Bananas Foster

Bananas Foster
Bananas, dark brown sugar, brandy, and the possibility of flames.

The first time I made Bananas Foster, I thought I had died and gone to heaven. I began making it for demos when I was just starting out in the ice cream business. I decided to make Bananas Foster because it’s quick and delicious. After watching my demo and having a taste, customers would walk over and buy one or two of our pints to serve with it when they made it at home.

Bananas Foster has a place in culinary history near Crepes Suzette, Caesar Salad, Châteaubriand, Cherries Jubilee, and all those other famous dishes prepared or finished tableside by a trained server in a crisp waiter’s jacket.

If you are a showman, you can ignite this at the table, but that seems a little extreme to do at home, don’t you think? You might want to invite your friends into the kitchen to watch you set it aflame when you add the alcohol. If it doesn’t naturally ignite, you could use a stick lighter, but actually, I have never found that flambéing the sauce makes a difference in the flavor, so I choose to let it simmer a little bit after I add the brandy. Do be aware that when you add the alcohol you might see some flames—don’t panic, they will die out quickly.

Spoon this over Salty Vanilla Frozen Custard or any other flavor you wish, and top with whipped cream if desired.

Makes 8 servings

4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter, softened

½ cup packed dark brown sugar

2 tablespoons banana liqueur 

4 medium slightly underripe bananas, halved on the diameter and then halved lengthwise

½ cup brandy

Pinch of fine sea salt

Salty Vanilla Frozen Custard

Melt the butter in a 10-inch heavy skillet over low heat. Add the brown sugar and stir until it is evenly moistened. Add the banana liqueur and bring to a simmer. Add the bananas and cook, turning once, for about 30 seconds on each side, carefully spooning sauce over the bananas as they cook. Use a large slotted spatula to remove the bananas and divide among eight bowls, leaving as much of the sauce in the pan as possible.

Bring the sauce to a simmer and carefully add the brandy. If the sauce is very hot, the alcohol will ignite and then burn out momentarily; if it does not, just allow it to simmer for 3 to 4 minutes, until the sauce thickens a bit and becomes syrupy. Add the salt and stir.

Spoon the hot sauce over the bananas and serve immediately alongside a scoop of the ice cream.