Sally and Amy's 'When the World Falls in Love' Baked Alaska

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Sally and Amy's ‘When the World Falls in Love’

Course:

Dessert

Seasonal Event:

Christmas

Note: To get started, 12 egg whites out of the refrigerator to come to room temp. and set aside.

Peach Ice Cream:

1. Line the inside of a large bowl with plastic wrap, set aside.
2. Drain the can of peaches in heavy syrup. Roughly chop 1/2 cup of drained peaches, set aside. Purée one cup of the peach pie filling, set aside.
3. In a stand mixer, combine heavy cream, whole milk, sugar, vanilla, and kosher salt in a bowl fitted with a whisk attachment. Whisk over medium speed until all ingredients are well combined.
4. Pour whisked ingredients and puréed pie filling into ice cream maker. Churn until soft ice cream starts to form. Pour roughly chopped peach pieces into soft ice cream and churn for an additional amount of time until chopped peaches are fully combined. Press soft ice cream into plastic wrapped lined bowl. Place bowl into the freezer.

Vanilla Sponge Cake:

1. Meanwhile, while the peach ice cream is being made. Preheat oven to 190C/350F.
2. Spray a 12” round cake pan with cooking spray and line the bottom with parchment paper.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat 6 eggs for about 1 minute over medium speed. Over medium speed, slowly add sugar and vanilla.
4. Turn mixer to high speed and beat the eggs, sugar and vanilla until they are fluffy and light yellow, this usually takes about 6-8 minutes.
5. In a medium bowl, combine flour and baking powder and whisk until combined. Once egg mixture is ready, sift dry ingredients into egg mixture.
6. Carefully fold flour mixture in until no flour streaks remain, being careful not to deflate the sponge cake batter. Pour batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the cake is golden brown and a skewer comes out clean.
7. Remove cake from the oven to a wire rack to cool for 15 minutes. Turn cake out and place into freezer to cool completely.

Butter Pecan Ice Cream:

1. Finely chop pecans. Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Sauté pecans in butter until nutty and fragrant. Remove pecans from skillet and place them into a heat proof bowl, then stir in brown sugar until fully combined. Place pecan mixture in the refrigerator to cool.
2. In a stand mixer, combine heavy cream, whole milk, sugar, and vanilla in a bowl fitted with a whisk attachment. Whisk over medium speed until all ingredients are well combined.
3. Pour whisked ingredients into ice cream maker. Churn until soft ice cream starts to form.
4. Remove buttered pecans from refrigerator and pour into soft ice cream.
5. Churn for an additional amount of time until buttered pecans are fully combined.
6. Remove bowl of peach ice cream from freezer. Press soft ice cream on top of the peach ice cream layer and return the bowl to the freezer.

Salted Caramel Sauce:

1. In a large saucepan, combine sugar, water, and corn syrup. Stir until well combined. Heat ingredients in saucepan over medium-high heat. Do not stir, if crystallization starts to occur on the sides of the saucepan, use a wet pastry brush to gently brush the sides of the saucepan.
2. Once the sugar mixture begins to take on color, carefully watch until mixture turns amber. Remove the saucepan from heat and carefully pour in vanilla, then stream in heavy whipping cream, whisking constantly. Be careful of the steam coming off of the pot while whisking.
3. Stir in salt, transfer to a bowl of a stand mixer and beat for 5 minutes over medium speed. Transfer caramel to a heat proof bowl to cool completely.

Pecan Shortbread:

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Prepare a quarter sheet pan with parchment paper, leaving a hangover of 2” on each side, set aside. In a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix butter, sugar, vanilla, and salt until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Slowly add flour until dough starts to come together. Fold nuts into dough.
2. Press dough into prepared pan and bake for 15-20 minutes of until golden brown.
3. Remove shortbread from pan, crumble, and transfer to a sheet tray into the fridge to cool.

Meringue:

1. Combine egg whites, cream of tartar, and kosher salt in a large, completely clean bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Stir ingredients on low speed until mixture becomes foamy.
2. Increase speed to high gradually add sugar, about 1 Tablespoon at a time, stirring after each addition until sugar is dissolved (about 15-20 seconds between each addition).
3. Beat until mixture is thick, shiny, and has increased in volume. Mixture should have stiff peaks and sugar should be completely dissolved.
4. Stir in vanilla extract and any other extract you may like to use. If using food coloring, add the food coloring at this stage, too.
5. Fit a large disposable piping bag with a large tip and fill piping bag with meringue. Pipe meringue into desired design.

Build The Baked Alaska:

1. Place the cake onto display.
2. Spread cooled Caramel Sauce over the top of the vanilla sponge cake.
3. Remove Ice cream bowl from freezer, carefully remove ice cream mound from plastic wrap in bowl.
4. Place ice cream on top of the caramel topped cake.
5. Use different style large tips to pipe meringue all over the ice cream and cake.
6. Use a kitchen torch to torch meringue.
7. Return baked Alaska to the freezer until ready to serve.