Baked Alaska

i think it's about time i finally posted a recipe on here!
i love to bake, not neccessarily for the cooking part of it as much as making people happy. people love food, and if you love someone, you nourish them... both physically, with a full belly, or spiritually.

two great dessert features are meringue(as in the fluffy white stuff on a lemon meringue pie), and strawberry ice cream. well, i found an awesome recipe that combines both of those, and made it for the first time tonight. needless to say, it was quite a hit. the photo creds go to muah and my plain-old-not-high-tech-phone, and the alaska in the photos i DID in fact make.

i have altered this recipe to be a high alititude recipe. so if you're baking below 5,000 feet, increase the baking powder to 2 tsp. and use a two tbs. less milk.
*hint:if you bake a lot, buy egg whites in bulk! not only does it save from buying cartons an cartons of eggs, but it's less wasteful.
*tip: you can also use strawberry yogurt, or any other flavor ice cream!

4 cups strawberry ice cream, softened
1 cup flour (not self rising. you can also substitute wheat flour, which is what i do)
3/4 cup sugar, divided
1 1/2 tsp. Baking Powder
4oz. Cream Cheese (that's half a box)
1/3 cup, plus 2 tbs. milk
1 cup sliced fresh strawberries
4 egg whites
1/8 tsp. cream of tartar (if you don't know what this is, it is in the spice aisle!)


SPOON ice cream into foil-lined 1-1/2-qt. bowl. i suggest also spraying some cooking oil in there as well. pack firmly into bowl with back of spoon. Freeze 6 hours or overnight.

HEAT oven to 425ºF. Mix flour, 3 Tbsp. sugar and baking powder in medium bowl. Cut in cream cheese with pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in milk until mixture forms dough. Pat dough onto bottom of 8-inch round pan sprayed with cooking spray. Bake 12 to 13 min. or until lightly browned. Meanwhile, toss strawberries with 1 Tbsp. of the remaining sugar. use LOTS of strawberries! they're the best part.

COOL cake 10 min.; remove from pan to wire rack. Cool completely.

HEAT oven to 500ºF. Beat egg whites and cream of tartar with mixer on high speed 1 min. or until foamy. Gradually add remaining sugar, beating 3 min. or until stiff peaks form.

PLACE cake on ovenproof plate; top with strawberries and juice. Unmold ice cream; place, flat-side down, over cake. Frost ice cream with meringue; swirl with back of large spoon. Bake on lowest oven rack 3 min. or until meringue is golden brown. Serve immediately.

And voila! you have a delicious strawberry shortcake baked alaska. although it does take a little time to make, it's kind of hard to mess up too badly, which makes it good for inexperienced chefs. let me know what you think!

Gramps

one of the things that i am TRULY passionate about is cooking. i like to think i got the cooking gene from maternal grandfather, gramps. when he was alive, there wasn't a moment when he wasn't in the kitchen. his closest version of "salad" was potato salad, and "fruits" consisted of dishes like fried apples. most things served in his kitchen could be fried, smothered in gravy and loaded with half-a-shaker-of-pepper.

one of my fondest memories of my gramps was when we'd go and visit him in the holler. when i heard him get up, around 5AM, i would creep out into the living room and lay down on the big brown couch. because he lived in a trailer, it was cramped, and i could see directly into the kitchen, which was essentially a long strip with cupboards and a stove. i would drift in and out of conciousness, the clock chiming every half hour, listening to him move about. around 6AM he would start breakfast. i could smell the potatoes frying, the biscuits rising... he wasn't one to hum like my gran. he was silent, peaceful and patient. (which, if you ask any of my relatives, patient was not a word they typically used to describe him)

breakfast was usually ready by 7:30 or 8:00, and i would get off the couch and help gramps set the table. every morning there was a feast. biscuits and gravy, pork chops, bacon, sausage, eggs(over easy for him, scrambled for me), fried apples, homemade jam, black coffee(for him), chocolate milk(for me).

it's amazing what we take for granted. i miss my gramps' hands. they were worn and cracked, dark like leather, short nails... big and strong, just like him. i miss how excited i was when i finally got big enough to wrap my arms around his big, round belly. the last time we saw him before he died, he was so frail and thin. for the first time ever, i was afraid i would break him.



there isn't a day that goes by where i don't miss him.


but honestly, i know there isn't a moment that passes where he isn't with me in the kitchen, patiently watching me butcher recipes, and teaching me the best way he knew how... silently.