I had originally intended to share with you my idea for that perfect little romantic dessert, which would guarantee you a place in the heart of that special someone. And then, as chance would have it, I was reading an old book, The Group by Mary McCarthy, and came across the part in the story where the bride has chosen Baked Alaska for dessert, and everyone admires her brilliance at choosing this showy sweet. Why go for the eternal love of just one person, when you could gain the respect and admiration of several dinner guests.

            Baked Alaska, although it sounds intimidating, is really nothing more that cake and ice cream, covered in meringue, baked to a golden brown and set on fire just before serving; simple and yet piss-elegant. If your friends and family didn’t respect and love you before, this is the sure-fire way to become a cooking icon in their eyes.

            Desserts consisting of ice cream served in either a pastry or meringue shell are not unique to any one cuisine. In fact, food historians have a problem pinning down exactly who first came up with the idea. It is widely accepted that an American inventor, Count Rumford, a man with a decided obsession for food and fire (he also invented the fire grate, double boiler and coffee percolator) was the first to study the insulating properties of meringue. It is this type of whacko who has given inventors the reputation of being eccentric.

            But it wasn’t until 1867, when Russia sold Alaska to the U.S. (a move known as Seward’s Folly) that the dessert was called Baked Alaska. Previously, it was often called an Omelette à la norvégienne or Soufflé surprise. You will still find it called by these French names in French cookbooks. Apparently they never got over the fact that Russia sold Alaska to the U.S.

            The dessert was served at a dinner held at the famous New York restaurant, Delmonico’s, to celebrate this purchase. The chef called it “Alaska, Florida,” which was later shortened to just “Alaska.”  The name was either in reference to the contrasting temperatures of the dessert or to the new, expanded size of America, if one forgot about that little country that lay in-between. I wonder if it crossed anyone’s mind to call it “Seward’s Folly?”

            The dessert can be assembled in a variety of shapes, layers and flavours. The simplest method is to cut a purchased sheet cake into strips that will fit on the ovenproof dish you will later be using to assemble and bake the dessert on. Just a hint: keep in mind the size of your freezer compartment before starting the process. Layer this with blocks of ice cream and refreeze. Once you have made your meringue, artfully dollop, swoop and curlicue it over the frozen loaf and leave this in the freezer until you are ready for dessert.

            Another option is to use a medium sized plastic bowl lined with plastic wrap. Scoop in partially thawed ice cream, cover this with a cake layer, and fill the remainder of the bowl with ice cream. Cut another piece of cake the diameter of the top of the bowl, set it on the serving platter and put everything in the freezer to harden. Once the ice cream has refrozen, you can invert the bowl onto the base cake layer, cover the whole thing with meringue and freeze the cake until you are ready to serve it. Traditionally, the cake layer is soaked with liqueur, but you can leave this out. You can also get carried away with fancy layers of nuts and fruit filling. Just remember that the dessert is rich enough as is.

            And now the show. While your significant other is hopefully making sure that the coffee is ready and dimming the lights, you will turn the oven to 450° and heat some brandy for flaming. It should take only five minutes to cook the meringue so don’t leave the room! Meringue may be a good insulator, but it will still burn. Pour on the heated brandy and ignite. Et voilà, you are the Goddess of Love.

            Of course, for those with that need for more power, a propane blowtorch will also do the job, but it won’t seem quite as romantic, unless your name is Rumford.

            I suppose that some of you might be tempted to try this with low-carbohydrate cake mixes or those alternative iced desserts, but I can’t make any promises that it will work. Just eat and enjoy. Remember: “Love means never having to say you’re sorry!” They were referring to your diet, right?