Bananas Foster

Prep: 10

Cook: 10

Total Time: 20

Yield: 4 servings

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Calories: 550kcal

Author: Jessica Gavin

Learn how to make bananas foster at home! A popular New Orleans dessert with caramel sauce that's flambéed with rum and served with ice cream.

Ingredients

▢ 4 bananas, ripe but firm, about 7 to 8" long
▢ ¼ cup (60 g) unsalted butter, cut into 4 slices
▢ 1 cup (198 g) brown sugar, firmly packed, light, golden or dark
▢ ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, plus more for dusting
▢ ¼ cup (60 ml) banana liqueur
▢ ¼ cup (60 ml) dark rum, or white
▢ 1 pint (480 ml) vanilla ice cream

Instructions

Prepare the Bananas - Peel the bananas, cut them in half, then cut them in half lengthwise. This creates 4 pieces per fruit.
Melt the Butter and Sugars - In a large skillet, add the sliced butter. Turn the heat to medium, tilting the pan as needed to heat evenly. Once melted, quickly add the brown sugar and cinnamon. Stir to combine, cooking until it looks like wet sand, about 1 minute. Slowly add the banana liqueur, and stir to combine. Cook until the sugar dissolves, about 30 seconds. The mixture will be bubbly.
Cook the Bananas - Quickly add the sliced bananas to the pan cut-side up, use a spoon to occasionally drizzle some of the sauce on top, cook for 1 ½ minute. Turn the bananas over, cut-side down, and cook until they soften but do not become mushy, about 1 to 1 ½ minutes.
Flambe the Bananas - Turn off the heat and carefully add the rum to the middle of the pan. Immediately turn the heat back to medium, until the sauce edges are bubbly, about 3 to 5 seconds. This helps the alcohol begin to vaporize so it can ignite.
Working quickly, stand back slightly and carefully place a long-reach lighter about 1 inch above the sauce on the side of the pan. Move the flame as needed to ignite. Once the flames appear, gently shake the pan until the fire subsides, about 15 to 20 seconds. If desired, carefully sprinkle cinnamon over the flames. It may show small sparks. Turn off the heat.
To Serve - Place four banana pieces in each serving bowl. Drizzle some of the warm caramel sauce over the top. Serve with a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream. Serve immediately.

Notes

Recipe Yield: 16 pieces
Serving Size: 4 pieces plus 1/2 cup ice cream
Adjusting Serving Size: Keep the sauce amount the same. For a smaller batch, use 1 to 3 bananas, about 1 banana per person.
Reducing Sweetness: For a less sweet and thick sauce, use ½ cup (3.5 ounces, 99g) of packed brown sugar.
Make it Alcohol-Free: Instead of banana liqueur, add ¼ cup of water or apple juice. Omit the rum, there will be no flambé step.
Safety Check: Before starting, make sure all side burners and overhead exhaust are off. The exhaust can pull up the flames. Make sure sleeves are rolled up and long hair is tied back.
Lighting the Flambee with a Gas Burner: If desired, the heat from the burners can be used to light the pan. After adding the rum, turn the heat to medium and wait for 3 to 5 seconds for the alcohol to warm up. Tip the right side of the pan, so that the edge sits in the middle of the burner and the flame makes contact with the side. Make sure to not spill the sauce! Wait a few seconds until the rum ignites. Set the pan back down and gently shake to distribute the flames until it subsides, about 15 to 20 seconds. Turn off the heat.

Nutrition

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