When those ice cream cravings hit, there’s a simple topping that adds some warmth, bitterness, and some complexity to a simple bowl of Ben & Jerry’s: Bananas Foster. Even better, if you aren’t feeling the ice cream, this dish can also be served over some French toast for breakfast.

This warm, gooey, slightly alcoholic topping is actually incredibly easy to make. The ingredients are always in season, and it’s also a nice way to make a simple bowl of ice cream look very fancy. FlambĂ© the dish for added flare. Just be careful to not burn anything down! Keep reading below for the recipe…

Bananas Foster

(makes 4 servings)

Ingredients

  • 1 stick butter
  • 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 1/2 cup dark rum
  • 1/4 cupbanana liquor
  • 2 whole bananas sliced into quarters
  • 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
  • a dash of cinnamon

Directions

  1. In a large frying pan, melt the butter over low heat.
  2. Stir in the brown sugar and cinnamon until the sugar dissolves.
  3. Add heavy cream and stir until incorporated.
  4. Add the banana liqueur and stir.
  5. Add the bananas and cook until they begin to soften and brown. Stir to make sure they don’t burn.
  6. Meanwhile, in a separate pot, add the rum and let warm on low heat.
  7. Once the rum is slightly warmed or steaming, turn both flames off on the stove, then pour the rum over the banana mixture.
  8. Use a long match (or light the flame again and slightly tip the pan to the flame, but honestly a match is probably safer) to ignite the alcohol in the pan.
  9. Shake the pan occasionally to calm the flame down slightly. Once the flames burn themselves out, serve immediately over vanilla ice cream or French Toast.
  10. Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Reluctant Gourmet

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