Banana baked Alaska

Baked Alaska

Baked Alaska (also known as glace au four, omelette à la norvégienne, Norwegian omelette and omelette surprise) is a dessert made of ice cream placed in a pie dish lined with slices of sponge cake or Christmas pudding and topped with meringue. The entire dessert is then placed in an extremely hot oven for just long enough to firm the meringue. The meringue is an effective insulator, and the short cooking time prevents the heat from getting through to the ice cream. Missing image Ice cream is often served on a stick Boxes of ice cream are often found in stores in a display freezer. ... For other uses, see Sponge (disambiguation). ... Christmas puddings are often dried out on hooks for weeks prior to serving in order to enhance the flavour. ... Lemon meringue muffins For the Dominican folk dance and the music it is performed to, see merengue. ... Oven depicted in a painting by Millet An oven is an enclosed compartment for heating, baking or drying. ... For other uses, see insulation. ...

Invention and Development

The notion of cooking a dessert with ice cream as its core ingredient within an insulated covering seems to have originated with the Chinese, who used pastry for the casing.[1] It was introduced to Europe in the mid-nineteenth century when a Chinese delegation visited Paris. The use of meringue was then introduced in 1804 by the American physicist Benjamin Thompson. He investigated the heat resistance of beaten egg whites; the results demonstrated that while pastry would conduct the heat to the ice cream, beaten egg whites would do so to a lesser extent. The dish was named omelette surprise or omelette à la norvégienne; the Norwegian epithet was used as a consequence of its arctic appearance and cold centre. This title transformed into "Baked Alaska" in 1876 when Delmonico's Restaurant in New York City named it in honour of the newly acquired territory of Alaska. It was popularised worldwide by the chef Jean Giroix in 1895 at the Hotel de Paris in Monte Carlo. 1804 was a leap year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Not to be confused with physician, a person who practices medicine. ... For other persons named Benjamin Thompson, see Benjamin Thompson (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Antarctica (disambiguation). ... Year 1876 (MDCCCLXXVI) // January 31 - United States orders all Indigenous peoples in the United States to move onto reservations February 2 - The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs of Major League Baseball is formed. ... Delmonicos restaurant at the corner of 5th Avenue and 44th Street in 1903. ... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... For other uses, see Alaska (disambiguation). ... Year 1895 (MDCCCXCV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Sunday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Monte Carlo is a very wealthy section of the city-state of Monaco known for its casino, gambling, beaches, glamour, and sightings of famous people. ...

The dessert was once a popular choice for dinner parties, especially throughout the 1960s and 1970s, but its popularity has waned in recent years. The 1960s decade refers to the years from the beginning of 1960 to the end of 1969. ... The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, also called The Seventies. ...

Variations

A variation called Bombe Alaska calls for some dark rum to be splashed over the Baked Alaska. Lights are then turned down and the whole dessert is flambéd while being served. This article is about the beverage. ... Bananas Foster includes a flambé Flambé (also spelled flambe and pronounced as ) is a cooking procedure in which alcohol (ethanol) is added to a hot pan to create a burst of flames. ...

Another version calls for raspberry filling to be substituted for the ice cream, or even for the filling to be added along with the ice cream.

The process was simplified in 1974 by Jacqueline Halliday Diaz who invented a baking pan for Baked Alaska that forms a fillable hollow.

In 1969, the recently invented microwave oven enabled Hungarian physicist and "molecular gastronomist" Nicholas Kurti to produce a "reverse Baked Alaska", aka Frozen Florida (hot on the inside and cold on the outside). Microwave oven A microwave oven, or microwave, is a kitchen appliance employing microwave radiation primarily to cook or heat food. ... A classic example of molecular gastronomy is the investigation of the effect of specific temperatures on the yolk and white when cooking an egg. ... Professor Nicholas Kurti (Hungarian: Kürti Miklós) FRS (May 14, 1908- November 24, 1998) was a Hungarian-born physicist. ...

Trivia

• On an episode of The Andy Griffith Show, Andy and Barney are invited to the private "Esquire Club" at which they are served Baked Alaska. When Andy asks the host about the dessert and indicates that he's never heard of it, Barney incorrectly asserts "Sure you have, Andy. It's that new dessert that's come out since it became a state."
• Baked Alaska is a common dessert of the last night on cruise ships.

The Andy Griffith Show is an American television series that aired on CBS from October 3rd, 1960 to April 1st, 1968. ...

See also

• Flame on the iceberg
• Fried ice cream

Fried ice cream served at a Thai restaurant in the United States. ...

References

• "Baked Alaska" An A-Z of Food and Drink. Ed. John Ayto. Oxford University Press, 2002. Oxford Reference Online. Oxford University Press. Miami University, Ohio. 20 February 2006