As a retro dessert of the week, what could be better than a flaming dessert? I remember when fashionable restaurants would do flaming desserts at your table while all of the other guests watched. The presentation and pageantry of it was beautiful. A few weeks ago I was in Las Vegas and went to the Golden Steer restaurant. It is one of my favorites as they make no attempt to be anything other than what they always were. This is not one of the new fashionable eateries, it is a flash back in time to its founding in 1958, and yes they still do tableside flaming Cherries Jubilee or Bananas Foster.
As we were ordering our desserts, the manager who was floating around talking to all of the guests, stopped by to tell us the origin of each recipe. Cherries Jubilee is credited to Auguste Escoffier, who prepared the dish for one of Queen Victoria’s Jubilee celebrations, though it is unclear whether it was for the Golden Jubilee of 1887 or the Diamond Jubilee in 1897. Bananas Foster was created in 1951 by Paul Blangé at Brennan’s Restaurant in New Orleans. It was named for Richard Foster, a friend of Owen Brennan’s who was then New Orleans Crime Commission chairman.
These recipes are fast, easy, and everyone loves them. While both of these recipes are excellent over ice cream, I also use them as a topping for French toast if I need a sweet item to add to a brunch menu. So come on, try them again, you will be happy that you did. Be careful and watch out for your flames to make sure that no one gets hurt!
Cherries Jubilee
1/2 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup orange juice
1 pound Bing or other dark, sweet cherries, rinsed and pitted (or use frozen pitted cherries)
1/2 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
1/4 teaspoon cherry extract
1/4 cup brandy
3 cups vanilla ice cream
1. Whisk together the sugar and cornstarch in a wide saucepan. Stir in the water and orange juice. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, whisking until thickened. Stir in the cherries and orange zest, return to a boil, then reduce heat, and simmer for 10 minutes. While the cherries are cooking, spoon the ice cream into serving bowls.
2. Remove the cherries from the heat, and stir in the cherry extract. Pour in the brandy, and ignite with a long lighter. Gently shake the pan until the blue flame has extinguished itself. Spoon the cherries over the bowls of ice cream.
Bananas Foster
¼ cup (½ stick) butter
1 cup brown sugar
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ cup banana liqueur
4 bananas, cut in half
lengthwise, then halved
¼ cup dark rum
4 scoops vanilla ice cream
1. Combine the butter, sugar, and cinnamon in a flambé pan or skillet. Place the pan over low heat either on an alcohol burner or on top of the stove, and cook, stirring, until the sugar dissolves. Stir in the banana liqueur, then place the bananas in the pan. When the banana sections soften and begin to brown, carefully add the rum. Continue to cook the sauce until the rum is hot, then tip the pan slightly to ignite the rum. When the flames subside, lift the bananas out of the pan and place four pieces over each portion of ice cream. Generously spoon warm sauce over the top of the ice cream and serve immediately.
