Today’s creative chefs have a knack for knowing just how to reinterpret classic dessert favorites. For example, acclaimed pastry chef Johnny Iuzzini, in partnership with Le Méridien Hotels & Resorts, will create eight seasonal, signature eclairs over the next year for the new Le Meridien Éclair culinary program. Locally inspired versions include the San Francisco Caramelized Corn and Blueberry Éclair with Raw Honey and Almonds. Elsewhere in this section you’ll find executive pastry chef Jordi Panisello’s take on an American classic, the Twinkie. His version, the Jordi, is served at newly opened Chez Bon Bon, Fontainebleau Miami Beach. Also, pastry chef Amy Lemon shares the recipe for Banana Pudding Layer Cake ($8)—her reinterpretation of Emeril’s Banana Cream Pie—served at NOLA, Emeril’s funky, casual French Quarter restaurant in New Orleans.
Signature dessert: Lemony ticket
It’s a torte, it’s a New Orleans classic, it’s an excuse to eat lemon buttercream, it’s a ticket to indulgence. Earning an almost cult-like following with guests, the Lemon Doberge Cake ($12) at Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steak House in Chicago is made from scratch daily, and frosted with three different lemony icings, including lemon buttercream. Corporate executive chef Thomas Dritsas says, “The cake’s subtle flavors recall moments of simple times with simple flavors. Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steak House’s version nods to the brand’s deep roots in the traditions of New Orleans.”
