Description
Classic New Orleans Bananas Foster is a rich, warm dessert featuring sautéed bananas in a buttery brown sugar cinnamon sauce flambéed with dark rum, served over creamy vanilla ice cream. This quick and indulgent treat offers a perfect balance of sweet, spiced, and boozy flavors.
Ingredients
Scale
Bananas Foster
- 2 ripe bananas
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ cup dark rum
For Serving
- Vanilla ice cream (amount as desired)
Instructions
- Prepare the Bananas: Peel and slice the bananas diagonally into thick pieces to ensure they hold their shape during cooking.
- Melt Butter: In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the unsalted butter, allowing it to become bubbly but not browned to create a smooth base for the sauce.
- Create Syrup: Stir in the brown sugar and ground cinnamon into the melted butter, cooking until the sugar dissolves and forms a rich, fragrant syrup.
- Sauté Bananas: Add the banana slices to the skillet and sauté them gently for 2 to 3 minutes until they become tender but not mushy, absorbing the syrup’s flavor.
- Flambé with Rum: Carefully pour the dark rum over the bananas and ignite it to flambé. Allow the flames to subside naturally to burn off the alcohol and deepen the sauce’s flavor.
- Serve Immediately: Spoon the warm bananas and sauce over scoops of vanilla ice cream, ensuring every bite is luscious and warm against the cold ice cream.
Notes
- Use ripe but firm bananas to prevent them from becoming too mushy during cooking.
- For a non-alcoholic version, omit the dark rum and substitute with vanilla extract or rum flavoring added after cooking.
- Exercise caution when flambéing; keep a fire extinguisher nearby and avoid wearing loose clothing.
- Serve immediately to enjoy the best contrast between the warm sauce and cold ice cream.
- If rum is not available, other aged spirits can be used, but dark rum is traditional for authentic flavor.
