Baked Alaska

The key to success for this recipe is to keep the ice cream as cold as possible and turn up the oven as high as it will go. Two 1-pound frozen pound cakes (Sara Lee) Half gallon block of ice cream, your favorite flavor Apricot jam as needed 8 egg whites 3/4 cup "instant" superfine sugar

Cut each pound cake into 3 horizontal slices; each slice should be about 91/2 inches long, 21/2 inches wide and slightly thicker than 1/2-inch. Set a slice of cake on a baking dish. Cut a piece of the block of ice cream to fit on the cake base, keeping 3/4-inch clear all around. Return the cake and ice cream to the freezer for about an hour or until the ice cream is hard again. Remove the cake and ice cream from the freezer and fully enclose the ice cream with more slices of pound cake "glued" to the ice cream with jam. Return the cake and ice cream to the freezer for at least two hours. Preheat the oven to its highest setting. Beat the egg whites until semi-stiff. Gradually add the sugar to the egg whites, a couple of tablespoonfuls at a time, and continue to beat until the meringue is stiff and glossy. Remove the ice cream and cake from the freezer. With a spatula, spread about half of the meringue over the pound cake, making sure to completely cover the sides and top. Transfer the remaining meringue to a pastry bag fitted with a star tip and pipe it over the cake, making it as decorative as you wish. Bake for 3 minutes to brown the meringue and serve the Baked Alaska immediately so the ice cream doesn't melt.