Mini Baked Alaskas

Happy Birthday America! Upon my return to New York, I immediately wanted to celebrate the 4th of July with a truly "American" dessert. Without much thought, the nostalgic and festive baked Alaska comes to mind. I knew this dessert was old school, but did you know the baked Alaska actually dates back to 1876! I say we all pay homage to our country's greatness and create these mini baked Alaskas for the 4th. They're much easier to make than they appear, and I guarantee you'll have fun creating them (not just eating them). Just don't let these sit out in this crazy heat, or you'll be left with a melted blob of red, white and blue.

Mini Baked Alaskas with Sugar Stars

makes 4 

INGREDIENTS

1 pound cake loaf

1 pint red ice cream or sorbet, such as Raspberry or Strawberry

1 pint Vanilla ice cream or sorbet

1 pint Blueberry ice cream or sorbet

6 egg whites

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

1/2 cup sugar

DIRECTIONS

1. Line a large muffin tin with large muffin tin liners. (You can use plastic wrap if you don't have any liners.) Remove the ice cream/sorbet from the freezer to soften while you assemble the cakes. Slice the pound cake in half lengthwise, and use a 3" round cookie cutter to cut cake rounds. Cake rounds should be about 3/4" thick. Place in the bottom of the lined muffin tin. Scoop the ice cream right on top of the cake rounds, alternating flavors to make "red, white and blue". Cover with plastic wrap and place in the freezer overnight, or at least 2 hours. 

2. In a clean bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the six egg whites on high speed until foamy. Add in the cream of tartar and beat on high until egg whites start to multiply in size. Keeping the mixer running, slowly pour in the sugar. Continue to beat until stiff peaks form. Place meringue into a piping bag or zip lock bag with the tip cut off. 

3. Remove ice cream cakes from the freezer and peel off the muffin liner. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Working quickly, pipe the meringue all around each ice cream cake so no ice cream is showing, creating a peak at the top. If you aren't ready to serve the baked Alaska's, place them in the freezer until it's time to serve.

4. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Bake the cakes until the meringue peaks are golden, about 4 minutes. Serve immediately and freeze any leftovers.

Sugar Stars

Create these before you make the Alaskas, so they're ready when you take cakes out of the oven. Place 1-2 cups Isomalt in a saucepan and melt completely. (Isomalt is a sugar substitute that melts completely clear and is very easy to work with! You can get it at most cake and confection supply stores.) Add a few drops of red or blue food coloring. Allow to cool slightly while you line a baking sheet with a baking liner or parchment paper. Carefully dip a spoon into the melted sugar, then "drip" a star pattern on the baking sheet. Cool, then set aside.

Road Trippin'

Hey, remember me? My sincere apologies for being MIA lately, but it's been a crazy couple of weeks. I spent a week working at the 30th Annual FOOD & WINE Classic in Aspen! Check out a recap of this amazing this event from ABC's The Chew here. I won't dote on the Classic, but I will share my ultimate highlight with you....Yep, that's me with a couple of my favorite things, THE Jacques Torres and his impeccable chocolate chip cookie. He had us dipping the cookie into a sweet port wine! So long milk, port wine is where it's at!

Photo: Rory Tischler

Photos: Allan Zepeda

On the heels of the Classic, four of my FOOD & WINE buddies, my husband and I decided to take a little detour back home–by way of RV to California! We started in Aspen, drove over to Arches National Park in Utah, up to Park City, swept through Lake Tahoe in California, over to Napa and ended in San Francisco! It was an unforgettable six-day adventure, exposing us to some of the most breathtaking places America has to offer. Here's a photo of the crew on day 1. We named our western tour, "Clay Davis and the Solo Cups." (Yes, I realize it makes no sense.)

Photo: Luis Zepeda

Here's a sneak peek into how we got that shot. Hint: it involves a tripod and lots of running.

Our Route

We had the best BLT's and rum runners lakeside in South Lake Tahoe. I'm naming the BLT the "unofficial" summer sandwich!

Here's a wedding hosted in the immaculate French Laundry Garden. In my next life, I will live solely off of Bouchon baguettes!

Photo: Luis Zepeda