Chocolate Mint Baked Alaska Recipe Easy

BAKED ALASKA

Steps:

• Line the bottom and sides of an 8-inch round mixing bowl or deep 8-inch square container with foil. Spread ice cream in container, packing firmly. Cover and freeze 8 hours or until firm.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour an 8x8 inch pan.
• Prepare cake mix with egg and almond extract. Pour into prepared pan.
• Bake in preheated oven according to package instructions, until center of cake springs back when lightly touched.
• Beat egg whites with cream of tartar, salt and sugar until stiff peaks form.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment or heavy brown paper. Place cake in center. Turn molded ice cream out onto cake. Quickly and prettily spread meringue over cake and ice cream, all the way to paper to seal. Return to freezer 2 hours.
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
• Bake the Alaska on the lowest shelf, 8 to 10 minutes, or until meringue is lightly browned. Serve at once.

CHOCOLATE MINT BAKED ALASKA

Steps:

• Combine over hot (not boiling) water, 1/2 cup mint-chocolate chips and butter.
• Stir until chips are melted and mixture is smooth.
• Add chocolate wafer crumbs, stir until well blended.
• Press into bottom of 9-inch springform pan, freeze until firm.
• Combine over hot (not boiling) water, remaining 1 cup of chips, corn syrup, and heavy cream.
• Stir until chips are melted and mixture is smooth.
• Cool to room temperature.
• In a large bowl, whip the ice cream until smooth but not melted.
• Gradually stir in chocolate mixture (flecks will appear in ice cream).
• Spoon into center of crust, mounding high in center and leaving 3/4-inch edge.
• Using spatula, smooth to form dome.
• Freeze until firm.
• Remove sides of pan.
• Preheat oven to 450?°F.
• In a large bowl, combine egg whites and cream of tartar, beat until soft peaks form.
• Gradually add sugar, beat until stiff peaks form.
• Spread meringue over ice cream and crust to cover completely, swirl to decorate.
• Bake at 450°F for 4-6 minutes or until lightly browned.
• Serve immediately!

CHOCOLATE BAKED ALASKA

Steps:

• For the ice cream: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Brush 1 baking sheet with almond oil; set aside. Place the almonds on another baking sheet and toast them until light golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes. In a medium, heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine 1 1/2 cups sugar and 1/2 cup water and cook over medium-high heat, without stirring, until a medium amber color. Remove the caramel from the heat, immediately add the almonds and stir quickly to thoroughly combine. Turn out onto the prepared baking sheet, spreading quickly to an even thickness. Allow the brittle to cool completely. Coarsely chop and reserve. Heat the milk, cream and 1/2 cup sugar in a medium saucepan until the sugar dissolves and the milk starts to simmer. Add the cocoa powder and chocolate and whisk until smooth. Place the egg yolks and the remaining 1/4 cup sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on high speed until pale yellow and ribbons form, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove the bowl from the stand and slowly whisk in the hot chocolate mixture. Pour the egg and chocolate mixture back into the saucepan and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until thickened and the mixture coats the back of the spoon. Do not allow the mixture to boil! Pour the mixture through a fine mesh strain into a bowl set over an ice bath and stir in the coffee liqueur, vanilla and salt. Stir until the mixture is cold. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on top of the custard and chill completely in the refrigerator, at least 4 and up to 24 hours. Pour the chilled custard into the bowl of an ice cream maker and process according to the manufacturer's directions. Stir in the coarsely chopped almond brittle. Spray a 2 quart glass bowl with cooking spray, line with plastic wrap and spray the plastic wrap. Scrape the ice cream into the bowl and smooth the top. The ice cream will not fill the bowl; you're looking for the larger surface of the ice cream to be about 8 inches in diameter. Press more plastic wrap over the top and freeze until solid, at least 4 hours. For the cake: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Butter 1 (9-inch cake) pan and line the bottom with parchment paper. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the cocoa powder and cook for 1 minute. Remove from the heat, add the sugars and whisk until dissolved. Add the coffee, buttermilk, eggs and vanilla extract and continue whisking until smooth. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake on the middle rack until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, 35 to 40 minutes. Let cool in the pans on a baking rack for 20 minutes. For the meringue: Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. Fill a medium saucepan 1/4 full with water. Set the saucepan over medium heat and bring the water to a simmer. Combine the egg whites, sugar and cream of tartar in the heatproof bowl of an electric mixer and place over the saucepan. Whisk constantly until the sugar is dissolved and the whites are warm to the touch, about 3 minutes. Transfer the bowl to the electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and, starting on low speed and gradually increasing to high speed, whip until stiff, glossy peaks form, about 10 minutes. Add the vanilla and almond extracts and the chocolate and mix until combined. Immediately fill a pastry bag, fitted with a #5 star tip, with the meringue.
• To assemble: Unmold the ice cream onto the cake and pipe the meringue onto the ice cream in a decorative fashion (or spoon the meringue over the ice cream and swirl with a rubber spatula). If the ice cream starts to soften, return the cake to the freezer for 15 minutes. Place in the oven and bake until the meringue just starts to brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve immediately.

CHOCOLATE MINT BAKED ALASKA

Steps:

• CRUST: Combine over hot (not boiling) water, 1/2 cup mint-chocolate chips and butter. Stir until chips are melted and mixture is smooth. Add chocolate wafer crumbs; stir until well blended. Press into bottom of 9-inch springform pan; freeze until firm. FILLING: Combine over hot (not boiling) water, remaining 1 cup of chips, corn syrup, and heavy cream. Stir until chips are melted and mixture is smooth. Cool to room temperature. In a large bowl, whip the ice cream until smooth but not melted. Gradually stir in chocolate mixture (flecks will appear in ice cream). Spoon into center of crust, mounding high in center and leaving 3/4-inch edge. Using spatula, smooth to form dome. Freeze until firm. Remove sides of pan. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. MERINGUE: In a large bowl, combine egg whites and cream of tartar; beat until soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar, beat until stiff peaks form. Spread meringue over ice cream and crust to cover completely; swirl to decorate. Bake at 450 degrees F. for 4 to 6 minutes or until lightly browned. Serve IMMEDIATELY !

INDIVIDUAL BAKED ALASKA

Steps:

• To make the chocolate sauce: chop the chocolate to a rough consistency.
• Heat the cream just to a scald, then pour over the chocolate.
• Do not stir.
• Let it sit for about 5 minutes, then stir with a whisk until smooth.
• Makes about 1 cup.
• To make the raspberry sauce: Puree the raspberries in a blender with the remaining ingredients.
• Strain through a fine mesh strainer to remove the seeds.
• Refrigerate until needed.
• Makes about 1 cup.
• To assemble the ice-cream bases: line a baking sheet with parchment.
• Using a 3" round cookie cutter (or a glass) cut 6 circles out of the cake, and place them on the parchment.
• Place a scoop of ice cream in the center of each piece of cake, making sure you leave a small margin of cake visible all the way around.
• Place in the freezer until the meringue is ready.
• To prepare the meringue: combine the sugar, corn syrup and water in a heavy, 1-quart saucepan over medium heat.
• Bring to a boil, then cook until the syrup reaches 230 degrees F.
• (thread stage) on a candy thermometer.
• Meanwhile, place the egg whites in the bowl of your mixer, and fit the whip attachment to your mixer.
• When the syrup reaches the thread stage, start whipping your egg whites on high speed.
• When the syrup reaches 245-250 degrees F.
• (firm-ball stage), lower the speed of the mixer to low, and very, very, VERY slowly start pouring the syrup in, in a slow, steady, thin stream until it is all used up.
• Immediately return the mixer to high speed and continue whipping until the meringue reaches a very stiff peaked consistency.
• Transfer the meringue to a piping bag fit with a plain tip.
• Remove the ice cream bases from the freezer.
• Now you are going to create a meringue"beehive" around each scoop of ice cream.
• I find it easier to do this by removing one ice-cream scoop at a time to a cake turntable or a flat-work surface that I can spin around, like a small plate, pipe the meringue, then using a thin spatula, returning it carefully to the parchment.
• To pipe the meringue you need to start at the bottom edge of the cake, pipe a ring of meringue around the icecream so that it completely covers the cake edge.
• Then continue to pipe a line of meringue all around the scoop of ice cream, making sure you completely cover the ice cream, and that each line of meringue rests on top of the previous one.
• Finish with a small circle at the top.
• Repeat with remaining ice cream bases.
• Return them to the freezer until ready to serve.
• Just before service, decorate your plate: choose an oversize plate, like a dinner plate.
• Then using the sauces, paint or spoon or swirl them on to your hearts content.
• Any design you like.
• I like to just use squiggles, but anything goes at this point.
• Now- if you don't have a torch, you will need to turn your oven to broil.
• If you have a torch, get it ready.
• Remove the meringues from the freezer, and dust the top of each one with the confectioners sugar in a fine mesh strainer.
• If you are using a broiler, place the baking sheet under the broiler but leave the door open and watch.
• You will only need about 30-45 seconds, just enough time for the meringue to turn golden brown.
• Remove from the oven, place one in the center of each plate, and serve.
• If you are using a torch, turn your torch to a med-low setting, and carefully, gently use the torch to brown the outside of the meringues.
• Place one meringue on each plate, and serve.
• Notes: You can use any type of cake you want here- this recipe is more a method than anything.
• I've used chocolate chiffon as a base, I've used spongecake, poundcake, leftover slices of cupcakes!
• Anything, anyflavor, but it needs to be at least 1/4" thick.
• You can also use any flavor ice-cream- experiment, go wild.
• Sorbet is great this way- I've done mango sorbet, and lime sorbet- they taste terrific.
• Experiment, have fun, and don't be intimidated by this dessert.
• It's fun, and it's easy, and your friends and relatives will"oooohhhh!
• "and"ahhhhh!
• "you to death!