Baked Alaska

"Baked Alaska [also known as glace au four, omelette à la norvégienne, Norwegian omelette and omelette surprise] is a dessert made of ice cream placed in a pie dish lined with slices of sponge cake or Christmas pudding and topped with meringue. The entire dessert is then placed in an extremely hot oven for just long enough to firm the meringue. The meringue is an effective insulator, and the short cooking time prevents the heat from getting through to the ice cream."

"The name 'Baked Alaska' was coined at Delmonico's Restaurant in 1876 to honor the recently acquired American territory. Both the name 'Baked Alaska' and 'omelette à la norvégienne'/'Norwegian omelette' come from the low temperatures of Alaska and Norway."

"February 1 is Baked Alaska Day in the United States."

From Boston Cooking School Cookbook

Baked Alaska

6 Egg Whites 6 Tablespoons Powdered Sugar

2 Quart Brick of icecream [preferably vanilla] Thin sheet spongecake

Make meringue of eggs and sugar as in Meringue I *, cover a board with white paper, lay on sponge cake, turn ice cream on cake (which should extend one-half inch beyond cream), cover with meringue, and spread smoothly. Place on oven grate and brown quickly in hot oven. The board, paper, cake, and meringue are poor conductors of heat, and prevent the cream from melting. Slip from paper on ice cream platter.

Meringue I *

2 Egg Whites 2 Tablespoons Powdered Sugar

1/2 Tablespoon lemon juice 1/4 teaspoon vanilla

Beat whites until stiff, add sugar gradually and continue beating, then add flavoring.



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