So then, we know that Bananas Foster was invented in New Orleans, primarily because New Orleans was a main port of entry for bananas coming in from Central and South America. Why did so many bananas enter the United States there? Simply because New Orleans is not only situated on the Gulf of Mexico, it’s […]
READ ONBakers as a group tend to have very full liquor cabinets, though not much of what’s in those cabinets is anything anyone — outside of a bunch of college kids on a spring break bender in Mexico — would much care to drink: green apple schnapps, white crème de cacao, walnut palinka, elderberry eau de […]
READ ONIt’s nothing you can’t get off the Brennan’s web site, but then I try to make joepastry.com a one-stop shop. I generally cut this recipe in half, which is plenty for 2-3 people. ½ stick butter 1 cup brown sugar ½ teaspoon cinnamon ¼ cup banana liqueur 4 bananas, cut in half lengthwise, then halved […]
READ ONA study says that 40% of Twitter messages are pointless babble. I wonder what the statistics are on baking blog posts.
READ ONSo, why do servers “flame” things like Bananas Foster at the tableside? Obviously, for the tips. Greek waiters long ago realized the connection between pyrotechnical displays and gratuities, which is how saganaki came into being. It all started in Chicago back in 1968 when the owner of The Parthenon, a legendary Greektown restaurant, first thought […]
READ ONSigh. Steered wrong again. Reader Dave clues me in to the fact that the Cleveland Browns were not, in fact, named for the elven brownies of old. They were named for their legendary coach, Paul Brown.
READ ONReader and professional pastry maker Evan offers this: With regards to Gerhard’s question. I have lived and worked in France in French restaurants. I can tell you that American brownies are to some extent fashionable there right now. You wouldn’t find them for sale very often in patiseries–though I have seen it–but low to mid-range […]
READ ONIt’s a busy day at Joe Pastry world headquarters, so I’m going to cop out on writing my own history of Bananas Foster, and instead just drop in the official history as it appears on the Brennan’s restaurant web site. That’s the New Orleans institution that invented the dish, so they should know (plus, I’ve […]
READ ONThis is really a fun idea. Thanks to Halley, the reader who submitted it all those months ago. Bananas Foster is one of those famous table-side desserts that all of us old enough to remember formal restaurants with black-tie service can really relate to. Since it requires no baking, and is further spooned all over […]
READ ONI was wondering why I hadn’t heard from him all week. Turns out he was on vacation. Gerhard writes: One of my original brownie-questions was: “How come something so highly appreciated by Americans is regarded as a cake gone horribly wrong in Europe…something that shouldn’t be eaten but thrown away…?” By that of course I […]
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