Friday, January 7, 2011

Bananas Foster.... A Trip Back In Time

Honestly, I had not had Bananas Foster since I was a young girl, but suddenly came down with the worst craving for them after seeing an e-magazine recipe for them. Suddenly, I had to have them and could not wait. Oddly enough, I was stuffed after dinner and not all that hungry. However, the bananas were beginning to turn brown and spotty, so I decided to go ahead and make it even though Mr. Snoots had already retired for the evening.


I cannot begin to tell you how absolutely divine they were. I ended up eating my portion as well as that of Mr. Snoots. You snooze, you lose, right? So, here is this divine recipe:


Bananas Foster:

Ingredients:


4 under ripe bananas (sliced in half lengthwise & those sliced in half)

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon allspice

1/2 teaspoon of freshly ground nutmeg (although it's fine to use the store-bought powder)

1 tablespoon banana liqueur

1/2 cup dark Jamaican rum

1/4 cup of cheap brandy

1/2 teaspoon finely grated orange zest


Directions:

Melt butter in a 10-inch heavy skillet over low heat. Add brown sugar, allspice and nutmeg and stir until sugar dissolves. Add banana liqueur and bring sauce to simmer. Add bananas and cook for 1 minute on each side, carefully spooning sauce over bananas as they are cooking. Remove bananas from pan to a serving dish. Bring sauce to a simmer and carefully add the rum. If the sauce is very hot, the alcohol will flame on its own. If not, using stick flame, carefully ignite and continue cooking until flame dies out, approximately 1 to 2 minutes. If sauce is too thin, cook for 1 to 2 minutes until it is syrupy in consistency. Add orange zest and stir to combine. Immediately spoon the sauce over bananas and serve. Serve with waffles, crepes, or ice cream.

You can serve it over ice cream or cake or yogurt, but don't bother. It is absolutely fabulous all on its own. You can thank me later....