I remember seeing this dessert when I was a kid and being blown away. It may have been the Bombe Alaska version where they coat the meringue with brandy and set it on fire. It was pretty impressive. While this one doesn't quite have the same level of drama, it looks and tastes pretty damn good.
I must admit I've been meaning to try this for a very long time but I was really intimidated by it, thinking it would be super complex. I found a really easy recipe on https://preppykitchen.com/baked-alaska/ and I put my own twist on it. It actually is very straightforward, you just need a bit of time because it takes a couple of re-freezes. This is a good one to make a day ahead.
Ingredients
1500 ml of ice cream. 750 ml each of 2 different flavours of your choice. Something that works well with pineapple is best.
3 mini jam rolls, sliced horizontally
150g pineapple chunks
100ml spiced rum
2 tbsp. maple syrup
200g caster sugar
1/4 tsp. cream of tartar
4 eggs whites
Method
Grease a 2l Pyrex bowl or something similar. Line it with cling film (glad wrap). Making sure there is plenty of overhang as you will need to be able to pull it out later on when frozen.
Scoop 1 of each flavour of ice cream out of the tub and add to the bowl. Press down and continue until it's 3/4 full. Press down on top and cover with the excess cling film.
Place in the freezer for 20 minutes or so or longer if you have time.
Take the bowl out of the freezer. Then top with a scoop more ice cream, all the way around, and press down. You want to fill any gaps. Cover back up with the cling film and put it back in the freezer again for another 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, add the pineapple chunks, maple syrup and rum to a saucepan. Reduce down until the pineapple has softened, not quite to a pulp but until all the liquid has evaporated. Allow to cool.
Remove the bowl again from the freezer.
Top with the pineapple.
Top with the sliced jam rolls. Press down.
Cover over with the cling film. Return to the freezer. Place a plate over the top to put some weight on it. Freeze for 4-5 hours or overnight.
30 minutes before you are about to serve, start making the meringue.
Add the eggs and the cream of tartar to a stand mixer bowl. Beat until the eggs have doubled in size and are starting to form peaks.
Slowly add in the sugar. Add 1 tbsp. at a time and allow to sugar to mix through. Allow a minute or so between each tbsp. Beat until you have stiff peaks and the mixture is shiny and all the sugar has been incorporated.
Grab your serving plate. Remove the ice cream mixture from the freezer. You might need to warm the bottom of the bowl slightly with your hands to be able to ease the ice cream out. Put it upside down on your plate. Don't forget to remove the cling film :-)
Using a palette knife coat the ice cream with the meringue. You can create swirls or peaks as you go or if you are handy with a piping bag, pipe some roses with the piping bag.
Brown the meringue with a food blow torch.
Normally I like to serve desserts with a bit of something on the side but this really stands up on its own.