Baked Alaska~

Alas, another sultry summer day! An ice cream dessert sounds just perfect. Of course, my version has a chocolate twist starting with a brownie base. I’ve always topped with vanilla ice cream, but it would be spectacular with peppermint stick, coffee or one of your favorites. I started with this recipe from Gourmet and made it my own.

My oldest, Tom, joked as he was eating this tonight, “This can’t be good for you.” That’s a huge compliment!

Baked Alaska…adapted from Gourmet magazine

1 brownie recipe, homemade or boxed (I used this recipe)
2 pints premium vanilla ice cream
6 large egg whites
1/4 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
3/4 cup sugar

Cut brownies into slices, and line bottom of a 9-inch pie plate. Trim slices to fit around edge of pie plate and use scraps to fill any holes.

Remove ice cream from paper containers and slice each pint into 3 rounds. Arrange 3 rounds on top of cake in pie plate and cut each remaining round into 6 wedges. Fill holes in ice cream layer with some of ice cream wedges and pile remainder in center of pie plate.

Freeze 25 minutes.

Preheat oven to 450°.

After ice cream and cake have been freezing 20 minutes, beat egg whites and a pinch of salt with an electric mixer until foamy, then add lemon juice and continue to beat until whites hold soft peaks. Gradually add sugar, beating until whites just hold stiff peaks.

Remove ice-cream base from freezer and mound meringue over it, spreading to edge of plate to cover ice cream completely. Bake until golden brown, about 6 minutes. Serve immediately.

Alternatively, you can make up to the meringue topping, cover and freeze for up to 2 days. You may need to bake a few extra minutes.

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