Pastry chef Dru Tevis has created a cornucopia of sweets, but when you see the Food Network star in a photo, he’s often holding a baked Alaska, a dome-shaped ice cream cake topped with browned meringue. The classic dessert is one of several that is always in style.
“They are familiar to everyone, so when you see them on a menu, they evoke a happy memory,” explains Tevis, the 2022 grand prize winner of the “Holiday Baking Championship.”
The nostalgia creates appeal that’s hard to resist. “I always write a dessert menu with that in mind. I want the customer to see it and think, I have to have that!” says Tevis, the pastry chef at Thompson Island Brewing Company in Rehoboth Beach.
These six classics—with or without a twist—are famous examples.
The showstopper
Many maintain that baked Alaska was named in 1867 when the United States purchased Alaska from Russia. Regardless, the igloo-shaped dessert is a scientific marvel. The insulating meringue keeps the ice cream from melting while the meringue caramelizes in the oven.
At Thompson Island, Tevis has used flourless chocolate cake for the base and added layers of dark chocolate sorbet, coffee ice cream, and vanilla ice cream. His vanilla meringue is studded with “crack” candy and drizzled with chocolate and caramel sauce.
30133 Veterans Way, Rehoboth; 226-4677; thompsonislandbrewing.com
Star of the South
Bananas Foster—made from bananas and vanilla ice cream with butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon sauce—is bathed in dark rum and banana liqueur before the server ignites it. The dessert is named for New Orleans businessman Richard Foster, a friend of Owen Brennan, owner of Brennan’s Restaurant. Reportedly, Brennan challenged his chef to use imported bananas in a dish.
Although frequently found on Southern menus, the dessert is an old faithful at Vincente’s Restaurant, known for Italian cuisine. Perhaps that’s because founder Vincent Mancari loved interactive dishes, including a Caesar salad, which was also made tableside. He changed the bananas Foster recipe to include Southern Comfort, banana liqueur, and St. Rémy brandy. Have it over ice cream or cheesecake, suggests Daniel Mancari, Vincent’s son, who oversees the restaurant.
5914 Kirkwood Highway, Wilmington; 543-6451; vincentesrestaurant.com
Milky trifecta
Tres leches—a sponge cake soaked in evaporated, condensed, and whole milk—is widespread throughout Central America, with Nicaragua and Mexico claiming the bragging rights to its origin. The light but creamy cake is typically served in establishments with Latin American-inspired dishes. Consider My Sister’s Fault in Milford and Seaford.
10 Front St., Milford, 383-1798; 106 N. Cannon St., Seaford; 333-7505; order.my-sisters-fault.com
At Agave in Lewes and Rehoboth Beach, banana cake is soaked in coconut tres leches cream and topped with whipped cream, toasted coconut, and caramelized bananas.
137 Second St., Lewes, 645-1232; 19178 Coastal Highway, Rehoboth Beach, 462-4283; agaverestauarnts.com
In Brandywine Hundred, El Camino Mexican Kitchen adds chocolate.
3559 Silverside Road, Wilmington; 543-4245; elcaminokitchen.com
A signature snap:
Crème brûlée, a luscious custard with a crackling layer of caramelized sugar, is a mainstay at Harry’s Savoy Grill, which opened in 1988. However, it existed long before then. In 1879, Trinity College in Cambridge chefs put a burned sugar seal on crème à l’angloise (English cream).
2020 Naamans Road, Wilmington; 475-3000; harryshospitalitygroup.com
At Eclipse Bistro, the crème brûlée is torched at the table. “It’s a lot of fun for the staff and the guests,” says Jeff Matyger, the corporate chef for Platinum Dining, which operates the restaurant in Wilmington’s Little Italy.
1020 N. Union St., Wilmington; 658-1588; eclipsebistro.com
Ciao, Italia
Platinum Dining Group owns two Italian concepts: Taverna in Newark and Brandywine Hundred and Capers & Lemons in Greenville. Both serve panna cotta, an Italian sweet cream dessert thickened with gelatin. Like crème brûlée, panna cotta rose to fame in the late 20th century but originated the previous century. Today, the custard is a platform for creativity. For instance, you might find vanilla panna cotta with cherries and almonds at Capers & Lemons.
301 Little Falls Drive, Wilmington; 256-0524; capersandlemons.com
At Taverna, lemon panna cotta has been decorated with blueberry curd and lemon shortbread crumble.
121 E. Main St., Newark, 444-4334; 3549 Silverside Road, Wilmington, 384-8552; tavernapdg.com
Simply delicious
Tiramisu is made with ladyfingers dipped in coffee and layered with a creamy mix of mascarpone, eggs, and sugar. Again, this classic hit the menus in full force in the 1960s, although it’s likely based on a simpler dessert from the past.
At Bardea Food & Drink, pastry chef Amanda Nichols makes an éclair with tiramisu’s flavors. “The shell has a touch of cardamom, giving it a Turkish coffee flavor, and it’s topped with chocolate Pop Rocks and served with an affogato on the side,” she says.
620 N. Market St., Wilmington; 426-2069; bardeawilmington.com
Related: A New Crumbl Cookies Location Sweetens up Wilmington
