Lemon-Pistachio Baked Alaska

Preparation

• Frozen Parfait

  • In a pot off the heat, whisk together the lemon zest, honey, lemon juice, egg yolks and whole egg until smooth.
  • Cook over medium heat while whisking until the mixture thickens and comes just to a boil. Strain through a sieve set over a bowl. Compost the zest.
  • Gradually whisk in the butter. Cover with plastic wrap directly on the surface of the lemon mixture. Let cool. Refrigerate until completely chilled, about 2 hours. The lemon mixture will keep for 1 week in the refrigerator.

• Genoise

  • Meanwhile, with the rack in the middle position, preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line the bottom of a 9 x 5-inch (23 x 13 cm), 6-cup (1.5 litre) loaf pan with parchment paper. Do not butter the sides.
  • In a bowl, combine the flour and baking powder.
  • In another bowl, whisk the eggs, sugar and vanilla with an electric mixer until tripled in volume and falls from the beaters in a ribbon, about 10 minutes. With the machine running on low speed, drizzle in the oil. Sift the dry ingredients over the egg mixture and gently fold in using a whisk. Spread the mixture out in the loaf pan.
  • Bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean. Let cool completely on a wire rack, about 2 hours, before unmoulding. Wash out the loaf pan.

• Lemon Syrup

  • In a small bowl, combine all of the ingredients until the honey has dissolved. Set aside.

• Assembly

  • Line the clean loaf pan with plastic wrap, letting it hang over all four sides.
  • On a work surface, cut the cake in half horizontally to get a total of 2 cake layers. Set aside.
  • In a bowl, whisk the 35% cream until stiff peaks form. Whisk one-third of the whipped cream into the chilled lemon mixture. Gently fold in the remaining whipped cream. Fold in the pistachios.
  • Pour half (about 2 cups/500 ml) of the lemon-pistachio mixture into the loaf pan. Top with one cake layer, pressing down lightly. Using a pastry brush, soak the cake with half (2 tbsp/30 ml) of the lemon syrup. Cover with the remaining lemon-pistachio mixture. Top with the second cake layer and brush with the remaining lemon syrup.
  • Cover the loaf pan with plastic wrap. Freeze for 8 hours or until the frozen parfait is firm. The frozen parfait will keep for 2 weeks in the freezer.
  • Unmould the frozen parfait onto a serving dish. Return to the freezer while you prepare the meringue.

• Italian Meringue

  • Place the egg whites in a large bowl.
  • In a small pot, bring the sugar and water to a boil. Simmer without stirring until a candy thermometer reads 240°F (116°C).
  • Whisk the egg whites with an electric mixer on medium speed until soft peaks form (using a stand mixer is preferable). Once the syrup reaches the desired temperature (240°F/116°C), lower the speed of the mixer and slowly drizzle the hot syrup over the egg whites, avoiding the beaters. Increase the speed and whisk until the meringue is cooled and forms very stiff peaks.
  • Using an offset spatula, cover the frozen parfait with the meringue.
  • Using a small kitchen torch, brown the surface of the meringue (see note). Freeze at this point, if desired (see note).
  • When ready to serve, slice the baked Alaska. Let sit out at room temperature for 5 minutes before serving.