Baked Alaska

A scorching, crispy meringue shell hiding an intensely cold vanilla ice cream heart. The thermal contrast is striking, enhanced by the aroma of flamed rum licking the golden meringue.

• Prep time: 40 min
• Cook time: 10 min
• Difficulty: Hard
• Calories: 647
• Protein: 16 g
• Carbs: 76 g
• Fat: 28 g

Ingredients

• 5.3 piece Egg ( separated (whites and yolks) )
• 166.7 g White sugar ( granulated )
• 66.7 g Wheat flour ( sifted )
• 166.7 ml Whole milk
• 166.7 ml Cream ( very cold )
• 0.7 piece Vanilla bean ( split and scraped )
• 33.3 ml Rum ( for flambé )
• 66.7 g Strawberry ( for garnish )
• 333.3 ml Vanilla ice cream ( slightly softened )

Instructions

1. Making the sponge cake

   Whisk the eggs and sugar until the mixture whitens and triples in volume. Gently fold in the flour with a spatula. Spread on a baking sheet and bake at 180°C until the biscuit is golden and soft to the touch.

2. Preparing the ice cream

   Make a custard with the whole milk, egg yolks, sugar, and split vanilla bean. Once cooled, fold it into the stiffly whipped cream and freeze. To save time, you can directly use store-bought vanilla ice cream.

3. Whipping the meringue

   Whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks form. When they start to leave tracks, tighten with the remaining white sugar until a glossy and firm texture is obtained that forms a 'bird's beak' at the end of the whisk.

4. Coating and browning

   Place the block of ice cream on the biscuit (you can add sliced strawberries in between). Coat the whole thing with the meringue using a spatula to trap the cold. Place in a very hot oven or use a blowtorch until the peaks of the meringue are well browned.

5. The final flambé

   Heat the rum in a small saucepan. In the dining room or in front of the guests, ignite the alcohol and pour it over the omelet. The smell of burnt sugar and rum should fill the room.

Chef's tips

• The secret is insulation: the meringue must be thick with no gaps so the oven's heat doesn't reach the ice cream.
• Stabilize the egg whites with some sugar at the end so they don't separate and stay very dense.

Storage

Store in the freezer before baking. Once flambéed, it must be consumed immediately.