Brown Butter Bananas Foster (No Flambé)

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

All the dark-caramel, rum-soaked glory of the New Orleans classic without setting anything on fire. You brown the butter first for a nutty backbone, build a glossy brown sugar caramel, then slide the bananas in off the heat so they warm through and stay in whole, silky pieces instead of collapsing into mush. Spooned over cold vanilla ice cream, the hot-and-cold contrast does the tableside drama for you.

Ingredients

• 6 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 3 tbsp heavy cream
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt, plus a pinch for finishing
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 pinch freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/4 cup dark or aged rum
• 1 tbsp banana liqueur (optional)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp fresh lemon juice

• 4 firm-ripe bananas (yellow with few or no spots)
• 1 pint good vanilla bean ice cream
• 1/4 cup pecans, toasted and roughly chopped (optional)
• Flaky sea salt, for finishing

Instructions

1. Scoop 4 generous portions of ice cream into chilled bowls or onto a small parchment-lined tray and return them to the freezer. Cold, firm ice cream is what makes this dessert work — do this before you touch the stove.
2. Peel the bananas and slice each one in half lengthwise, then crosswise, so you have 4 spears per banana. Set them on a plate and keep them near the stove; do not cut them more than 10 minutes ahead or they will brown.
3. In a 10- to 12-inch stainless or light-colored skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Continue cooking, swirling the pan often, for 3 to 5 minutes: it will foam, quiet down, and the milk solids at the bottom will turn golden brown and smell nutty. Pull it off the heat the moment it smells like toasted hazelnuts — it goes from brown to burnt in under a minute.
4. Return the pan to medium-low heat and add the brown sugar, heavy cream, kosher salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Stir constantly with a heatproof spatula for 2 to 3 minutes, until the sugar dissolves and the caramel is smooth, glossy, and just barely bubbling around the edges. Scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan — that is the flavor.
5. Stand back slightly and pour in the rum and banana liqueur, if using. Keep the pan on medium-low and simmer, stirring, for 60 to 90 seconds to cook off the harsh alcohol edge. Do not tilt the pan toward a gas flame and do not ignite it — the caramel is already doing the work. The sauce should coat the back of a spoon.
6. Turn the heat off completely and let the pan sit for 30 seconds so it stops bubbling. Stir in the vanilla and lemon juice.
7. Add the banana spears to the off-heat caramel in a single layer, cut side down. Let them sit in the residual heat for 60 seconds, then gently turn each piece with a spoon and let them go another 60 to 90 seconds. They should be warm, glossy, and still holding their shape — if the pan cools too fast, set it back over low heat for no more than 30 seconds.
8. Pull the ice cream from the freezer. Lay 4 banana spears over each portion, spoon the hot caramel generously over the top, and scatter with toasted pecans and a few flakes of sea salt. Serve immediately, while the caramel is still running and the ice cream is still frozen at the center.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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