Baked Alaska

Normally an ice skating rink during the winter, sign reads "Please keep off ice until frozen".

Me coming out of the water.

 It has been hot in Alaska. As in not just "getting into the upper 70s hot-for-Alaska hot" but actual recording breaking heat.  We have had almost two straight weeks of sunny weather. Which everyone keeps reminding to not get use to. This doesn't happen I've been told. I asked my boss how many hot days like this they get per summer. He said most summers they don't get any hot days like this. Last summer he doesn't remember it getting above the high 70s.

After baking in an office for 8 hours on Monday, I decided to go swimming after work.
About a four minute bike ride from my house there is a mile loop trail called two-lakes trail. Within that mile loop there are two lakes. (They get really creative with their naming). The second lake (pictured above) is the one I actually waded out. It wasn't the cleanest lake and I've been spoiled growing up on a sand bottom lake so I didn't actually for a swim but I waded out to my thighs and then dunked my head in. I cooled off and it was glorious.

Two Lakes trail.

On my way back I stopped at the first lake. This one had a snow-fed creek running into it. It was freezing. I couldn't even put my toes in for more than a minute without severe pain. And as if to prove how much tougher Alaskans are, two girls that were probably in high school went swimming with their horses.

So while I bake in Alaska. Enjoy some baked Alaska.

Even this horse was like "you crazy."

Baked Alaska

Ingredients

• 6 tablespoons sugar
• 3 large egg yolks
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled
• 3 large egg whites, room temperature
• Pinch of salt
• 1 1/2 pints pistachio ice cream, slightly softened
• 1 1/2 pints cherry ice cream or berry sorbet, slightly softened
• Swiss Meringue
• Vegetable-oil cooking spray

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8-inch round cake pan with parchment paper, and spray with cooking spray.
   
2. Combine 3 tablespoons sugar and the egg yolks in bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment; whisk, on medium speed, until pale yellow and thick, about 15 minutes. Add vanilla, and fold in melted chocolate just to combine.
   
3. In a medium bowl, combine egg whites and pinch of salt in bowl of electric mixer; whip, on medium speed, until frothy. Add remaining 3 tablespoons sugar; beat until stiff. Fold egg whites into the chocolate mixture.
   
4. Carefully pour batter out into prepared cake pan. Bake until cake is set and top is dull, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven, and let cool on a wire rack.
   
5. Spray a 5-cup-capacity metal bowl with cooking spray; line with plastic. Pack base of bowl with pistachio ice cream; layer cherry ice cream over pistachio, then finish with another layer of pistachio ice cream (or layer ice creams and sorbets as you desire). Pack firmly, cover surface with plastic wrap, and place in freezer. Freeze until ice cream is very hard, at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours in advance.
   
6. Place cake on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Remove ice cream from the freezer, and invert bowl over cake. Keep the ice cream covered with plastic wrap, and return ice-cream cake to the freezer.
   
7. Preheat oven to 500 degrees.Fill a pastry bag, fitted with an Ateco #5 star tip, with meringue; pipe onto ice cream in a decorative fashion, or spoon meringue over ice cream and swirl with a rubber spatula. If ice cream starts to soften, return cake to freezer for 15 minutes.
   
8. Place in oven, and bake until meringue just starts to brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from oven, and serve immediately.