Baked Alaska

This stuff is so fuggin delicious. Its easy to make, but tastes and looks dramatic.

So you want it flambéed? While they are cooking in the oven, put some rum, brandy or your favorite flavored high alcohol content beverage into a sauce pan and set it warming on a burner on medium. The goal is to warm the alcohol so it is very volatile but not to boil off the flammable alcohol. After you pull the browned deserts out of the oven, put them on china plates, I don’t use plastic for flammability reasons. Turn down the illumination and light the pan of alcohol. Pour the flaming alcohol over each person’s Baked Alaska. This is very dramatic and a real party delight. Brownie points if you don’t light the house on fire or injure any of your guests.

Ingredients

• 2 quarts vanilla ice cream, softened (you can use just about any kind of icecream!)
• 1 package white cake mix, or if you want to make it from scratch, feel free. You can even use brownies!
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 8 egg whites
• 1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup white sugar

Directions

1. 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.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour an 8x8 inch pan.
3. Prepare cake mix with egg and almond extract. Pour into prepared pan.
4. Bake in preheated oven according to package instructions, until center of cake springs back when lightly touched.
5. Beat egg whites with cream of tartar, salt and sugar until stiff peaks form.
6. 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.
7. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
8. Bake the Alaska on the lowest shelf, 8 to 10 minutes, or until meringue is lightly browned. Serve at once.