Kiwifruit, Pineapple, and Toasted Coconut Baked Alaska

Name: Kiwifruit, Pineapple, and Toasted Coconut Baked Alaska
Yield: makes 12 to 16 serv ings
Ingredients: 10 ripe kiwifruit (about 2 pounds/1 kg), peeled; 1/2 cup (100 g) sugar; 1/2 fresh pineapple, peeled, eyes removed, cored, and cubed; 1/4 cup (50 g) sugar; 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lime juice; 1 teaspoon rum; 2 cups (500 ml) plus 1 cup (250 ml) half-and-half; 3/4 cup (150 g) sugar; 1 cup (70 g) dried unsweetened shredded coconut, toasted; 1/8 teaspoon salt; 6 large egg yolks; 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract; 1/4 cup (20 g) sliced or slivered almonds; 1/4 cup (35 g) all-purpose flour; 1/2 cup (100 g) sugar; 1/8 teaspoon salt; 2 large egg whites, at room temperature; 1/2 cup (35 g) dried sweetened or unsweetened shredded coconut; 3 tablespoons (45 ml) rum; 6 large egg whites, at room temperature; 3/4 cup (150 g) sugar; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

December 9, 2011

If you’re having a party, this dessert is the most dramatic way I can think of to dazzle the crowd, no matter the setting. I made this towering version of the classic baked Alaska for the birthday of my friend Susan Loomis, who lives in the rural French countryside, and I don’t think the locals ever saw anything like it. Nor have they stopped talking about it, as I learned from subsequent visits. It left quite an impression! In spite of the fanciful name, baked Alaska is simply made of layers of ice cream or sorbet, a cakelike bed for them to rest on, and billows of meringue to cover it all. The recipes for the sorbets make 1 pint (500 ml) each. The recipe for the toasted coconut ice cream makes about 1 quart (1 liter), so there will be more than enough to fill up the bowl that the baked Alaska is built in.

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