Bananas Foster

 

Below is an article about the dish known as Bananas Foster:



BANANAS FOSTER

One of the more popular dishes to originate in New Orleans, Louisiana is the dessert known as Bananas Foster. Ironically, trade involving countries such as Cuba and Honduras played major roles in the creation of the dessert.

Bananas Foster is a dessert made from cooked bananas, brown sugar and rum sauce. A cooking technique called flambé is used to caramelize the sauce. Vanilla ice cream or crepe filling is usually served with the dessert. However, the dish can be eaten on its own with the additions. Cinnamon and nutmeg have often been used as seasoning for the dish.

Bananas Foster had originated at the famous Brennan's restaurant in New Orleans. Before 1951, the restaurant was known as Owen Brennan's Vieux Carré Restaurant. The wife of Owen Brennan's brother John had ties with the Standard Fruit Company. Standard was one of many fruit companies based in New Orleans at the time and bananas had developed into a million dollar industry by the post-World War II era. John also owned and managed a produce company.

In 1951, John's produce company had a surplus of bananas. One night, the Brennan family hosted a dinner in honor of the New Orleans Crime Commission chairman, Richard Foster at Owen's Vieux Carré restaurant, which Owen and John's sister, Ella Brennan, managed. Owen had requested that Ella come up with a new dessert for their guest. Finding herself in near panic, Ella and the restaurant's chef Paul Blangé decided to utilize the excess bananas that had been delivered to the restaurant. Inspired by the Baked Alaska dessert that was popular at another local restaurant and the caramelized bananas that her mother had often made for breakfast, Ella decided to prepare the caramelized bananas, pour rum and banana liqueur on top and flambé them. Ella and Blangé served the dish on top of a vanilla ice cream.

The new dessert proved to be a big hit that night. And the Brennans decided to name it "Bananas Foster" after their guest. Not only was the dessert a big hit at that dinner in Foster's honor, it became a top-selling dessert at Brennan's. The dessert is now considered Brennan's signature dessert. In fact, Bananas Foster eventually developed a reputation as one of New Orleans' most famous desserts.

Below is a recipe for Bananas Foster at the New Orleans Restaurants.com website:


Bananas Foster

Ingredients

*1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
*1 cup brown sugar
*1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
*1/4 cup banana liqueur
*4 bananas, cut in half lengthwise, then halved
*1/4 cup dark rum
*4 scoops vanilla ice cream


Preparations

*Combine the butter, sugar, and cinnamon in a flambé pan or skillet.
*Place the pan over low heat either on an alcohol burner or on top of the stove, and cook, stirring, until the sugar dissolves.
*Stir in the banana liqueur, then place the bananas in the pan.
*When the banana sections soften and begin to brown, carefully add the rum.
*Continue to cook the sauce until the rum is hot, then tip the pan slightly to ignite the rum.
*When the flames subside, lift the bananas out of the pan and place four pieces over each portion of ice cream.
*Generously spoon warm sauce over the top of the ice cream and serve immediately.