baked Alaska
3
5.5
- noun
- /beɪkt əˈlæskə/
:
baked Alaska
- Everything on the ship would be the same—presumably right down to the surprising details like the flaming baked Alaskas in the darkened dining room.
- flaming baked Alaska
Examples
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Constance said, "Now, suddenly, the lights will go out, and everyone will gasp in alarm until the waiters come in carrying flaming baked Alaskas high on their shoulders, and everybody will applaud."
Fiction book (1997) -
A cheeseburger may be satisfying, whereas caviar, champagne, roast duck, and baked Alaska for dessert might be considered overwhelming.
Fiction book (1993) -
Maybe we can finally go see Helen Reddy sing... and get a baked Alaska.
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For example, while your food was definitely good by hospital standards, you did not serve any caviar, smoked salmon, lobster, or baked Alaska.
Academic text (2003) -
They ate pinkish prime rib and a light salad; for dessert, Jimmy had ordered baked Alaska.
Fiction book (1991) -
Tonight we have filet mignon, veal parmesan, baked Alaska, chicken cacciatore, and mac and cheese.
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During the dinner party, the chef surprised everyone with a stunning baked Alaska that was torched to perfection.
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For dessert, we enjoyed a delicious baked Alaska topped with a golden layer of meringue.
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My favorite dessert is baked Alaska, especially when served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
How Elaborate
3
5.5
6
1.6
8
1.0
1
1.0
403
1.0
Surface Forms
Morphology
While the words 'baked' and 'Alaska' provide a loose hint (something cooked that contrasts with cold/Alaska), the specific notion of a cake-and-ice-cream dessert covered with meringue and quickly browned is a conventional culinary name that cannot be fully derived from the parts. As a proper-name dish the constituents give partial semantic cues but not the precise meaning or preparation, so a B1 learner would not reliably infer the full sense without exposure.
Etymology
Baked Alaska is a dessert with ice cream on cake covered in meringue that is quickly browned, so the outside is 'warm' while the inside stays 'frozen'. One popular story says chefs named it baked and Alaska to show this 'hot' outside and 'cold' inside contrast, so the name helps you remember the dessert.