Today’s Spotlight is on Baked Alaska.

Baked Alaska, also known as Bombe Alaska, omelet norvégienne, omelet surprise, or omelet sibérienne depending on the country, is a dessert consisting of ice cream and cake topped with browned meringue.

Baked Alaska is a dessert made of ice cream, cake, and meringue:

• A layer of sponge cake
• A layer of frozen ice cream
• A coating of toasted marshmallow meringue

The dessert is baked quickly at high heat until lightly browned. The toasted meringue insulates the ice cream layer so that it remains frozen.

Baked Alaska is also called:

• Omelet á la norvégienne
• Norwegian omelet
• Omelet surprise
• Glace au four (ice cream in oven)

Early versions of this dessert used pie crusts instead of meringue. In the 18th – 19th century similar desserts were called Bombes.

 

History

The dessert was introduced in 1867 at Antoine’s, a Creole restaurant in New Orleans. The restaurant’s chef, Antoine, named the dish Baked Alaska to honor the United States acquisition of Alaska from the Russian Empire earlier that year.

The dessert may have been introduced by Charles Ranhofer, a Parisian pastry chef working at New York’s famous Delmonico’s restaurant. Ranhofer may have introduced the dessert to celebrate the purchase of Alaska from Russia, or to poke fun at New York senator William H. Seward’s purchase of Alaska from the Russians. The purchase was widely ridiculed at the time.

French food writer Baron Leon Brise stated in 1866 that French chef Balzac introduced the dessert to France.

The name “baked Alaska” was supposedly coined in 1876 at Delmonico’s, a restaurant in New York City. The name was coined to honor the acquisition by the United States of Alaska from the Russian Empire in March 1867.

 

Here are some fun facts about baked Alaska:

• The original dessert is attributed to physicist Benjamin Rumford in 1804.
• The dessert’s origins are still debated, but it’s thought to have begun with the work of American-born scientist Sir Benjamin Thompson. Thompson served as a spy and informant for the British Army during the American Revolution.
• The dessert is often attributed to Charles Ranhofer, the chef at Delmonico’s in New York City. In 1867, Ranhofer served a dessert called “Alaska, Florida” in honor of the recent Alaska Purchase.

 

Here is a Baked Alaska Recipe for you to try:

Ingredients:

For the Filling:

• 2 pints ice cream any flavors (946mL)
• 1½ quarts ice cream any flavor (1.42L)
• 1 loaf pound cake

 

For the Meringue:

• 4 egg whites room temperature
• ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1 cup superfine sugar (200g)

 

Instructions

For the Filling:

1. Place the ice cream in the fridge for 20 to 30 minutes or soft enough to very easily scoop, but not runny.
2. While the ice cream softens, very lightly coat an 8- to 9-inch-wide bowl with oil. Line with plastic wrap, leaving several inches of overhang around the edges.
3. Slice the pound cake into ½-inch-thick pieces.
4. When the ice cream is soft, place alternating scoops of the various ice cream flavors in the lined bowl, reserving half of the 1.5-quart flavor. Press a piece of plastic wrap to the top of the ice cream scoops and gently press down to fill in any gaps between the scoops. Smooth out the top. Freeze for 15 to 20 minutes or until the top is mostly firm. Return the remaining ice cream to the fridge while the bowl freezes.
5. Once mostly firm, remove the plastic and spread the remaining ice cream over the mixed scoops. Place pound cake slices on top, making sure they fit snugly together. Cut some of the pound cake to fill in any gaps, as needed. (There will probably be some cake leftover.) Fold the excess plastic wrap up over the cake to cover and freeze until solid, about 2 to 4 hours or up to 1 week.

 

For the Meringue:

1. When ready to serve, place the egg whites and cream of tartar in the bowl of a stand mixer with the whip attachment. Beat on medium speed until frothy and doubled in volume, about 2 minutes. Very slowly add in the sugar while beating. Once added, continue beating until stiff and glossy, about 6 more minutes.

 

For the Assembly:

1. Remove the bowl of ice cream from the freezer and unwrap the bottom. Place a large plate on top and flip to invert, using the excess parchment to help release the ice cream from the bowl. Once inverted, carefully remove the plastic from the ice cream.
2. Spread or pipe the meringue all over the ice cream, making sure that it is completely covered and touching the plate, creating a seal. Using a kitchen torch, brown the meringue. Serve immediately.
3. Enjoy!

 

Consumption

According to Tastewise, baked Alaska is consumed 1.1 times every year on average.

 

Celebrating Baked Alaska

February 1^st is dedicated to celebrating Baked Alaska; however, you can certainly celebrate it any time you want. Let us know in the comments your favorite Baked Alaska story.