Lemon Meringue Baked Alaska

This light Lemon Meringue Baked Alaska recipe, featured in Miraval’s new Mindful Eating Cookbook, is the perfect dessert to end a summer meal!

The chiffon-cake recipe used for the Baked Alaska is also a versatile dessert on its own: simply cut into circles with a cookie cutter and pair with fresh summer fruit for a simple, clean end to a meal. This recipe will make one 9-inch cake, or eight 2-inch cake rounds.
Makes 8 servings

• 6 Tbsp. sugar
• 1/4 c. water
• 3 Tbsp. canola oil or vegetable oil
• 2 large eggs, separated
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 c. cake flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 2 c. Lemon Sherbet (recipe follows)
• Meringue (recipe follows)

PREHEAT the over to 350° F.
TO make the chiffon cake, lightly coat the inside of a 9-inch round springform pan with cooking spray. Cut an 8-inch round piece of parchment, place on the bottom of the pan, and lightly coat with cooking spray. Set aside.

IN the bowl of an electric mixer with a whisk attachment, beat together the water, oil, egg yolks, vanilla, and 3 Tbsp. of the sugar on medium speed until smooth. Add the cake flour and baking powder and beat for 30 seconds on high speed until there are no lumps. Transfer to a medium bowl.

WASH the mixing bowl and attachment and dry completely with a clean cloth. Place the egg whites in the bowl and beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until soft peaks form. Add the remaining 3 Tbsp. sugar and whip to medium peaks, about 2 minutes. Fold the beaten egg whites into the vanilla mixture, working the whites through the middle and around the sides to incorporate, being careful not to deflate the whites.

SPREAD the batter evenly onto the bottom of the prepared pan and bake until the cake rises, pulls away from the sides of the pan, and springs back when lightly touched, 22 to 25 minutes.

REMOVE from the oven and let cool completely in the pan, about 30 minutes. Remove the sides from the springform pan and transfer the cake to a cutting board. Peel away the parchment paper.

USING a 2-inch cookie cutter, cut eight disks from the cake.

TURN out the eight sherbet domes and press the cake rounds onto the bottoms.

PLACE the assembled domes on a wire rack and spread with the meringue to completely cover. Working quickly and using a blowtorch, lightly brown the meringue.

PLACE one Baked Alaska on each of eight plates and serve immediately.

Calories: 250; Total Fat: 7 G; Carbohydrate: 47 G; Dietary Fiber: 0 G; Protein: 3 G

Lemon Sherbet

Makes 1 quart

You can substitute nonfat milk for the rice milk in this recipe. We use rice milk in our version, as this recipe was developed for our dairy-intolerant guests. It is important to immediately pipe the sherbet into the molds to make the Baked Alaska, as the low-fat content in this recipe makes the sherbet hard and then difficult to work with once it freezes.

• 1 1/2 c. fresh lemon juice
• 2 tsp. finely grated lemon zest
• 2 c. Simple Syrup (page 23)
• 1 c. rice milk

STIR together all the ingredients in a mixing bowl. Cover tightly and refrigerate until well chilled, at least 2 hours. (The mixture can be kept refigerated, tightly covered, for up to three days.)

TRANSFER the lemon mixture to an ice-cream machine and process according to the manufacturer’s directions.

PIPE the prepared sherbet immediately into eight 2-inch silicone mold cups.
(ALTERNATIVELY, scoop eight 2-ounce portions of sherbet onto a small sheet pan or baking dish cover, with parchment paper, and freeze until ready to assemble the desserts.)

ANY leftover sherbet should be placed in an airtight container and frozen.

Meringue

Makes 8 servings

• 1/3 c. sugar
• 1/4 c. corn syrup
• 4 1/2 tsp. agave syrup (see Source Guide)
• 1/2 c. water
• 2 large egg whites

COMBINE the sugar, corn syrup, agave, and water in a medium saucepan and cook over medium heat to a thick syrup. Remove from the heat.

IN a bowl fitted with an electric mixer, or using a handheld mixer, beat the egg whties to soft peaks. With the machines running, drizzle in the hot syrup and continue beating until the meringue is glossy and reaches medium peaks.

COOL the mixture for 3 minutes and then transfer to a pastry bag to pipe meringues onto the Baked Alaskas.