Bring a bit of New Orleans to your kitchen with classic Bananas Foster! This famous dessert from Brennan's is made with bananas cooked in a buttery brown sugar and rum sauce, then flambéed and served with vanilla ice cream. It sounds impressive but takes just 5 minutes to make. I'll show you how to flambé Bananas Foster safely, which pan works best, what type of rum you need and how to make it without flambéing too! It's one of those easy recipes that feels restaurant-style but is simple enough to make at home.
About Bananas Foster
Bananas Foster is a legendary American recipe for flambeed bananas from Brennan's in New Orleans. It is made with sliced bananas cooked in a delicious butter, brown sugar and rum sauce. It is cooked and set alight at the table and served with vanilla ice cream. I think the food in New Orleans is one of the best in the country and this is no exception.
New Orleans was located close to the Caribbean and Central American plantations and in the 1950s, New Orleans was the primary banana capital of the United States and the base for many fruit companies. Banana boats would line the Mississippi River and trains would then transport the bananas across America.
Bananas Foster was created in 1951 at Brennan's, which is a restaurant still operating today in New Orleans. The owner Owen Brennan tasked his sister Ella to come up with a dish to help promote the flourishing banana industry. Owen named the dish after his friend and fellow member of the New Orleans Crime Commission Richard Foster. And it is still the best selling dessert there!
Why This Recipe Works and Why You'll Love It
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Bananas Foster is an easy dessert and quick to make. It takes around 5 minutes tops - seriously!
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I used to make bananas foster for a living when I made desserts for a Southern restaurant - those were some crazy days!
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I've used the basic ratio of butter and brown sugar that is shared by Brennan's but I found that their notes about the amount of bananas were unclear. I also give you subs for creme de banane because you may not want to buy a big bottle of banana liqueur!
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I'll show you step by step how to flambe safely.
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I'll also explain the best pan to use for flambeeing.
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One of the most important parts for flambeeing is the alcohol and I'll explain what you need to look for. Flambeeing looks so stunning, like in this Brown Sugar Pavlova with Banana Flambe and Vanilla Rum Syrup, so you want to make sure that it goes spectacularly and without a hitch!
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You actually don't need to flambe this if it's all a bit too much (sometimes you just can't cope with a live flame). You can cook the alcohol off on the stovetop.
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I'll also show you how to make Bananas Foster without alcohol!
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You can eat bananas foster as is with a scoop of ice cream but I love it with crepes and pancakes! If your bananas are a bit too ripe, have a look at other banana recipes list along with this Brown Sugar Banana Caramel Jam.
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I love the food in New Orleans and I've also recreated Beignets, Brabant Potatoes and King Cake and a Louisiana Bread and Butter Pudding!
Video How To Make Bananas Foster
Ingredients For Bananas Foster
Butter - Salted butter, you know me right? But seriously the salt balances a sweet dessert.
Light Brown Sugar - Soft light brown sugar. You can also use dark brown sugar if you want a more caramelised colour.
Cinnamon - Ground cinnamon is used but a speculoos or pumpkin spice mix would also work nicely.
Vanilla - This isn't part of the original Brennan's recipe but it does impart a lovely aroma.
Banana Liqueur - Creme de banane is a banana flavoured liqueur and you can find it by brands like Chroma, Vok or Gabriel Boudier. You can sub it with vanilla vodka (I LOVED it with this!), amaretto or more aged rum. Or the simplest sub is water!
Rum - Brennan's uses an aged rum which has a more intense flavour. However the most important thing if you want to flambe your rum is the ABV or Alcohol By Volume measure. Your rum must be over 40%. Look for a rum like Artillery rum that is aged for 8 years and 45% ABV. There is also Illegal Tender Rum at 45% ABV and Cargo Cult Navy Strength Rum at 54.5% ABV but these are not aged. The ABV is only important if you are flambeeing. However you may still be able to flambe with a 37-40% ABV liquor if you warm it first (see tips).
Bananas - Fresh bananas. Use ripe but firm bananas. Over ripe bananas will be too mushy to hold their shape once cooked.
Tips For Making Bananas Foster
1 - Some pans are better for flambeeing than others. Flambe pans have a long handle and are shallow with flared outward curving sides. They are not non stick as the high heat can weaken the non stick coating. A cast iron or stainless steel pan are best for flambeeing.
2 - Use two spoons to lift the banana from the pan so that it doesn't break. They should be soft but not mushy.
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