Bananas Foster
Flambéed desserts have long illuminated historic New Orleans restaurant dining rooms with their showstopping flames. The most famous of these French Creole classics is bananas Foster, created in 1951 by chef Paul Blangé at the now-legendary Brennan's Restaurant. This luscious creation, traditionally prepared tableside, features sliced bananas flambéed with rum and vanilla.
In the 1950's, New Orleans was the major port of entry for bananas shipped from Central and South America. Owen Edward Brennan challenged his talented chef, Paul Blangé, to include bananas in a new culinary creation-Owen's way of promoting the imported fruit. Simultaneously, Holiday Magazine had asked Owen to provide a new recipe to appear in a feature article on Brennan's.
In 1951, Chef Paul created Bananas Foster. The scrumptious dessert was named for Richard Foster, who, as chairman, served with Owen on the New Orleans Crime Commission, a civic effort to clean up the French Quarter. Richard Foster, owner of the Foster Awning Company, was a frequent customer of Brennan's and a very good friend of Owen.
Little did anyone realize that Bananas Foster would become an international favorite and is the most requested item on the restaurant's menu. Thirty-five thousand pounds of bananas are flamed each year at Brennan's in the preparation of its world-famous dessert.
Bananas Foster
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
6 ripe bananas, peeled, sliced lengthwise and halved
1/4 cup banana liqueur
1/2 cup dark rum
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 pint vanilla ice cream
Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the brown sugar and stir until the sugar completely dissolves, about 2 minutes. Lay the bananas in the pan and cook on both sides until they become slightly soft and begin to brown, about 3 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and add the banana liqueur and then the rum and cinnamon. Tip the pan slightly and carefully ignite the alcohol with a long kitchen match or kitchen lighter to flambe. Put the pan back on the heat and shake it back and forth basting the bananas, until the flame dies out.
Divide the ice cream among dessert bowls. Gently lift the bananas from the pan and place 2 pieces on the ice cream. Spoon the sauce over the ice cream and serve immediately.
6 to 8 servings
Bananas Foster
from Daniel Gritzer, https://www.seriouseats.com/
In the original recipe from Brennan's, both rum and banana liqueur go into the pan. I considered calling for banana liqueur here too, but ultimately decided against it. I'm sure there are some legitimate uses for banana liqueur and perhaps some of you reading this already have a bottle in your liquor cabinet. But I can't in good conscience call for an ingredient with such limited utility when you really don't need it here. The bananas in the pan are banana-y enough, the rum tastes great, you will not miss it. That said, if you have banana liqueur and want to add a splash, please do.
Bananas Foster is best made right before serving and eaten immediately.
6 tablespoons (85 g) unsalted butter
1/2 cup light brown sugar (4 ounces; 113 g)
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 pinch ground nutmeg
Generous pinch kosher salt
3 medium ripe but firm bananas (about 1 pound; 450 g), split in half crosswise and then lengthwise
1/4 cup (60 ml) white or aged rum
Ice cream of your choice, for serving
In a large 12-inch stainless-steel skillet over medium-high heat, melt butter with the brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt while stirring and swirling, until mixture blends into a grainy liquid and begins to bubble, about 2 minutes. Add bananas, cut side down, and continue to cook, swirling gently, until liquid begins to resemble a more smooth caramel, about 2 minutes longer.
Add rum (do not pour directly from the bottle if working over an open flame), then tilt pan to ignite the alcohol from a gas burner, or carefully light with a match. Cook, shaking the pan, until the flames have died out and the caramel has thickened to a honey consistency, about 1 to 2 minutes. Alternatively, you can add the rum and not light it on fire, instead simmering until the rum has mostly cooked off and the caramel has reached a honey consistency.
Flip bananas cut side up, then transfer to serving plates with ice cream (2 pieces of banana each for 6 servings; 3 pieces of banana each for 4 servings; 4 pieces of banana each for 3 servings; or 6 pieces of banana each for 2 servings, if you're as gluttonous as I was on the day we photographed this).
Bananas Foster
Compliments Chef Patrick Mould, www.louisianaschoolofcooking.com
A classic New Orleans dessert that is loved by young and old. If you are serving it to the kids you may eliminate the rum if you wish - it would still be a classic. 1/4 cup orange juice
1 tablespoon lemon juice
one-half stick butter
one-half teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon cinnamon
4 tablespoons brown sugar
one-third cup light rum
4 bananas - quartered
4 scoops vanilla ice cream
1. In a medium size saute pan combine orange juice, lemon juice, butter, nutmeg, cinnamon and brown sugar.
2. Stir over medium heat until butter is melted and sugar is dissolved.
3. Add rum, being careful as it may flame up.
4. Simmer for 1 minute. Add bananas and simmer for additional 2 minutes.
5. Serve over vanilla ice cream.
Yields 4 servings.
