that I can spin around, like a small plate, pipe the meringue, then using a thin spatula, returning it carefully to the parchment.
• To pipe the meringue you need to start at the bottom edge of the cake, pipe a ring of meringue around the icecream so that it completely covers the cake edge.
• Then continue to pipe a line of meringue all around the scoop of ice cream, making sure you completely cover the ice cream, and that each line of meringue rests on top of the previous one.
• Finish with a small circle at the top.
• Repeat with remaining ice cream bases.
• Return them to the freezer until ready to serve.
• Just before service, decorate your plate: choose an oversize plate, like a dinner plate.
• Then using the sauces, paint or spoon or swirl them on to your hearts content.
• Any design you like.
• I like to just use squiggles, but anything goes at this point.
• Now- if you don't have a torch, you will need to turn your oven to broil.
• If you have a torch, get it ready.
• Remove the meringues from the freezer, and dust the top of each one with the confectioners sugar in a fine mesh strainer.
• If you are using a broiler, place the baking sheet under the broiler but leave the door open and watch.
• You will only need about 30-45 seconds, just enough time for the meringue to turn golden brown.
• Remove from the oven, place one in the center of each plate, and serve.
• If you are using a torch, turn your torch to a med-low setting, and carefully, gently use the torch to brown the outside of the meringues.
• Place one meringue on each plate, and serve.
• Notes: You can use any type of cake you want here- this recipe is more a method than anything.
• I've used chocolate chiffon as a base, I've used spongecake, poundcake, leftover slices of cupcakes!
• Anything, anyflavor, but it needs to be at least 1/4" thick.
• You can also use any flavor ice-cream- experiment, go wild.
• Sorbet is great this way- I've done mango sorbet, and lime sorbet- they taste terrific.
• Experiment, have fun, and don't be intimidated by this dessert.
• It's fun, and it's easy, and your friends and relatives will"oooohhhh!
• "and"ahhhhh!
• "you to death!