BANANAS FOSTER

Servings: six to eight.


Created at Brennan’s restaurant in New Orleans in 1951, this classic dessert was named after loyal customer Richard Foster. Firm, ripe bananas are sautéed in a rum-infused caramel sauce, then flambéed in front of diners and spooned over vanilla ice cream. For extra pyrotechnics, throw a pinch of cinnamon onto the sauce as it flames.

Ingredients
2 oz. (4 Tbs.) unsalted butter
1 cup lightly packed dark brown sugar
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 cup banana liqueur
4 firm-ripe bananas, peeled, halved lengthwise, then halved crosswise
1/4 cup amber rum, such as Old New Orleans or Goslings
1 pint vanilla ice cream

Nutritional Information

Preparation
In a 12-inch skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Stir in the brown sugar and cinnamon and cook until moist, about 1 minute. Add the banana liqueur and cook, stirring continuously, until the grainy texture disappears and the mixture rolls off the spoon in a steady stream, 1 to 2 minutes. Put the banana quarters rounded side down in the pan. Cook until the bananas begin to soften, 2 to 3 minutes.



Turn the bananas onto their flat sides. Remove the pan from the heat and pour in the rum. Set the pan over high heat and carefully ignite the rum with a long match or grill lighter. Gently shake the pan until the flame subsides. Remove from the heat.

Place a generous scoop of ice cream in 6 to 8 individual heatproof dessert bowls. Arrange 2 to 3 pieces of sautéed banana around each scoop of ice cream. Spoon on the sauce and serve immediately.