Anatomy of a dish
THESPONGE
A thicklayerofsponge
cakeformsthebaseofthis
spectaculardessert.It’s
generallya plainvanillaflavour
(butcanbetrickedupwith
chocolate)thatseamlessly
balancesthecreamytextures
oftheice-creamandmeringue.
Thecakeis baked,thencutto
fitthebottomoftheice-cream
mouldtoformthedessert’s
basewhenflipped.
THEICE-CREAM
Traditionalrecipescallforvanilla
orchocolateice-creamasthe
centrepiece,orpossiblya combination
ofboth.However,somevariations
incorporateraspberry,orangeand
evenGuinness.OneGTrecipeuses
bothraspberrysorbetandchocolate
ice-creamtocreatea vibrantand
fruityversionoftheclassic.
THEMERINGUE
Themeringueis thefinalelement,
andgivesthisdishanexterior
reminiscentofsoftsnowpeaks.
Italian-stylemeringue,whichis
alreadypartlycookedfromthe
additionofhot,meltedsugar,is
bestfora bombe;thesoft-yet-
pliableconsistencycanbepiped
througha nozzlefora spikyeffect,
orspoonedoverandswirledinto
peakswiththebackofa spoon.
Themeringueis thencaramelised
witha blowtorch.Fora dramatic
finish,flambéeit withwarmed
rumorGrandMarnieratthetable,
addinganalcohol-infusedcrunch.
Fewdessertsimpresslikethis
sugar-sweet spectacle.
Bombe
Alaska
A
theatricaldisplayoffire
andice,thebombeAlaska
seesa domeofchocolate
orvanillaice-cream
groundedbya thicklayerofsponge
cakeandcoatedwithelegantwhips
oftorchedmeringue.Theshow-
stoppingdessertis a fire-fuelled
interpretationofthebakedAlaska
- a dishsupposedlycreatedina New
Orleansrestaurantin1867,honouring
theUnitedStates’acquisitionof
AlaskafromtheRussianEmpire.
Whilethebakedversionis putto
workinanoven,thebombeAlaska
is flambéedorblowtorched to create
a crisp, golden exterior.
Sydney’sFiredoorhasseena fewvariationsofbombeAlaska
onitsmenu;fromsmokedwhitechocolatewithdesertlime
tococonutandgreenmango.Althoughit’snotpermanently
on the menu, it makes an occasional comeback.
Find
it
GOURMET TRAVELLER 45
WORDS
GEORGIE
MEREDITH.
PHOTOGRAPHY
CHRIS
COURT.
STYLING CLAIRE DELMAR & LISA FEATHERBY. ALL PROPS STYLIST’S OWN.