James Martin's baked alaska
James is back with a sweet alternative for the big day that is sure to impress any guest - baked alaska. He’s serving it up as part of a Christmas woodland scene, complete with snow!
Baked alaska winter woodland
Serves 6
Ingredients
For the Meringue
225g caster sugar
4 eggs, whites only
For the toadstools
8 mini meringues
150g white chocolate, melted
Red food spray
For the sauce
1 tub fresh vanilla custard
50ml espresso coffee, cooled
2x arctic rolls
To decorate
Chocolate shards
8 marshmallows
Icing sugar
Method
1. For the meringue, place the sugar and egg whites into a heatproof bowl. Place over a pan of simmering water and whisk until the sugar is dissolved and pour into an electric mixing bowl and whisk for 5 minutes on the high setting.
2. For the toadstools, dip the mini meringues in the white chocolate, then sit on a lined tray and pop in the fridge or freezer to set. When set, cover all over in the red food spray. Using the leftover white chocolate, pipe small dots all over the red meringue.
3. Next, make the sauce by whisking together the custard and the coffee
4. Using a heatproof serving plate, spread the sauce all over, then stand the arctic rolls side by side, upwards. Pipe the meringue mixture all over the rolls, then scorch with a blowtorch.
5. Sprinkle the chocolate shards all around for the effect of ‘bark’
6. Nestle the marshmallows in, and top with the red marshmallows to create the toadstools
7. Complete with a dusting of icing sugar