Maltese Ice-Cream Baked Alaska
Ingredients:
1 Tub (1ltr) Nenu The Artisan Baker Ġelat Malti
50g Maypole Almond Krustini
1 Maypole Vanilla Cake
150g Sugar
50ml Water
3 Egg Whites
1/4tsp Cream Of Tartar
Method:
Use a deep bowl which holds roughly 1 litre of liquid and it is more or less of the same diameter as the sponge cake. This will be the base shape of our baked Alaska.
Line it with cling film.
Allow the ice-cream to soften a little to make things easier. If it’s rock solid, let it rest on the kitchen top for a bout 15 minutes before using it.
Scoop out a layer at the bottom of the bowl and flatten it with a spatula or tablespoon.
Crush some krustini on top and follow with another layer of ice cream.
Keep layering krustini and ice-cream until you use all the ice-cream.
Press well against the bowl so that the ice-cream is spread evenly.
Cut the vanilla sponge cake about 1 inch from the bottom. We’ll be only using this part, so you can serve the rest of the cake with some nice tea.
Place the cake over the ice-cream. This will serve as the dessert base. If it’s larger or smaller than the bowl, adjust it accordingly to fit the bowl well. It needs to cover the whole width of the bowl.
Fold the cling film onto the sponge and freeze for at least 4 hours until it gets rock solid.
In the meantime prepare the Italian meringue. In a small saucepan, combine the granulated sugar and water.
Bring to a boil over medium heat and bring it to a boil. If you have a candy thermometer, cook the syrup until it reaches 115°c. If not, simply boil for about 3 minutes. Be careful as this syrup is really really hot.
While the sugar syrup is heating, place the egg whites in a clean, grease-free mixing bowl. Add the cream of tartar.
Using an electric mixer, beat the egg whites on medium speed until they form soft peaks.
When the sugar syrup reaches the desired temperature, remove it from the heat.
With the mixer running on low speed, slowly and carefully pour the hot syrup into the beaten egg whites in a thin, steady stream. Aim to pour the syrup down the side of the bowl to avoid splattering.
Continue beating the mixture on high speed until the meringue is thick, glossy, and cooled to room temperature. This process usually takes about 7-10 minutes.
The meringue should hold stiff peaks when the beaters are lifted from the bowl.
Now it’s time to assemble the dessert. Preheat your oven to 220°c, or use a kitchen blowtorch if you have one.
Remove the ice-cream from the bowl and place it upside down onto a plate or serving dish.
Cover the ice-cream with the meringue creating some nice textures with the spatula.
If using the blowtorch, carefully torch the meringue until evenly browned.
If using the oven method, place the dessert onto a baking dish, and bake for about 5-7 minutes, or until the meringue is golden brown.
Serve immediately.