This cousin of Banana Foster is a Caribbean variation caramelized with cane sugar, citrus zest and rum! You’ll go bananas over these Bananes flambées!
This dessert will make you “bananas”! You’ll want more and more until the explosion… ok, maybe not until the explosion, but close to it. This has been a personal favourite since I was a kid. My dad used to make us “Bananes Flambées”; he was using “Grand Marnier” (an orange cognac) and his beautiful copper pan. He would only use it for this particular dish. As a kid, it was always frightening to see those big flames going up, and after all that adrenaline, you would get to eat the tastiest reward!
History
This dish comes from New Orleans, USA, and is called Bananas Foster. The US version uses a banana liqueur before flaming it, and some ice cream to accompany it. In the Caribbean, they use cane sugar instead of dark sugar for their Bananes Flambées; they usually use a little extra citrus slice or zest or coconut.
Cane Sugar
Cane sugar, on the other hand, is much lighter in colour than brown sugar. It is made from crushed sugarcane and is filled with minerals and antioxidants. It’s like a bite into raw sugar cane!
Safety First
While flambé the bananas, take all the safety precautions. If you make it on the cooktop, ensure to turn off your range hood. Otherwise, it will bring the flames into the ventilation pipes, which could be dangerous. Also, make sure to pour the rum into a glass first and don’t let it come out directly from the bottle, you never know. If you do the flaming at the table like my dad used to do, then make sure the kids are at a safe distance, and nothing flammable is around. Better safe than sorry!
Variations
This dish is straightforward, but many variations exist; some add nutmeg, others use Cognac instead of rum. You could add some extra peanuts to get a lovely salty crunch like in this recipe (Quick Air Fried Bananas). They add these caramelized bananas to crepes in France, which is some delicious stuff! So the world is wide open for your interpretation of this dish.
Other Tropical Desserts
Let’s get our pyromania impulses loosened up!
Bananes Flambees in Rum
Ingredients
- 3 bananas
- 40 g cane sugar (or brown sugar)
- 40 g butter
- 40 ml brown rum
- 1 tsp vanilla extract (*optional)
- 1/3 tsp lemon or orange zest
Instructions
- Cut the bananas lenghtwise.
- Melt butter in a large pan on medium heat, add the bananas.
- Add the zest, vanilla extract and cane sugar on top of the bananas.
- Let cook at medium-high heat for 2 minutes on each side.
- Pour in the rum, set on fire and lightly shake until the flame disappears.
