Bananas Foster

Yield: Serves 2 | Prep Time: 2 minutes | Cook Time: 5 minutes

Bananas Foster was first made in 1951 in New Orleans at a restaurant called Brennan’s. The city served as a major port for bananas coming in from South America, so chefs in that area got the freshest inventory to use when experimenting for their menus.

INGREDIENTS

4 tablespoons (½ stick) salted butter

½ cup packed dark brown sugar

¼ cup heavy cream

2 whole bananas, sliced on an angle into thick slices

½ cup dark or light rum

Dash of ground cinnamon

Vanilla ice cream, for serving

DIRECTIONS

1. In a heavy skillet, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the brown sugar and stir together. Add the heavy cream and cook for 5 minutes, then stir in the bananas. The mixture should be bubbling.
2. Pour in the rum and stir to combine. Carefully (see Note) use a very long kitchen match or grill lighter to ignite the alcohol in the pan, then let the mixture flame for 30 seconds or so. (It should go out on its own.) You can shake the pan a bit to get it to calm down. Remove from the heat and stir in the cinnamon.
3. Pour the sauce over the vanilla ice cream and serve.

NOTE

This recipe involves igniting alcohol, so be warned and exercise extreme caution!