What is Bananas Foster?
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Bananas Foster is a dessert made from bananas and vanilla ice cream, with a sauce made from butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, dark rum, and banana liqueur. It was created in 1951 at Brennan’s Restaurant in New Orleans, Louisiana. The dish was named after Richard Foster, a friend of Owen Brennan, the restaurant’s owner, and then-chairman of the New Orleans Crime Commission. It was developed to promote bananas, which were imported through the port of New Orleans by the Standard Fruit Company.
The preparation of Bananas Foster involves cooking the bananas in the butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon until the sugar dissolves and the bananas soften. Then, dark rum and banana liqueur are added and ignited to flambé the bananas. The alcohol burns off during this process, leaving a rich and caramelized sauce. The bananas and sauce are then served over vanilla ice cream.
Here’s a simple recipe:
- In a skillet, melt butter over medium heat.
- Add brown sugar and cinnamon, stirring until sugar dissolves.
- Add sliced bananas to the pan, cooking until they are soft and begin to brown.
- Carefully add the dark rum and banana liqueur to the skillet.
- Ignite the sauce with a long lighter to flambé, and cook until the flames subside.
- Serve immediately over vanilla ice cream.
