REVIEW: New Orleans Ice Cream Co. Bananas Foster

After enjoying flavors like Jeni's Hummingbird Cake, Blue Bell's Banana Pudding, Ben & Jerry's Banana Cream Pie and Talenti's Banana Chocolate Swirl, I think I'm beginning to come around to the idea of banana-infused ice cream. Having already built a stellar reputation with me, I'm ready to see what New Orleans Ice Cream Company can bring to the table with their Bananas Foster. A dessert originated in New Orleans, bananas foster is typically made from bananas and vanilla ice cream, accompanied by a sauce made with butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, dark rum and banana liqueur. 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.

After learning that the birthplace of bananas foster was, indeed, in New Orleans, I'm ready to sample some of this classic dessert. Although I've grown to appreciate a quality banana base, I'd much rather have these real banana pieces blended with a rich caramel ice cream instead. Removing the golden lid reveals a great looking first layer. Slivers of rum-soaked bananas, as well as a dark caramel sauce, spread across the light-colored ice cream. It's hard to ignore the strong smell of spiced rum rushing out of the container.

Grabbing some of the base ice cream first, this packs some serious complexity. Allowing mellow notes of banana to come through, as well as stronger hints of rum and nutmeg, the ice cream changes profiles the entire time it travels across your taste buds. Without assistance, this base ice cream has hit the nail on the head as far as capturing bananas foster in frozen form. The flavors are perfectly balanced, bringing equal parts caramel, banana, nutmeg and rum to create an ice cream where no one ingredient overshadows another.

The thick swirl of sauce takes what the base ice cream has brought forth and amplifies it. Adding increased amounts of rum, nutmeg and caramel, it intensifies the flavors of bananas foster without going too far. But flavor isn't the only thing this swirl brings. The thick, caramel-like consistency of the swirl adds a textural advantage as well. As I continued to eat my way through the pint, I eventually came across a few frozen chunks of actual banana.

These cube-sized, pieces of banana don't carry along the typical frozen consistency like strawberries or cherries tend to do. Most likely attributed to the lower water content of a banana versus other fruits, the pieces remain soft, flavorful and round out this selection. Everything comes together to create a thick, sticky ice cream that seems like it should set you back more than 200 calories per serving. Leave it to New Orleans Ice Cream Company to push the envelope yet again, adding some Big Easy flair to a traditional dessert.

Where I Found It: Ice Cream Source
Grade: A