Wednesday, February 11, 2015

Brandy Alexander Nice Cream Sundays for Two


Brandy Alexanders have intrigued me since I first heard the Feist song of the same name. They sounded like a hopelessly romantic cocktail with a turn of the century charm and my 20-year old self really wanted to try one.


Seven years later, I've finally tried one. Just in time for Valentine's Day!

They're usually made with only three ingredients: brandy, créme de cacao, and cream. Shake it up in a cocktail shaker with ice and strain into a glass for a cool and refreshing chocolaty drink that will sneak up on you in the worst of ways. They make for a great dessert drink, and so I went ahead and made them into a full-fledged dessert that's easy to make, relatively healthy (aside from the alcohol, its nearly entirely made of fruit!), and looks and tastes decadent enough to have on Valentine's Day. I give you the Brandy Alexander "Nice" Cream Sunday!

The nice cream is actually made from blended frozen bananas. If you've never tried doing this, I promise that you will be pleasantly surprised. All you have to do is freeze the bananas and then pulverize them in your food processor or high-powered blender. They'll magically turn into a creamy banana mess with a smooth, soft serve-like texture. If you want to make them have more of an ice cream consistency, you can put them into an ice cream maker at this point, although I don't recommend sticking them straight back into the freezer because they'll get icy. If you don't want to make the nice cream, you can always just use the Brandy Alexander sauce on regular vegan vanilla ice cream.

The syrup is made from frozen cherries, the liquors, and cocoa powder. So all in all no added sugar (liquors aside), and a few servings of fruit and healthy cacao to boot.

I was concerned that the créme de cacao might actually have some cream in it, so I headed on over to Barnivore.com to check. The brands of créme de cacao they had listed were vegan, but unfortunately my liquor store didn't carry those brands. They only carried Hiram Walker, which upon checking Barnivore again, thankfully appeared to be vegan. However, to note, the brand DeKuyper may not be vegan, if you happen across it.

If you're interested in just a plain Brandy Alexander, I've done some testing for you. Out of all your options for vegan creams, I recommend a coconut milk-based dairy free creamer like the So Delicious brand. The creamer gave the drink more body and flavor than almond, rice, or soy milk (I really was determined to test and find the BEST for you friends! It was a difficult job, but someone had to do it!). The ratios for Brandy Alexander's are: 1 parts brandy, 1 parts créme de cacao, and 2 parts coconut creamer.

Now without further adieu, I give you, The Sunday.


Brandy Alexander Nice Cream Sundays

Makes: 2 sundays

Time: 15 minutes


For the Brandy Alexander Sauce

1/3 cup brandy
1/3 cup créme de cacao
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 cup frozen sweet cherries

Combine the brandy, créme de cacao, cocoa powder, and cornstarch in a measuring cup. Whisk until combined. Add the mixture and the frozen cherries to a small saucepan, and turn the heat to medium. Stirring regularly, bring the mixture to a slow boil and mash the cherries with the back of a fork. Simmer until the sauce has thickened, then remove from heat.

For the Nice Cream

4 frozen bananas (be sure to peel them before freezing them!)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

In your food processor or high speed blender, process the bananas until they have the consistency of soft serve ice cream. I used a Vitamix and it took less than two minutes, but I did have to press the bananas into the blade with the stick. 

To Serve

1/3 cup chopped walnuts
4 frozen cherries

Split the nice cream between two serving bowls and pour the Brandy Alexander sauce over the nice cream. Top with the walnuts and the cherries as desired. 


Cheers!

5 comments:

  1. Wow! This looks fabulous! I'm definitely trying it.

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    Replies
    1. Thank you! Let me know how you like it!! :)

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  2. Thanks to the author for your work.GOOD work.

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  3. Hi Jess! Are you know how to make brandy alexander nice cream? Its beauteously so nice.

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