grilled bananas foster sundaes

Football and I don't really have the best of relationships. 

People never believe me when I tell them that I was quite the sporty child growing up. For years, I bounced back and forth between different sports — I played basketball throughout my childhood, embarrassed my entire family by routinely missing the tee-ball in front of me, and was even on the soccer team until I started high school. Don't get me wrong, I wasn't the best in any of these. (Really though, are you surprised? I was definitely definitely more of the theatre and dance and baking cookies in the kitchen for the team sorta boy. 💃) But football? That was of the bleakest moments in my timeline. 

After my failed attempt at fourth grade flag football, I decided I'd had enough. I mean, seriously, I didn't even know what a down was. Actually, I still don't. Today, I usually just spend football season listening to my dad scream at the television and act like I know what's going on when all I can see is a bunch of little men zigzagging their way across a field of fake grass. 

Fourth grade drama and total stupidity aside, I love football season for the weekly parties we throw at my house. Each week, my mom and I light up the grill, preheat the oven and create a full spread inspired by the local cuisine of whichever team we're playing against. Unsurprisingly, I'm always in charge of the dessert. Though fan rivalry is the name of the game during football season, food is what brings fans together. 

All month long, bloggers are teaming up with Kingsford Charcoal to bring you the biggest virtual football party ever. True to form, I've nominated myself for the coveted dessert duty. Since I'm from New Orleans, I'm repping the Saints in true black and gold fashion with these grilled bananas fosters sundaes. Honey glazed bananas, topped with creole cream cheese ice cream, bourbon whipped cream, bananas foster sauce, pecans and even edible gold. Touchdown. 

🏈Cop the recipe below! If you need me, I'll be pigging out in the kitchen all game long. 🏈

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Grilled Bananas

• 2 slightly ripe bananas, peeled
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar  
• Kingsford Charcoal briquettes 

Directions

Using a paring knife, slice the bananas in half lengthwise. Coat each banana piece with honey, then sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Let sit for 5 minutes. On your charcoal grill, place the bananas cut side down and cook for 5 minutes. Flip the bananas over and cook the other side for 2 minutes. Serve immediately with bananas foster sauce and other toppings. 

Bananas Foster Sauce

• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cubed
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1 banana, sliced
• 2 tablespoons dark rum 

Directions

In a small sauce pan over medium heat, melt the butter until completely melted. Stir in the brown sugar and bananas. Cook until caramelized, about 2-3 minutes. Add rum and using a grill lighter, flambé the sauce. Cook until the flame goes out, then remove from heat and set aside. 

Bourbon Whipped Cream 

• 1 cup heavy whipping cream, chilled
• 1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar 
• 1 tablespoon bourbon 
• 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or extract
• creole cream cheese or vanilla ice cream
• 1/4 cup toasted pecans
• 1/4 sheet edible gold leaf

Directions

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar, bourbon and vanilla on medium-high speed until soft peaks form. Top the bananas with bananas foster sauce, ice cream, whipped cream, pecans and edible gold leaf. 

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This post was sponsored by Kingsford Charcoal. All opinions are my own.

a day in new orleans (fueled by lots of coffee)

I personally believe that calories don't exist in New Orleans, so I like to treat myself to a cafe au lait and an order of beignets with extra powdered sugar at my favorite beignet spot, the original Cafe du Monde in Jackson Square.

the quintessential City Park picnic: meats and cheeses from St. James Cheese Company, an overflow of freshly-baked breads from La Boulangerie, colorful macarons from Sucre and iced French Market Coffee French Roast. 

if you're looking for the perfect mid-day pick me up before going out for cocktails, Domenica's affogato with Chef Lisa White's famed chocolate espresso cookies — bruto ma buoni — hits the spot every. single. time.  

To say that New Orleans is a special place is an understatement.

Every square foot of this perfectly imperfect city overflows with character. I grew up in a small town less than an hour north of the city, but never truly discovered my love for the city until the day I left it. It’s a bit of a paradox really, because placing yourself in New Orleans often seems like removing yourself from the outside world. Time goes slowly here and things don’t always get done on time, but that laissez-faire attitude is exactly what makes New Orleans so beautiful. From the colorful Caribbean houses of the French Quarter to the melange of cultures visible on each and every street corner. The food. Hell, how I love the food. The fact that it’s perfectly acceptable to have a full-fledged powdered sugar fight over a hot cup of our amazing chicory coffee. The need to celebrate anything and everything to the openness and hospitality of complete strangers. The reasons for my love are endless.

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Thank you to French Market Coffee for letting me share my perspective on New Orleans! Check out what other NOLA bloggers have been sharing by searching #mynolamycoffee on Instagram. 

blueberry & blonde chocolate crostata

Last weekend I realized that I've spent the majority of the summer so far laying in bed watching RuPaul's Drag Race. Three weeks after willingly getting four unnecessary teeth ripped out of my mouth, panicking over the potential for dry sockets, and experiencing what I can only describe as my body melting into a cloud of pillows as a result of some pretty strong painkillers, I forced myself out of bed and headed out for my favorite Louisiana summer tradition of waking up at the crack of dawn, putting on my overalls, and blueberry picking in the sweltering 8 a.m. heat.

All in the name of crostata! 

Pro tip: blueberry picking is all fun and games until you realize that you have 8 pounds of berries that need to be tended to immediately. Luckily for me, the solution was an easy one: bake them into practically every single dessert known to man. Within the past week, I've made blueberry muffins, two batches of blueberry brownies, and frozen a good chunk of them.

But the true superstar? This blueberry crostata.

I was feeling extra ~*fancy*~, so I smeared the inside of the pastry with homemade blonde/caramelized white chocolate. If you've never had blonde chocolate before (a la Valrhona Dulcey), it's a deliciously toasty, caramelized white chocolate that will change your life forever. Don't worry about ordering Dulcey — it's a super simple operation to turn your regular old white chocolate into blonde chocolate at home: a quick roast in the oven, stir and repeat every five minutes for 40 minutes. The outcome is waaaay worth extra time, I promise! Buttery crust, toasty blonde chocolate, the most deliciously juicy local blueberries.... just do it.

Whether you eat it alone or use it as a vehicle for your favorite vanilla ice cream, you need this in your life! Happy weekend fraaaands! 

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Caramelized White Chocolate

8 oz. good quality white chocolate

make:

Preheat oven to 266° F. Scatter white chocolate pieces onto a baking pan.* Bake the chocolate for 40 minutes, removing from the oven every 5 minutes to stir. (After about 30 minutes, the chocolate will caramelize and gradually turn amber.) Remove from oven and place into a bowl. At this stage, your chocolate might be lumpy and pretty gross looking. Don't worry! Stir vigorously until a liquid resembling melted chocolate forms. Pour into a glass jar and store at room temperature. 

Blueberry Crostata 

for the pastry:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cold and diced
• 3 tablespoons ice water

for the topping:

• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt 
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold

for the filling:

• 2 cups fresh blueberries
• 3 tablespoons turbinado sugar, divided
• juice and zest of half a lemon
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon butter, softened

make:

Place the flour, sugar and salt into the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse to combine. Add the butter and toss quickly to coat each cube of butter with flour. Pulse 15 times, until the butter is the size of peas. With the motor running, add the ice water, continuing to pulse but stop the machine just before the dough comes together. Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface, roll it into a ball and form into a flat disk. Wrap the disk in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. To make the topping, use the food processor and pule together all ingredients until coarse. Set aside. 

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, combine the berries, sugar, lemon zest, juice and cornstarch and set aside.

Roll the pastry into an 11-inch circle on a lightly floured surface. Transfer it onto the prepared baking sheet. Smear half of the caramelized white chocolate in the center of the pastry. Top with the blueberry mixture, topping, and any extra blonde chocolate. Fold and crimp the edges of the pastry into to the center. Brush with butter and sprinkle crust with the remaining turbinado sugar. 

Bake the crostata for 20 to 25 minutes, until the crust is golden and the fruit is tender. Serve warm with ice cream for a killer dessert or at room temperature with a cup of coffee for a killer breakfast.