Deconstructed Baked Alaska: Vanilla, Almond, & Raspberry

Prepare the ice cream base: Whisk yolks and sugar until pale. Heat milk, cream, and vanilla scrapings to a bare simmer. Temper the hot liquid into the yolks, then return to heat. Cook until the mixture coats the back of a spoon (nappe consistency), reaching 82°C/180°F. Strain and chill completely before churning according to machine instructions.

Make the fluid gel: Whisk agar agar and sugar into water and raspberry puree in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and hold for 1 minute to activate the agar. Pour into a shallow container and refrigerate until set into a firm block (about 1 hour).

Finish fluid gel: Once the raspberry mixture has set into a solid gel, transfer it to a high-speed blender. Blend until smooth and glossy. Pass through a fine-mesh sieve if needed to remove bubbles. Transfer to a squeeze bottle.

Bake the sponge: Preheat oven to 175°C/350°F. Whisk egg whites to soft peaks, gradually adding powdered sugar. Fold in almond flour. Gently fold in the browned butter. Spread onto a baking sheet and bake for 12-15 minutes until golden. Let cool, then tear into organic, bite-sized pieces.

Prepare Italian Meringue: Combine sugar and water in a saucepan and heat to 118°C/244°F. While syrup heats, whip egg whites to soft peaks. Slowly stream hot syrup into whites while whipping on high speed. Continue whipping until cool and stiff glossy peaks form.

Plate the dish: Pipe three distinct mounds of meringue onto chilled plates. Use the blowtorch to caramelize the meringue until golden brown. Arrange torn sponge pieces between the meringue. Dot with raspberry fluid gel. Finally, place a perfect quenelle of ice cream in the center.