Thread: Baked Alaska

OK, WHEN is her birthday, and if I bring the candles, can I have some Baked Alaska?!

Truly, I'm salivating over that description, Henry! I can see all KINDS of flavor possibilities too - choc cake, coffee ice cream; spice cake, butter pecan ice cream; strawberry cake, strawberry ice cream! Oh the possibilities are endless....

THANKS!

Char

Henry, that, indeed, will be VERY special. You are so creative in the kitchen. I just love reading what you eat and prepare. I will have to try this recipe on a special ocassion as well! Thanks for sharing your creativity!

coffee icecream? *ears perked*

hmmmm sounds yummy... and while i have never had a baked alaska .. i have ALWAYS looked at pictures of them in cookbooks my whole life and WANTED to try one... but i dont like icecream all that much... hardly at all...

but COFFEE icecream.... hmmmmmmmmmmmmm

i'll be coming over too!

Ok, Henry. It sounds as if you and your DW will have a full house at her birthday celebration!

That sounds like a really special treat!

Happy Birthday to your DW!

Another one for my LC Cookbook! Thanks, Henry . . . and have a very special birthday celebration with your dear wife!

Henry, one word: YUM!! :cook:

I have two thoughts on your proposed recipe...

Maybe you already thought of this, but I didn't read it in your recipe. If your measuring cup has slanted sides, the ice cream won't fit on top of the cake unless you turn the cake upside down, putting the 2 broad sides together. That would give your baked alaska a kind of a barrel shape, which might be cute. If you have a small, straight-sided bowl or glass, that would give you a more traditional cylinder shaped cake.

I have not tried this myself... So, fwiw, last week, an engineer (DH's boss) gave me a tip about meringue toppings. Back when he owned a cafe, he got really frustrated trying to nicely brown the tops of his lemon meringue pies. So, he started using a blow torch to brown the meringue! It made my eyes pop, but he swears it worked fine.

I've been using a little propane torch one for years. They work just fine for several applications.

Maggie, don't those little torches ROCK?! Do you think a kitchen torch would work for browning the meringue?

Mine is a little butane torch I got at Williams-Sonoma years ago. Its self-igniter doesn't work any more so I have to light it off of a kitchen burner or match.

A friend borrowed my torch to brown the cheese topping on her French onion soup, (the broiler was busy cooking other dishes). I thought she came up with a clever idea.

Henry, I love that presentation! What a great idea that egg shell is!

Teel, I'm not sure about a real little torch, since I'm not sure about how small it is. The one I have is about 3 inches in diameter and about maybe 11 inches long. It's the same one I use to sweat a pipe.

But I found it works nicely as a browner, too.

Oh, WOW! A VOLCANO!!!

Henry, you are an artiste ~and~ an adventurer in the kitchen!

...drooling...

That sound sooooo awesome! Can we have your recipe for the pecan pie also?!!

Rhonda, here is the recipe. I originally posted it in the "What's your favorite LC Recipe" thread.

Decadent Pecan Praline Pie (10?)
Crust:
2 cups pecan meal
2 Tbls Splenda
1 tsp cinnamon
? tsp salt
5 Tbls butter (melted)
1 egg white, beaten until frothy
Pecans:
2 cups pecan halves
4 Tbls butter (melted)
? tsp carmel extract
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 Tbls Splenda
1 tsp cinnamon
Filling:
1 12oz bottle Steel?s or Joseph?s low carb maple syrup
? cup Splenda
3 Tbls butter (melted)
2 tsp vanilla
5 eggs plus 1 yolk, beaten
? tsp xanthan gum

1. Prepare nuts by melting butter in a microwaveable bowl, add Splenda and stir to dissolve. Add carmel extract, vanilla, and cinnamon, stirring after adding each. Add pecans, stir to coat. Microwave for 30 seconds, stir and microwave for another 30 seconds, making sure that they do not burn. Set aside to cool.
2. Prepare crust by mixing pecan meal, Splenda, cinnamon, and salt. Stir in melted butter and blend well. Add beaten egg white and stir well to combine. Pour mixture into a 10 inch pie pan and press evenly around bottom and sides. Place in a pre-heated 350 degree oven and bake for 10 minutes or until the edges start to brown. Let cool while preparing the filling.
3. Prepare the filling by beating the eggs. Add Splenda and beat until combined. Using a stick blender or other blender, add xanthan gum to egg mixture and blend until well mixed. (egg mixture should thicken because of the xanthan gum. Add butter, vanilla and syrup and blend until all ingredients are well combined.
4. Prepare the pie by spreading the cooled pecans around the bottom of the baked crust, reserving some for the top. Gently pour the filling over the pecans. Place the reserved pecans on top of the filling for decoration. Bake at 350 degrees for about 60-80 minutes, or until top is fully puffed and firm to touch.

44 carbs per pie, 3.5 carbs per 1/12 piece of pie.