When you have had your fill tomorrow of Tacos and Tequila...head on over the Michael’s Genuine® Food & Drink for The Cinco de Sundae, created just for the 5th of May festivities by Amy Kalinowski, the new dessert and pastry chef who has taken up residence at Michael's! 

Here is the latest news as reported by Tess Gostfrand on The Genuine Kitchen blog!

Amy has been with the Genuine Hospitality Group before and  brings almost 10 years of culinary experience to her new post, including three of them spent in the Genuine pastry department. 

Kalinowski holds a degree from Johnson & Wales University in South Florida. After a few years working at various restaurants as a night plater and cake decorator, Amy found herself at Michael’s Genuine Food & Drink in 2008, where she honed her technical and practical skills and began developing recipes of her own under the tutelage of the legendary Hedy Goldsmith. As Pastry Assistant during this formative time at the restaurant, she found herself working with Goldsmith to develop the Sweets section for Schwartz’s iconic Brunch service introduced in 2009. Putting out countless, weekly-changing plates during those marathon Sunday shifts on the pastry line stretched both her stamina and imagination. 

For her decadent, Cinco de Sundae creation,  Amy wanted to use traditional Mexican ingredients in an unusual way, as is her style.

Amy’s Cinco de Sundae is a delicious combination of housemade coconut ice cream, tequila caramel, grilled pineapple, and toasted coconut and macadamia nuts. She starts with a whole skinned pineapple on the grill, which just gets a sheen of vegetable oil to help deliver juicy grill marks.  She carefully handles the fruit with a kitchen towel, as pineapple’s high water content means it holds heat!

You want that char on all sides, and Amy insists grilling intact makes for a better final product. Once done, she cuts the pineapple into discs, then into quarters. In the restaurant, Amy grates real coconuts and spreads the macadamia nuts in one layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet, toasting them at 300° for about 10 minutes. To assemble the sundae, Amy starts with a deep chilled bowl and layers the ice cream on the bottom, followed by a generous drizzle of tequila caramel and topped with a sprinkle of as many macadamia nuts, coconut and pieces of pineapple you desire.

Since most of us don’t have restaurant grade ice cream machines at home, choose your favorite brand of coconut ice cream and make the toppings — they’re what make this dessert distinctly May 5 and unmistakably Amy’s!  Feliz Cinco de Mayo!

Tequila Caramel Sauce

Makes 2 1/2 cups

1 cup sugar
¾ cup cream
3 tablespoons tequila
¼ cup butter
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon lime juice

Place a sauce pot with ¼ cup of water on the stove, add the sugar and cook over high heat. Do not move the pot until you see the sugar turn a caramel color, then begin to stir the mixture until it becomes a light amber color. When the mixture reaches light amber, turn off the heat and very carefully and slowly whisk in the cream. Once the cream is incorporated, add the tequila, butter, salt and lime juice. Allow to cool to just above room temperature. The caramel sauce will hold up to one month in the refrigerator in a sealed, airtight container.

Michael's Genuine Food & Drink

130 NE 40th St, Miami, FL 33137

305 573 5550

( Recipe and image provided by The Genuine Hospitality Group )