Baked Alaska
I think I fell in love with this dessert when I was a child, I was on a cruise ship in the Caribbean with my family. I remember clearly that it was the Captain's dinner that night and I was wearing my best dress, I was probably around 9 years old.
At the end of the dinner, a long line of waiters wearing tuxedo and holding a shinny tray, were coming out of the kitchen with big smiles on their faces and a flaming dome on the tray.
I couldn't believe my eyes! and when we finally got our dessert, I was so impressed that the ice cream actually survived such high temperature!
This beautiful dessert is a classic that can be recreated very easily at home, all you need is cake, your favorite ice cream and a sauce. For the meringue, I used aquafaba (Chickpeas brine) and torched it at the end for a dramatic effect.
And the best part was to see my children as impressed as I was so many years ago! I could see in their eyes the same spark I once had while waiting patiently to get my first Baked Alaska!
Vegan Meringue
One 15-ounce can chickpeas 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar 3/4 cup organic sugar (blended)
1 tsp Vanilla extract
Directions
1. Strain the chickpeas directly into the bowl of a clean and dry stand mixer. There should be about 3/4 cup liquid; reserve the chickpeas for another use.
2. Add the cream of tartar and vanilla extract, and beat on medium-high speed until very foamy. While still beating, add the sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, then continue to beat until the mixture forms stiff and glossy peaks, about 4 minutes.
3. Transfer the mixture to a large pastry bag fitted with a small star or round tip, and pipe on top of your baked Alaska dessert. You can also pipe cookies on a silpad and bake at 220 F until the meringues are set and no longer glossy, about 2 hours, rotating the trays (from top to bottom) halfway through. Turn the oven off, and let the meringues sit in the closed oven until they have dried out inside, about 1 hour more. (The meringues will keep in an airtight container for up to 3 days.)