Eskimo Baked Alaska
Behind the name “Eskimo” sits a home version of a dessert that filled Soviet-era cookbooks: baked Alaska, cold ice cream cloaked in hot, browned meringue. It works on simple physics — a dense whipped egg-white foam insulates so well that a couple of minutes under the broiler colors the surface while the ice cream underneath stays frozen. The Soviet plombir called for is a rich, high-fat ice cream; any good dense vanilla ice cream does the same job.
The pineapple ring is more than a base: its tartness cuts the sweetness of ice cream and meringue, and a grape half in the center adds a fresh pop. Everything rides on the whites — beat them at room temperature to stiff, glossy peaks, or the meringue will slump under the heat.
What to watch: keep the ice cream in the freezer until the last possible second and pull it only just before broiling. Preheat the broiler fully in advance — 260°C / 500°F, top heat only — since the aim is to catch the top fast, not melt the filling. Canned peach or pitted cherry can replace the grape, and pear can stand in for the pineapple.
Part of Eastern European cuisine — 33 more recipes in the section.
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Ingredients
Instructions
Line a baking sheet with foil and arrange the pineapple rings on it, tucking a grape half into the center of each.
Beat the chilled egg whites to a stiff foam, gradually sprinkling in the powdered sugar and beating without stopping until the mixture is dense and glossy.
Cut the ice cream brick into portion-sized pieces and set one on each pineapple ring, pressing gently with the back of a spoon.
Cover the ice cream completely with the whipped whites and brown under a preheated broiler for just a few minutes, until the meringue turns pale gold. Serve immediately.
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