The Best Desserts Are Made At Home

Let’s face it: New Year’s Eve desserts at most restaurants are mediocre. My guess is that either chefs feel guests are no longer concentrating on the food by dessert time, or their effort is devoted to getting 150 steak dinners on the table by midnight, and not to creating cream and butter masterpieces.

When you’re making plans for the night, schedule an after-dinner stop at home for a marvelous dessert for two - a velvety smooth ice cream, studded with bananas and cashews. You can prepare the ice cream several days in advance, if you like, and keep it in the freezer.

Buy your favorite cookies or bake buttery, crunchy biscotti to accompany the ice cream. Then go out and enjoy the night, knowing that you’ve got the best, sweetest ending for the year at home.

Banana-Cashew Ice Cream

2 medium, ripe bananas, cut into pieces

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/3 cup simple syrup (see note)

1 cup whipping cream

1/3 cup coarsely chopped salted cashews

Puree bananas and lemon juice in food processor or blender. Add cinnamon and simple syrup. Add cream and blend. Cover and chill 1 hour if mixture is not very cold.

Process mixture in ice cream machine according to manufacturer’s directions. When ice cream is almost firm, stir in nuts and continue processing to desired firmness. Serve immediately.

Yield: 4 (1/2-cup) servings.

Note: To make simple syrup, combine 1/4 cup water and 1/4 cup sugar in small pan. Bring to boil without stirring. Cook until sugar dissolves. Makes cup syrup.

Tropical Fruit Biscotti

5 tablespoons butter

10 tablespoons sugar (1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons)

1 egg

1 egg yolk

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Juice of 1 small orange

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup diced dried tropical fruit mix (see note)

1/4 to 1/3 cup coarsely chopped roasted hazelnuts or walnuts (see note)

Cream together butter and sugar using electric mixer. Beat in egg and egg yolk until smooth. Beat in vanilla, orange juice, flour, baking powder and salt. Dough will be stiff but sticky; do not overbeat or biscotti will be tough. Stir in fruit and nuts.

Shape dough into 12- by 3-inch log on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 325 degrees oven 30 to 40 minutes or until light golden brown and firm. Remove from oven and cool 10 minutes.

Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees. Using serrated knife, cut log on the diagonal into slices 3/4 inch thick. Place slices, cut side down, on baking sheet. Return to oven and bake 10 minutes. Remove from oven. Flip each biscotti over and return to oven to bake 10 minutes longer. Remove from oven. Cool on wire rack.

Yield: 16 biscotti.

Note: If you can’t find tropical fruit mix (consisting of dried mango, papaya and pineapple), substitute diced dried peaches and/or apricots and pears. If desired, use 1/4 cup chopped nuts and add 1/4 cup shredded sweetened coconut.