The August 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Elissa of 17 and Baking. For the first time, The Daring Bakers partnered with Sugar High Fridays for a co-event and Elissa was the gracious hostess of both. Using the theme of beurre noisette, or browned butter, Elissa chose to challenge Daring Bakers to make a pound cake to be used in either a Baked Alaska or in Ice Cream Petit Fours. The sources for Elissa’s challenge were Gourmet magazine and David Lebovitz’s “The Perfect Scoop”.
Baked Alaska. Its a one of the culinary worlds ultimate contradictions. Well, in name at least. Ice cream sitting on a sturdy cake base wrapped in a cloak of meringue, then baked quickly enough to brown and cook the meringue. From what I can tell the ice cream is the Alaska reference and before baking that meringue really does pass for that ultimate snow capped mountain peak. Of course its a bit of a misnomer since while it does see a hit of heat, its not really baked exactly, just browned, or barely baked. While this does seem like true retro fare and a nod to the over the top, cheeky desserts of the 60s and 70s, in actuality, Baked Alaska has been around since the late 19th century when it received its name at a famed New York restaurant, Delmonicos, in celebration of the newly acquired Alaskan territory. In fact it had already been around for at least 70 years under different guises. Whatever its previous incarnations, this meringue covered ice cream bombe is now known the world over as Baked Alaska.
Nowadays if you enjoyed this in a restaurant, your Baked Alaska will likely not see the inside of the oven, but rather be blasted with the flame of a torch, a touch of modernity to an old classic, that's if you come across it at all. I can't remember the last time I saw a baked alaska on a menu, aside for the last time I ever had one. Early on in my gastronomic education I have a vivid memory of enjoying one in a traditional European restaurant in a small town where my parents still live. I still remember the pool of raspberry coulis that it was served with, and how enthralled I was by the idea of baking ice cream.
Now that I have made it myself, I can attest to its instant appeal as a showstopper, and its make ahead quality make it the perfect restaurant dessert. I'm wondering if us Daring Bakers might just be able to start a new trend? Perhaps we will see a resurgence of this long lived dessert. I for one will be making this again - probably at some last minute moment where dessert is needed. Afterall there's always ice cream in my freezer and often a spare bit of cake. Whip up a couple eggs whites et voila!
For this Daring Bakers challenge, not only were we required to make a traditional Baked Alaska, the secondary portion to this challenge was a focus on brown butter, or beurre noisette in reference to the nutty aroma the butter takes when it caramelizes. Browned butter is a simple method of heating butter on the stovetop until the milk solids sink and brown, creating a complex aroma of caramel, nuttiness and butter which take over the entire room. I would suggest realtors skip the cookie trick when selling a home, but rather just put a put of butter on the stove to brown. After so many years cooking and experimenting once in awhile I'm reminded of a classic technique that seems monumental in its ability to affect so much flavour with so little work. I couldn't help but pick at a piece as it came from the oven. I loved this portion of the challenge and I was excited to see how this cake would pair with the rest of the dessert elements.
All that intoxicating beurre noisette left me tinkering with which flavour of ice cream to churn. A basketful of gorgeous Okanagan peaches sat ripening on the dining room table begging me to make them the star. I happily complied. Afterall, this is the height of peach season, which will be soon over. A fruit dessert in August was a must! I made beautiful peach honey ice cream, full of deep peaches and cream flavour and chunks of barely cooked fruit. And since I'm never one to leave things alone I decided I needed a contrast colour and flavour. A quick look in the freezer and the last of the mid summer sour cherry sorbet was screaming to be part that contrast in colour and flavour. The bright cherry with these comforting peaches, sexy brown butter cake and a creamy, sweet meringue make this one fantastic dessert!
