I want a Bombe Alaska, do you???

I don’t really want to bomb Alaska but I want a Bombe Alaska…..

Alaska Range Sunset

Last mothers day I made these little coupons for Mum, one of them was that I will host a dinner party, so about 2 months ago Mum used that coupon and that is when I helped make my first Bombe Alaska, that is also the time when I made the Smoked Salmon, Tomato Chutney and Star Anise Sauce, and wrote a blog about it called From the Ocean to the Stars.

Mum had 6 friends for dinner that night so it was a BIG job for me. But I loved doing it 🙂

The following is an extract from Wikipedia: –

February 1 is Baked Alaska Day. So you MUST remember to celebrate and have a party…..Tell me if you do?

Origin

The Chinese first had the idea of a similar dessert, which used pastry instead of meringue. It was the French who brought in the meringue and made the actual first Baked Alaska, which they called omelette à la norvégienne (“Norwegian omelette”).

A variation called Bombe Alaska calls for some dark rum to be splashed over the Baked Alaska. Lights are then turned down and the whole dessert is flambéed while being served.

I was watching MasterChef 2011 and I think it was an elimination show with Ellie in it, she actually won this challenge. They had to make a Bombe Alaska, I asked Mum exactly what a Bombe Alaska was and she said: “it is a cake with ice-cream, and meringue on fire”. Mum told me when she was growing up she used to go to the local rugby club restaurant and always saw these huge desserts been served at other tables and NEVER once did her family order one.

Our Bombe Alaska 🙂

BOMBE ALASKA

Recipe as seen on www.taste.com.au

Ingredients serves 8

Meringue

• 330g (1 1/2 cups) caster sugar
• 4 egg whites

Coconut ice-cream

• 80ml (1/3 cup) thickened cream
• 250ml (1 cup) milk
• 1 1/2 tbs liquid glucose
• 25g (1/3 cup) shredded coconut, toasted
• 6 egg yolks
• 75g (1/3 cup) caster sugar
• 150ml coconut cream

Cherry Sorbet

Beautiful Cherry Sorbet

• 110g (1/2 cup) caster sugar
• 1 lemon, rind peeled into strips, juiced
• 280g frozen pitted cherries

Sponge

• Vegetable oil, to grease
• 10 egg yolks
• 220g (1 cup) caster sugar
• 6 egg whites
• 75g (1/2 cup) plain flour, sifted
• 40g cornflour, sifted
• 80g unsalted butter, melted, cooled

Pouring The Cherry Sorbet Into The Rest Of The Cake

Method

1. To make coconut ice-cream, combine cream, milk, glucose and shredded coconut in a saucepan and bring almost to the boil.
2. Meanwhile, whisk egg yolks and sugar in a bowl until well combined, then gently whisk in coconut cream. Whisking continuously, gradually add milk mixture to yolk mixture and whisk gently to combine. Transfer to a clean saucepan over medium heat and stir continuously with a wooden spoon until mixture is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon (don’t boil).
3. Strain through a fine sieve into a bowl. Place in a sink one-third full with iced water and cool, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 45 minutes. Churn in an ice-cream machine until frozen. Transfer to an airtight container and freeze for 45 minutes or until very firm.
4. To make cherry sorbet, combine sugar, lemon peel and 125ml (1/2 cup) water in a saucepan over medium heat and cook, stirring, until sugar dissolves. Cover with a lid, bring to the boil and cook for 5 minutes. Add cherries, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 3 minutes or until cherries have softened. Discard the lemon peel and transfer the mixture to a bowl. Cool for 15 minutes.
5. Process mixture in a food processor until smooth. Strain through a fine sieve into a bowl, then stir in lemon juice. Refrigerate for 45 minutes, then churn in an ice-cream machine for 35 minutes or until frozen.
6. To make sponge, preheat oven to 160C. Grease a 26cm x 38cm oven tray and an 18cm spring form pan with oil, then line both with baking paper. Using an electric mixer, whisk egg yolks and 110g (1/2 cup) sugar until thick and pale.
7. Using an electric mixer, whisk egg whites and a pinch of salt to soft peaks. Add remaining 110g (1/2 cup) sugar, 2 tbs at a time, whisking after each addition until combined, to stiff peaks. Using a metal spoon, fold in one-third of the egg white mixture into the yolk mixture, then gently fold in remaining egg white mixture. Fold in flours, then the butter.
8. Spoon 2 cups batter into the lined pan and spread the remainder into the tray. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden and centre springs back when pressed with your fingertip. Cool in the pan and tray, then turn out sponge onto a wire rack.
9. To assemble, lightly grease a 2.25L pudding basin and line base with baking paper. Cut sponge rectangle in half width wise, then trim each half to make 2 x 18cm x 26cm rectangles. Cut each rectangle lengthwise into 4 x 4.5cm x 26cm rectangles, then cut each in half on the diagonal to make 16 long triangles.
10. Place 1 triangle in the pudding basin with the tip pointing towards the centre of the base. Repeat with the remaining triangles to make a snug sponge layer with no gaps, trimming the tips to fit. Trim sponge layer 2cm from the top of the basin. Freeze for 10 minutes to firm.
11. Spread a 2cm-thick layer of coconut ice-cream over sponge, leaving a cavity for the cherry sorbet. Spoon sorbet into cavity and level. Top with the sponge round; it should sit inside the pudding basin. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for 4 hours or until firm.
12. To make Italian meringue, combine sugar and 60ml (1/4 cup) water in a saucepan over low–medium heat and stir until sugar dissolves. Brush down the side of the pan with a wet pastry brush to prevent sugar crystals forming. Increase heat to medium and cook, without stirring, for 4 minutes or until syrup reaches 115C on a sugar thermometer (see Notes).
13. Using an electric mixer, whisk egg whites and a pinch of salt to soft peaks. With mixer on low speed, gradually add syrup in a slow, steady stream, then increase speed to high and whisk for 10 minutes or until stiff and glossy.
14. Invert pudding basin onto a plate. To remove basin, wipe a hot tea towel over, then lift the basin. Working quickly, spoon the meringue over the bombe, then using an off-set spatula or palette knife, spread evenly in a swirl pattern. To make spikes, using your fingertips, lightly and quickly pull the meringue all over (see Notes). Using a kitchen blowtorch, caramelise meringue evenly, then serve the bombe Alaska immediately.

Notes

* You can also make spikes in the meringue by using a palette knife. Place a little on the tip of the knife, then lightly touch against meringue on bombe and quickly pull away. Repeat all over bombe.

* Unlike other meringues, Italian meringue is made with hot syrup, which ensures the sugar is dissolved and creates a more stable and thicker meringue.

* To avoid curdling, ensure your ice-cream machine and mixtures are very cold before churning.

Sliced And Ready To Eat 😛

The very creamy yellow part is the coconut ice-cream, but our tin was too big and we had to go to the supermarket and buy some very special, yummi vanilla ice-cream to fill it up.

Hope you like my dessert and I hope you try to cook it and would love to see pictures. Please like my facebook page and you can post pictures on there.

Thanks for stopping by my kitchen

Love Bex