BEST DESSERT REVIVAL Swifty's Bananas Foster Baked Alaska
Richard Muszynski, Pastry Chef Swifty's 1007 Lexington Avenue
New York, NY 10021
(212) 535-6000
About Richard Muszynski After attending hotel
and restaurant school, Richard apprenticed at the St. Francis Hotel
in San Francisco and worked there for four years, reaching the
level of executive pastry sous chef. Though he had a brief stint
on the savory side, he eventually moved to Manhattan to pursue
his interest in French pastry at Daniel. After working at a variety
of New York restaurants including Union Square Café, Richard
decided to start his own business, Ricard Chocolat, which has won
accolades from The James Beard Foundation and has been featured
in Wine Spectator and on NBC's "The
Today Show" among others.
RECIPE
Brûlé Bananas Serves 12
4 bananas
1 cup of light brown sugar
8 ounces of unsalted butter
2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon
2 ounces of dark rum
Place the butter and sugar in a sauté pan. Place over
medium heat to make caramel.
Cut the bananas into ¼ inch slices and add to the caramel.
Flambé with the rum and then add the cinnamon. Set aside
until needed.
Banana Cake
6 ounces of unsalted butter
1¼ cups of sugar
3 large eggs
splash vanilla extract
¾ cup of whole milk
2¼ cups of cake flour
2½ teaspoons of baking powder
½ teaspoon of salt
Cream the butter and sugar together in the bowl of an electric
mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Add the eggs.
Sift the dry ingredients. Alternate adding the wet and dry
ingredients to the mixture.
Fold the reserved bananas into the cake mix. Spread batter
onto a parchment paper lined half-sheet pan and bake at 350° F
for 10 minutes.
Caramel Macadamia Nut Ice Cream
Ice Cream
8 large egg yolks
1 quart of heavy cream
1 cup of sugar
1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
Caramel
½ cup of sugar
¼ cup of water
½ cup of whole milk
60 whole macadamia nuts
For the ice cream, bring the cream, the vanilla bean, and half
of the sugar to a boil. Whisk the egg yolks with the rest of the
sugar and temper in the hot cream.
To make the caramel, place the water and sugar in a sauté pan
and brown. Slowly add milk to make a caramel sauce. Whisk caramel
sauce into the ice cream base. Strain.
Chill base completely and then freeze in an ice-cream maker
according to manufacturers instructions. Meanwhile, toast macadamia
nuts and set aside to cool.
Meringue
6 large egg whites
2 cups of suater. Whisk lightly
until the mixture is very warm. Remove bowl from heat and place
on the mixer. Whip to medium peak.
Assembly
Place 4 to 5 macadamia nuts in each 4-ounce ramekin. Fill the
ramekin with caramel ice cream. Cut out cake rounds and place
on top of the ice cream. Freeze the ramekins.
Dip the ramekins in hot water to remove the frozen dessert.
Pipe or spread meringue around the dessert and brûlé with
a torch or under a broiler until edges are golden. Serve with
yogurt and a passionfruit coulis.
Richard Muszynski, Pastry Chef