Once upon a time, there was a young(ish) food writer who wanted nothing more than to go to a cooking club potluck. Sadly, each month on the day of the meetup, there was always something that got in the way. Usually, it was the same thing.

“I have to work.”

While she tackled her workload, visions of au gratin pans and Corningware platters danced through her mind, always in theme with the cooking club’s genre of the month. Once, it was Chinese food. Then Italian. As she wrote (and wrote and wrote), she thought wistfully of what she was missing out on.

“How I wish I could go,” she would say.

Then one day, she got her wish. Her absentminded fairy godmother had come back from a long vacation, tanned and ready to jump back in the game. It was time to go to the potluck.

This time, the theme was 1950s food.

“So, what are you going to make, muffin?” her Valiant Boyfriend asked.
“Hmm,” she pondered for a few moments. “Baked Alaska!” she declared, disregarding that the party location was a 45-minute drive on the freeway, and that the local news had declared it the Hottest Weekend of the Summer.

No, in this fairy-tale world, transporting a Baked Alaska in a steaming-hot car down the 405 on The Hottest Weekend of the Summer wouldn’t be a problem at all. So it began.

First, a batch of brownies came out of the oven and cooled on a rack. Then, chocolate mint, chocolate and vanilla ice cream was smooshed into a plastic wrap-lined bowl, layer upon layer until the bowl was full. Then, the platter of brownies was placed on a plate, the bowl inverted and the excess brownies trimmed. A cloud of egg whites and sugar haloed the ice cream, and a mini-torch containing the fires of hell singed the meringue with a brown crust.

The baked Alaska was finally ready for its entrance at the party. All three piled into the car to begin the trek, with Valiant Boyfriend at the wheel.

But oh, what a perilous journey it was! The Baked Alaska, tried as it might, seemed as if it was no match for the harsh, stagnant heat. It melted. A lot.

Knowing that the poor dessert was on its last leg, Valiant Boyfriend weaved in and out of lanes, dodging slow cars and crammed interchanges, while food writer scanned the horizon for signs of lurking police cars. It seemed as though the journey would never end, but at last, all three made it to the party. As for the Baked Alaska, its health was grave: A gaping hole and melting ice cream pooled at the bottom of its plate. Into the freezer it went for a recharge, and (much) later, it was as good as new. It was a showpiece dessert, and everyone lived happily ever after. (Click on “Read the rest of this entry” for recipe.)

CHOCOLATE MINT BAKED ALASKA WITH BROWNIES
(Brownies adapted from Epicurious)

• For brownies:
• 1-1/4 sticks unsalted butter
• 1-1/4 cups sugar
• 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 cold large eggs
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

• 1 quart vanilla ice cream
• 1 quart chocolate mint ice cream
• 1 quart chocolate ice cream

• For meringue:
• 6 large egg whites
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

1. Line an 8-inch baking pan with parchment paper and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. To make brownies: In a heatproof bowl, combine butter, sugar, cocoa and salt over a pot of simmering water, stirring until butter is melted and mixture is smooth and hot. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
3. Using whisk or wooden spoon, stir in vanilla. Add eggs one at a time, stirring after each addition. When batter is blended, add flour and stir until combined. Count 40 strokes with your spoon, and then spread mixture into prepared pan.
4. Place in bottom rack of oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center is slightly (but not completely) moist with batter. Remove from oven and cool completely on a rack.
5. For ice cream filling: Line a medium bowl with plastic wrap. Spoon vanilla ice cream into bowl and pack down to fill. Repeat with remaining ice cream in layers. Cover and freeze until firm.
6. To make meringue: In a mixing bowl, beat egg whites and sugar until soft peaks form. Add vanilla and cream of tartar and mix until stiff, glossy peaks form.
7. Remove molded ice cream from freezer and invert from bowl onto brownies. Cut away excess brownies (and by all means, eat them!) from edges of ice cream. Transfer ice cream/brownies to a serving plate.
8. Using a spatula, spread meringue onto ice cream and swirl to create peaks. Use a blowtorch to brown the sides of the meringue. Serve immediately, or freeze for later use.

– Cynthia Furey

This entry was posted on Thursday, October 1st, 2009 at 8:20 am and is filed under Baking/desserts, Cake, In the kitchen. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.