Alaska, Florida. Its not a town. Its the original name of the iconic American dessert we know as Baked Alaska. Created by Charles Ranhofer, the French chef who put New York Citys famed Delmonicos on the map in the mid-19th century (via Untapped New York), the classic dessert of ice cream and cake wrapped up in a bonnet of toasted meringue was Ranhofers nod to the U.S. purchase of the Alaska Territory in 1867.
The name works when you consider the inspiration for Ranhofers warm-versus-cold layer cake reportedly stems from his desire to showcase the juxtaposition between the warmth of Florida and the cold of Alaska, according to Untapped New York. Still, it doesnt quite roll off the tongue. And were not entirely sure why Florida was even in the mix. Maybe a play on the opposite corners of the United States?
Its also difficult to pinpoint when Alaska, Florida became more commonly known as Baked Alaska. We do know it was still Alaska, Florida when the first edition of Ranhofers cookbook, The Epicurean, was published in 1893 (via Cooks Info).
One theory — which requires a suspension of belief to fully embrace the coincidence — is that at the same time Ranhofer was in New York City coming up with a dessert idea to mark the acquisition of Alaska, another chef, Antoine Alciatore of the famed Antoines in New Orleans, was brainstorming a tribute. And they both arrived at surprisingly similar takes on ice cream, cake, and meringue (via Oven Via).
Why is it called Baked Alaska? The unique nickname ‘Baked Alaska’ was given to the dessert in 1867 at a Creole restaurant in New Orleans called Antoine’s. The restaurant’s chef, Antoine, named the dish Baked Alaska to honour of the United States acquisition of Alaska from the Russian Empire earlier that year.
We do know Ranhofers original version of Baked Alaska (aka Alaska, Florida) featured a spice cake base topped with banana ice cream all wrapped up in a toasted meringue shell, according to Untapped New York. Or do we? Cooks Info says Ranhofers creation featured a single-serving cake base topped with a layer of apricot jam and a cone-shaped serving of ice cream then crowned with piped meringue and browned for two minutes.
Its also difficult to pinpoint when Alaska, Florida became more commonly known as Baked Alaska. We do know it was still Alaska, Florida when the first edition of Ranhofers cookbook, The Epicurean, was published in 1893 (via Cooks Info).
The name works when you consider the inspiration for Ranhofers warm-versus-cold layer cake reportedly stems from his desire to showcase the juxtaposition between the warmth of Florida and the cold of Alaska, according to Untapped New York. Still, it doesnt quite roll off the tongue. And were not entirely sure why Florida was even in the mix. Maybe a play on the opposite corners of the United States?
Similar creations, but at Antoines, Alciatore went with a more direct approach when he named the dessert, christening it Baked Alaska. Through the decades, the name Baked Alaska prevailed, but that doesnt mean Alciatores version won out. Today, as shown by Brit + Co, Baked Alaska has become a generic term for myriad combinations of ice cream, cake, and meringue served toasted or, for a more dramatic presentation, flambéed.
Way down yonder in New Orleans, Alciatores take, sometimes called Bombe Alaska according to Oven Via, is a similar mound of cake, ice cream, and meringue — with one big difference. Instead of toasting the meringue, Alciatore decided to go with a flambéed presentation. The entire ice cream sculpture is drenched with liquor, usually rum, and set afire tableside right before its served.
No, this igloo-shaped dessert — cake and ice cream shrouded in toasted meringue — didnt come from the icy north, but its name was inspired by the land deal. In fact, the treats true roots date back to the turn of the 18th century, when American-born scientist Sir Benjamin Thompson (aka Count Rumford, a title he gained for his loyalty to the crown during the American Revolution) — whose inventions included a kitchen range and a double boiler — made a discovery about egg whites.
According to Krondl, the journalist who visited Delmonicos was Charles Augustus Sala — though records account for just one English journalist in this era with the surname Sala: George Augustus Henry Sala, which is in line with Delmonicos story. “Charles Augustus Sala described eating an Alaska at Delmonicos with more enthusiasm than accuracy,” states the Oxford Companion to Sugar and Sweets, “He mistook the meringue for whipped cream.”
On March 30, 1867, for a mere $7.2 million — about two cents per acre — the U.S. bought land from Russia that would eventually make Alaska its 49th state, gaining a delicious fringe benefit in the process: Baked Alaska.
About 36,000 diners per year, actually. That averages out to about 100 a day — most of whom probably know little of the history behind this elaborate dessert. Yet it seems fitting that the Baked Alaskas surprise core should come with a creation story shrouded in mystery, too.
Rumford realized that the air bubbles inside whipped egg whites made meringue a great insulator. “Thats really why the Baked Alaska works,” says Libby “OConnell, the History Channels chief historian and author of The American Plate. “The meringue insulates the ice cream from heat.”
Cooking Baked Alaska With Gordon Ramsay | The F Word
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