Hot n Cold

Baked Alaska

The ultimate combination of hot and cold in what seems like an accidental science experiment.  The meringue acts as an insulator and keeps the ice cream from melting in the oven.  Meanwhile, the edges of the meringue become crispy and add a texture to the dessert.  The tartness of the raspberry sorbet cuts through the richness of the chocolate ice cream and brownie. 

Hard frozen layers of ice cream covered in meringue and lightly baked -- and that decadent brownie, it's worth the indulgence.

Baked Alaska Recipe

Ingredients

1 quart super-premium raspberry sorbet
1 1/2 quarts super-premium chocolate ice cream

Decadent Brownie, recipe follows

Meringue

8 egg whites, at room temperature
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
2 cups sugar

Directions
To make the ice cream dome, remove the ice cream from the freezer and allow to soften slightly. Line a 3-quart bowl with plastic wrap.  Spoon 2 cups of the raspberry sorbet into the bowl and smooth with a spoon or offset spatula to even. Top with the chocolate ice cream, again smoothing to even, and then top the chocolate layer with the remaining 6 cups orange-vanilla ice cream. Cover the surface with plastic wrap and freeze until the ice cream is very hard, at least 4 hours or up to 24 hours.

Turn the brownie out onto a large, flat, ovenproof plate. Unmold the ice cream dome on top of the brownie layer. Place the cake back in the freezer. Hold in the freezer until the meringue is ready.

In electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the egg whites and cream of tartar for 2 minutes on medium-high speed until fluffy. Increase the speed to high and add the sugar in a slow stream until stiff, glossy peaks form, 8 to 10 minutes.

Remove the ice cream dome from the freezer. Remove the plastic wrap. Cover the ice cream dome completely with the meringue, using the back of a spoon to make swirly peaks. (Alternately, place the meringue in a pastry bag fitted with a rose tip and pipe spikes for a hedgehog look.) Freeze for at least 3 hours or up to 2 days.

When ready to serve, preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. Bake until the peaks start to turn a golden brown color, 3 to 5 minutes. For easier slicing, let the cake stand for 30 minutes. Slice and serve.

Decadent Brownies:
Cooking spray
10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for greasing
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (natural or Dutch-process)
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 1/3 cups sugar
1 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 eggs
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. Spray a 9-inch round cake pan with cooking spray, line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper and grease the parchment well.

For your brownie batter, melt your butter in a medium (or large) heatproof bowl over a pot of simmering water.

While the butter is melting, whisk the cocoa powder, sea salt and sugar in a separate bowl. (The sugar and salt will work as abrasive agents to get any lumps out of the cocoa.) Whisk the cocoa/sugar/salt combo into the melted butter until the sugar has dissolved fully. The mixture should look like fudge and pull away from the bowl into a ball. Take off the stove and set the pan on a dishtowel on your counter. Allow the fudgy mixture to cool down until it's warm, but not hot anymore.

Stir the vanilla into the cooled fudge mixture to loosen it up. Add the eggs into the mixture 1 at a time, adding the second egg after the first egg is fully incorporated. The batter should look shiny and well blended. Add in your flour and stir it until it's fully incorporated. Once it looks fully blended, beat the batter vigorously for at least 45 strokes. This'll not only get out any pent up stress, but it will make the brownies chewy. Fold in your chocolate chips. Spread the thick and fudgy brownie batter evenly in the lined pan with an offset spatula or your greased hands.

Pop the brownie in the oven and bake until they get a nice crust and your house smells like brownies, 20 to 25 minutes. Let them cool completely on a rack or a dishtowel on your counter.

Adapted from Anne Thornton

Individual Desserts

Layers of Lemon

Layers of lemon promises exactly this: tart and sweet lemon curd alternated with vanilla bean cake and whipped cream.  The best part is, everyone gets their own and it's a stunning presentation.

Stress relief tip of the day:

Press on it. Acupressure is a quick and effective tension releaser—it can reduce stress by up to 39 percent, according to researchers at Hong Kong Polytechnic University. For fast relief, massage the fleshy area between your thumb and index finger for 20 to 30 seconds.

Layers of Lemon Recipe


Ingredients

Vanilla Bean Cake:
2 1/4 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 cups lowfat milk, room temperature

1/2 cup half and half, room temperature
4 large egg whites, room temperature
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste


Lemon Curd:
2 large eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 lemon, zested
2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1/2 cup heavy cream, whipped

Whipped Cream:
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup powdered sugar

Directions

Center a rack in the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 13 x 9" baking dish. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. In a medium bowl, whisk together the milk, half and half and egg whites. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer, beat the butter, sugar and vanilla bean seeds at medium speed for 3 minutes, or until the butter and sugar are very light. Add in the vanilla extract and one third of the flour mixture, still beating on medium speed. Beat in half of the milk-egg mixture, then beat in half of the remaining dry ingredients until well incorporated. Add the rest of the milk and eggs, beating until the batter fully incorporated and smooth, then add the last of the dry ingredients. Once ingredients are thoroughly incorporated, give the batter a good 2-minute beating to ensure that it is thoroughly mixed and well aerated.  Pour batter into pan coming up half and inch.  Bake for 10-15 minutes.  Allow cake to cool.  Use the parfait glass as a way to cut perfect circles for the layering.

Lemon curd: Bring 2 inches of water to a simmer in a large saucepan. In a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whisk the eggs and sugar together until very light yellow and fluffy. Whisk in the lemon juice and lemon zest. Rest the mixing bowl in the saucepan, with the bowl's base above the simmering water (pour out some of the water if necessary). Cook, whisking occasionally, until the mixture is thickened and custardy, about 15 minutes. Remove the bowl from the heat and stir in the butter. Let cool, cover, and refrigerate until cold. Fold in the whipped cream.

Whipped cream: Pour heavy cream into a stand mixer with the whisk attachment.  Start on a medium speed and beat for one minute until it thickens.  Add the powdered sugar and turn speed to high for one minute.  Transfer cream to a pastry bag with a star tip.

Layer cake circles, lemon curd and whipped cream into parfait glasses.  Repeat layers twice.  Top with sprinkles if desired.




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