By John Kirkendall
This recipe is a keeper –
It is spectacular.
The first part can all be done in advance.
The finale is done at a chafing dish, tableside – and with the lights dimmed the blue flames are nothing short of sensational.
It tastes wonderful. Why not? Look at these ingredients!
• 1 Sara Lee Pound cake, frozen.
• Meringue.
• 1 small bottle of Sanders caramel sauce, warmed in the microwave until easily pourable. 15 seconds in my microwave.
• 1/2 cup pecan halves, toasted at 300 for 10 minutes, turning once.
• 1/2 cup coconut, toasted at 300 for 10 minutes, stirring and tossing occasionally.
• 1 stick of butter.
• 1/2 cup of brown sugar, packed.
• 2 t vanilla.
• 1 t cinnamon.
• 1/4 cup each of sliced strawberries, sliced bananas, and chunked fresh pineapple.
• 1/4 cup dark Meyer rum.
• 1/4 cup 151 proof rum.
• Chocolate curls.
1. Cut the pound cake into 1/2 inch slices. With a round biscuit cutter cut each slice into circles.
2. Make chocolate curls from room temperature milk chocolate by using a vegetable peeler until you get 3 curls per person.
3. Scoop caramel, fruit, nuts and coconut on one circle of pound cake. Top with another circle. You will have one filled circle per guest. Place a good scoop of ice cream on the top. Frost entirely with meringue - ice cream, sides and all.
4. Place in freezer. Allow to rest for 2 hours. If you want to freeze it longer, cover with foil.
5. Remove foil and place in 425 degree oven for 8-10 minutes.. Remove from the oven and place on a serving platter or individual dessert plates (my preference.)
6. At the table, as the Tortoise is sitting out of the oven, warm butter, brown sugar and cinnamon in a chafing dish. When bubbling, carefully add the rums, combined in a small pitcher. When hot, ignite*. Watch those eyebrows!
7. Have a colleague deliver the Tortoises to the table.
8. Pour butter-rum mixture over the Tortoises and top with chocolate curls.
9. File this recipe under Ultimate Desserts!
The meringue is one of the secrets.
Egg White Meringue - How To Make Perfect Meringue
Age of Eggs:
Meringue recipes work better with eggs that are at least 3 or 4 days old. Thin, older egg whites whip more easily to a higher volume than thick, fresh egg whites. Don’t make egg white meringues on a rainy or really humid day (remember that they are mostly air and if that air contains a lot of water, it will have an effect).
After separating, bring egg whites to room temperature to ensure volume when beating, as warmer eggs whip faster than cold eggs.
Place the egg whites into a large, tall bowl and set your mixer to medium-high speed.
Adding Sugar:
Add the sugar at the very end when the whites have formed soft peaks.
I like to use superfine sugar when making meringue because it dissolves faster than table sugar. When beating egg whites and the recipe calls for sugar, Gradually add the sugar, a few spoonfuls at a time, beating the whole time.
As a general rule, add a total of 1/4 cup of granulated or superfine sugar for each egg white.
Do not make meringues that have less than 2 tablespoons of sugar per egg white. If you use any less, the foam will not set and the meringue will shrink.
Once you start a making whipped egg whites, continue it straight through and finish it off. Do not stop halfway to take a break.
The meringue is done when it is not runny and when you can hold a spoonful of it upside down and none of it drops off. Also when you swirl a spoon through it and the swirls hold their shape indefinitely.
*As usual with flaming desserts, have fire extinguishing methods at your side, whether they consist of a large wet towel wrapped in a garbage bag that can be discretely placed out of sight, a fire extinguisher, flour, baking soda, etc. And be sure your service plates can withstand the fire and heat without cracking and breaking over your guests. You will love this dessert but as the scouts say: “Be Prepared.”
Judge John Kirkendall is a retired Washtenaw County Probate judge. He presently serves on the Elder Law Advisory Board of the Stetson University College of Law. He has taught cooking classes for more than 25 years at various cooking schools in the Ann Arbor area and has himself attended classes at Cordon Bleu and La Varenne in Paris, as well as schools in New York, New Orleans and San Francisco. He is past president of the National College of Probate Judges. He can be reached at Judgejnk@yahoo.com.
