Bananas Foster with Dark Rum Caramel

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

The tableside classic from New Orleans, scaled to one skillet on your stove: butter and dark brown sugar cooked into a loose caramel, bananas basted until just tender at the edges but still holding their shape, then a splash of dark rum lit for 20 seconds so the raw alcohol burns off and leaves behind toffee and vanilla. Spooned hot over cold vanilla ice cream, it's ten minutes from cold butter to dessert — and the fruit, not the sauce, is still the point.

Ingredients

• 5 tbsp unsalted butter
• 2/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 2 tbsp heavy cream
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp finely grated orange zest (optional)

• 4 firm-ripe bananas (yellow with green tips, no brown spots)
• 3 tbsp dark rum
• 2 tbsp banana liqueur (optional, or substitute more dark rum)

• 1 pint good vanilla bean ice cream
• 1/4 cup toasted pecan pieces (optional)
• flaky sea salt, for finishing

Instructions

1. Set up before you turn on the heat: scoop 4 portions of ice cream into shallow bowls and return them to the freezer, measure the rum and banana liqueur into a small cup (never pour from the bottle at the stove), and have a long fireplace match or long lighter plus a metal pan lid within reach. Turn off any range hood fan and move anything flammable away from the burner.
2. Peel the bananas and cut each one in half crosswise, then split each half lengthwise, giving you 16 pieces. Do this just before cooking so they don't brown.
3. In a 10- to 12-inch skillet with low, sloped sides (stainless or cast iron, not nonstick), melt the butter over medium heat. Add the brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt and stir with a heatproof spatula until the sugar dissolves into a glossy, bubbling sauce, about 2 minutes.
4. Stir in the heavy cream, vanilla, and orange zest. Let the sauce simmer 1 minute more, until it thickens slightly and coats the spatula. It should look like loose caramel, not grainy — if it looks split, whisk in 1 more teaspoon of cream.
5. Lay the banana pieces in the pan cut side down in a single layer. Cook 60 to 90 seconds without moving them, then spoon sauce over the tops, flip carefully with tongs or a small spatula, and cook 60 seconds more. The bananas should be hot and just glazed, with the edges softening but the pieces still intact — total time in the pan is under 3 minutes.
6. Slide the pan off the heat and wait 10 seconds so it isn't ripping hot. Pour the banana liqueur and rum into one spot at the edge of the pan (not over the center), then return the pan to medium heat for about 15 seconds to warm the alcohol.
7. Keeping your face and hands well back and your sleeves clear, tilt the pan slightly away from you and touch a long lit match to the far edge of the liquid. It will flare blue-orange. Gently swirl the pan by the handle until the flames die on their own, 20 to 40 seconds. If a flame is ever taller than you'd like, simply cover the pan with the lid to smother it — the dessert is not harmed.
8. Once the flames are out, set the pan back over low heat for 15 seconds and swirl to bring the sauce back together into a shiny syrup that coats the bananas.
9. Working quickly, pull the ice cream from the freezer and lay 4 banana pieces over each scoop. Spoon the hot sauce from the pan over the top, scatter with toasted pecans, and finish with a few flakes of sea salt. Serve immediately — the contrast of hot fruit and cold cream lasts about a minute, which is the whole idea.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

More from Sprig Originals

Frozen Chocolate–Caramel Peanut Nougat Bars

Blueberry Peach Buckle with Almond Streusel

Creole Cream Cheese Cheesecake with Salted Caramel and Dark Chocolate

Are you this recipe's original author or publisher? Report a problem