Soak two tablespoonfuls of gelatine in a quarter of a cupful of cold water for an hour, then dissolve it in a cupful of rich milk heated just to the boiling point; strain through a hair sieve into a quart of rich cream; add a cupful of sugar and a teaspoonful of orange or vanilla extract, and freeze.
When frozen, pack in a mold and leave in the freezer for two or three hours. A little before serving time turn it out on a stoneware dish and cover roughly with a thick meringue made of the whites of five eggs beaten stiffly with five tablespoonfuls of powdered sugar and flavored with a scant teaspoonful of any desired flavoring. Take care that the ice cream and the edge of the dish on which it rests are entirely covered with the meringue. Set the dish on a griddle or board in a hot oven and let the meringue brown delicately -not more than five minutes at the outside, but less will be better. Serve at once. If properly done, the ice will not be melted.