Coolhaus - Bananas Foster

Bananas Foster - Banana Ice Cream with a Rum-Spiked Dulce de Leche Swirl

I am continuing to reap the benefits of the new flavors I discovered at Whole Foods a few weeks ago.  Today's review is for the Culver-City-based Coolhaus brand's implementation of Bananas Foster.  Bananas Foster is one of those desserts whose origin is precisely known.  It was invented by the chef Paul Blange at Brennan's Restaurant in New Orleans in 1951.  It is named after Richard Foster, a local awning maker, friend of the Brennans and a frequent customer of the restaurant.  The desssert was a hit and its popularity quickly spread.  Over the years, that original Brennan's restaurant has undergone a series of renovations and relocations, but as of right now there is once again a restaurant with that name in the French Quarter run by members of the Brennan family.   Bananas Foster is on the dessert menu there and the original recipe is available online.

As mentioned in previous reviews, Coolhaus is the brand which is "architecturally inspired" so every flavor has its own architectural mascot.  The flavor nickname for this pint is "Norman Bananas Foster" after the British architect Norman Foster.  Foster is quite well known and has designed some iconic structures across the world such as the new dome on the refurbished Reichstag in Berlin, the distinctive Hearst Tower near Columbus Circle in New York and the great Millau Viaduct in the south of France.  He has also one of the architects of "Modern London" --  designing the new city hall, the Millennium Bridge and the Gherkin.  

On to the ice cream!  Removing the lid shows the off-white color of the banana-flavored base with hints of the swirl on top.  Eating my way into the pint, the banana flavoring is quite strong.  I love banana, so this is good for me, but some people may prefer a milder banana flavor.  As I ate my way down, I had trouble finding the swirl.  I think there was a slight mixing issue with this particular pint.  I eventually found the swirl but you'll notice the pictures below are a bit further down than usual.  The first third of the pint was all banana.  The swirl was not a thick milky caramel like previous dulce de leche's I've had, it had a pasty consistency like a burnt brown sugar.  That makes sense as Bananas Foster is often done as a flambe.  There is a slight bite to the swirl from the rum flavoring.  

I did enjoy the pint.  Banana is one of my favorite flavors and the strong banana flavoring did not disappoint.  As much as I liked the pint, though, it actually made me want to have a real order of Bananas Foster, instead.  If that is not available , then this flavor is a decent substitute.