Barely are Christmas and New Year's behind us, when already we're staring at National Baked Alaska Day.
Who decides these things?!
OK, then! The holiday-to-end-all-frozen-treat-holidays is Feb. 1.
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Baked Alaska – an apparent miracle of cold ice cream enrobed in hot, toasted meringue – dates back to the late 19th century, according to The Oxford Companion to Food. "A French name for a somewhat similar confection is Omelette (à la) norvégienne," wrote Alan Davidson. "This has been current since 1891 and the alternative name Soufflé surprise began to be used shortly afterwards." Thomas Jefferson, it is said, used to make a mean one. It has also been said (by John Mariani, according to Davidson) that the American chef who some credit with creating it called the dessert "Alaska, Florida" in his 1893 cookbook.
Whoever invented baked Alaska, how do they manage to get the meringue all toasty and warm without melting the ice cream?
They put a block of firmly frozen ice cream on a sponge cake base, cover it in uncooked meringue, and give it quick a turn in a hot oven – just long enough to toast the meringue, but not long enough to melt the ice cream. Et voilà.
OK, lemme guess: You really came here to find out who's giving it away for free.
The Oceanaire Seafood Room is offering – beginning Friday, Jan. 30 through Monday, Feb. 1 (the actual "holiday") – one free chocolate baked Alaska with the purchase of an entree. There's a limit of one per table, but that's OK: This king-sized thing, flambéed dramatically at the table, is enormous enough to serve three or four.
Meanwhile, a very of-the-moment Dallas restaurant – the Theodore, which I happened to review like 30 seconds ago – has a splendid one on its menu. Pastry chef Marlene Duke's more modestly sized, honey-circled version (perfect for one, shareable for two) is filled with grapefruit ice cream and garnished with pink grapefruit supremes and honeycomb.
It costs $9, but worth every penny.
