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Baked Alaska
Have ready a quart mold of ice cream, frozen very firm, and a piece of sponge cake, about 1 in. thick and 1 in. wider and longer than the mold of cream. Place a piece of paper on a meat or cutting board, upon this set the cake and unmold the ice cream upon the cake. The cake should come out 1/2 in. beyond the mold of cream on all sides. With a silver knife spread a meringue over the ice cream and cake to completely cover them. Ornament with a pastry tube or fork and dredge the whole with granulated sugar. Then set the ice cream, just as it is, on the board into a hot oven, to brown the edges of the meringue evenly. By means of the paper, slide the browned ice cream to a platter and serve at once. Serves eight.
A straightforward assembly, but everything depends on the ice cream staying frozen while the meringue browns. Work fast, and have the oven fully preheated before the cream leaves the freezer.
- The hinge: insulation and speedThe cake base and the wooden board are the insulation that keeps the ice cream solid; do not substitute a metal sheet pan. The meringue must be thick and gap-free everywhere, right down to the cake, or heat drives straight into the cream.
- "A hot oven"The book gives no number; read it as roughly 400-450F. At that heat the meringue colors in a few minutes; watch it rather than timing it. A lower, longer bake is the likely cause of a puddle.
- Meringue quantityThe original gives no quantity. For a quart mold, allow about 5 egg whites beaten stiff with roughly 10 tablespoons of granulated sugar, added a spoonful at a time; that gives enough to cover generously.
- Freeze harder than you think"Frozen very firm" means several hours in a modern freezer at 0F, ideally overnight. Commercial ice cream straight from the shop is often too soft; refreeze it in the mold first.
- The paperParchment is the modern choice, and it also makes the transfer to the platter work as described. Waxed paper will smoke at these temperatures.
- Silver knifePeriod cookery often specified silver or wooden utensils for eggs, usually explained as avoiding a metallic taint from other metals. Any stainless spatula does the job now.
- Sponge cake dimensionsOne inch thick, and one inch longer and wider than the mold, so the cake projects half an inch on every side. That lip is what the meringue seals against.
- Raw whitesBrowning the surface does not bring the interior of the meringue to a safe temperature. If serving anyone frail, elderly, pregnant or very young, use pasteurized egg whites.
- ServingEight portions. It must go to the table immediately; there is no holding this dish, not even for a few minutes.