Bombe Alaska Recipe - 8 servings (for Chef Steve)

INGREDENTS

SPONGE CAKE or store bought for ease

• ¼ cup milk
• 2 teaspoons unsalted butter
• 8 large eggs (SAVE! 1/2 eggshell washed if going to flambe)
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ¹⁄₈; teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

FOR THE ICE CREAM

• ½ gallon ice cream , softened (1 (or more)

FOR THE MERINGUE

• 4 large egg whites
• 2 tablespoons sugar

Optional Cake garnishes

• ¼ cup liquor, of choice (Of choice, optional) (optional) or ½ cup preserves , room temperature (Of choice) (optional)

Optional Berries

• ½ cup strawberry , sliced (berries of choice) (optional)

Directions:

1. 1
   Sponge cake:.
2. 2
   In a small saucepan, warm the milk and 2 teaspoons butter together over medium-low heat. In an electric mixer beat the eggs and 1 cup of the sugar on medium-high speed until the mixture is pale yellow, thick, and has tripled in volume, about 8 minutes. With the mixer on low, beat in the warm milk mixture.
3. 3
   Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium-size mixing bowl. Fold the flour mixture into the egg mixture and blend thoroughly until smooth. Add the vanilla and mix gently.
4. 4
   Grease a 17 X 12-inch baking pan or jelly-roll pan very generously with butter. Sprinkle evenly with the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar. Pour the cake batter into the pan, spreading it evenly. Bake until the cake springs back when touched, about 15 minutes. Cool for about 2 minutes, then gently flip it out onto a large wire rack or a large sheet of parchment paper. Let cool completely.
5. 5
   Place the inverted 5-cup-capacity metal bowl in one corner of the sponge cake trace and cut out the circle and place aside.
6. 6
   Spray the metal bowl with cooking spray; line with plastic. Layer the bottom and side of the bowl with sponge cake. You may drizzle with optional liquor and or jam of choice.
7. 7
   Fill 1/3 to 1/2 way up with the ice cream. Layer optional berries if using. If any sponge cake is leftover place sponge layer then fill with remaining ice cream.
8. 8
   (If there is any cake or ice cream leftover it`s for the chef or little people (children)that helped.).
9. 9
   Top with the circle of cake that was set aside and cover surface with plastic wrap, press to remove air bubbles and place in freezer. Freeze until ice cream is very hard, at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours.
10. 10
    Meringue:.
11. 11
    Beat the egg whites with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Add the sugar and beat until the meringue is stiff and glossy.
12. 12
    Remove the cake from the freezer and place serving dish removing plastic. With a rubber spatula, carefully spread the meringue evenly over the tops and sides of the cake. Making peaks in the meringue. With a small blow torch, brown the meringue.
13. 13
    Optional:.
14. 14
    To brown it in the oven, preheat the oven to 400ºF. Put the baked Alaska in the hot oven until the meringue is tinged golden brown, 2 to 4 minutes. Or use a hand torch to brown all meringue.
15. 15
    Optional baking:.
16. 16
    Preheat oven to 500° or higher if you have a higher setting.
17. 17
    Place frozen dome on parchment paper covered frozen cookie sheet pan (dome up/wide flat side down). Spread meringue over cake. If ice cream starts to soften, return cake to freezer for 15 minutes.
18. 18
    Place in oven, and bake until meringue just starts to brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from oven.
19. 19
    Flambe Option:.
20. 20
    To flambe successfully, choose a high alcohol content liquor-- 80 proof or higher. Before browning the dessert, embed it like a small cup in the meringue. Just before serving, place 1/4 cup liquor and a ladle in a small saucepan. Heat the ladle and the liquor just until the liquor begins to bubble (do not allow the liquor to boil off, or it will not stay lit when you need it to). Immediately ask someone to turn out the lights. Ladle part of the liquor into the eggshell and ignite it with a match. As the liquor burns, fill the warmed ladle half full with more of the warmed liquor and drizzle it slowly into the eggshell, raising the ladle as high as you safely can. The flame will go out by itself when the alcohol burns off. Walla! Here comes the Ooohhhh`s and AAAhhhh`s!

Read more: http://www.food.com/recipe/flambe-showstopper-baked-alaska-196010#ixzz1pmJggxZ4

K Factor Distortion

When printing an image on  a cylinder the image must be distorted first so when it is wrapped around the cylinder after it will look properly.

The formula is:

k-factor / repeat x 100 - 100

In other words the image must be distorted so when it is wraped after (distorted a 2nd time), it will look properly.

Research Non-Projected Media - Real Objects

Research Non-Projected Media -

• Real Objects
• Models
• Field Trips
• Printed materials - Posters/Diagrams
• Display Surfaces
• Bulletin Board
• Chalkboard
• Whiteboard

Real objects and models are very similar.  This would be great for showing different styles of measuring tools during demonstration. 

Field trips are an excellent way of showing students equipment in use.

Posters and diagrams are useful for understanding the guts of complicated pieces.

Display surfaces are may favourite because is only the limit of the imagination.  I use them mostly for math equations.

The Sixth Sense

Using the cost of a smartphone, development is in process to combine texting, phone calls, and internet use.  With the combination of a mirror, phone, projector, camera, and coloured finger caps this prototype can perform complex tasks such as price comparison at the grocery store and person recognition.  With such technology the world could get that much smaller.  This is a big concern to some because it could exploit them greatly via facebook, myspace, and blogs just by scanning them.  Is this an invasion of privacy?  Only time will tell.

Intro to Technology Quiz

This qr code is a link to an excellent machining website called "The American Machinist".  I have made this link to an article about machining aluminium in specific.  There are many variables to address when making efficient machining procedures.

The average person doesn't realise the many things to overcome when machining.  Some that can be listed are proper material removal, cutting speeds, rigidity, coolant, vibrations, and many others.  Much of their research comes from engineers at www.iscar.com.  This topic is always being debated and updated due to the constant competition between east and west within industry.

Digital Nation

Current and ongoing studies are showing that multi-tasking and hi brain wave activity is proving to be counter productive.  South Korea has many problems with their youth and have opened centers known as internet rescue camps to help combat the growing problem.  I serious contrast is the concept of stimulating the student mind, but also allowing more room for free roaming.  This is very difficult for students because they're being show so much potential, but are leashed at the same time.

A very interesting outcome is how relationships have developed, and how virtual worlds have come to be.  Instead of making real connections, the sense of a connection is good enough.  This is being used to address issues such as trauma victims  from over seas.  The question to ask is, where are the limits to this potential?

Digital Natives vs Digital Immigrants.

Digital Natives and Immigrants are of great concern within the education system.  Immigrants in this respect are referred to those who were born before the beginning of the digital era.  As the workplace constantly improves and upgrades the Immigrants are struggling to keep up with the newest trends.  Those who do, however, leave their own personal accent on their style.  The teacher of today must learn to speak the language of the students and stay ahead of them to keep them guided.  A serious problem is that middle school students are being taught more about digital technology than teachers are.  To address this problem Immigrants yet again are on the struggling end of this scenario.  As we grow as a society, this will eventually fix itself.  Until such a time happens,  Immigrants will have to bite the bullet and try their hardest to keep up.






References:
First
Second

First Blog

Douglas Rushcov of "Front Line" invsetigates a "Digital Nation" among us.  Research shows again and again that the more students are multi-tasking, the less quality they are providing.  Being distracted weakens the student focus and builds a "bare minimum" additude towards marks in school.

MRI scans show that there is twice the brain activity in internet use then book reading.  This encourages deeper research to find out if this is good or not.