Bananas Foster recipe Brennans New Orleans featured image courtesy of Sam Hanna

Written by Stephanie Burnette, Recipe by Brennan's Restaurant, Image courtesy of Sam Hanna

Culinary Class

Make Brennan’s Famous Bananas Foster in 3 Steps

By: The Local Palate

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Brennans New Orleans Bananas Foster recipe image courtesy of Sam Hanna — Image courtesy of Sam Hanna

A legendary Southern dessert is turning 75. Bananas Foster was created in 1951 in New Orleans at Brennan’s, and its origin story starts with too many bananas. Siblings Owen and Ella Brennan asked chef Paul Blangé to utilize a surplus at the family’s produce company. What commenced was an alchemy of butter, brown sugar, banana liqueur, and rum flambéed tableside. It remains the French Quarter’s best light show, repeated nightly across Brennan’s eight storied dining rooms.

Marking its 80th year, Brennan’s is now led by its first female executive chef, Kris Padalino. Her pastry acumen makes her an ideal guardian of the beloved dessert. “Bananas Foster is more than just a dessert; it’s a piece of culinary history,” she says. “Whether you’re enjoying it in our dining room or trying it in your home kitchen, you’re participating in a tradition that connects generations of diners to the soul of New Orleans hospitality.”

The dish echoes the making of caramel and is easy to achieve at home. Don’t fear the flame; alcohol burns off quickly and is contained by the pan. An oval shape works best. The dessert is spooned over vanilla ice cream, so use a good one. The completed sauce is resplendent, warm and glossy, and deserves a quality partner.

Like its hometown, Bananas Foster is equal parts theater and indulgence, proof that at Brennan’s, sweet endings are an integral part of the New Orleans refrain: laissez les bons temps rouler.

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Image courtesy of Sam Hanna

Recipe

yields

Serves 2-4

ingredients

¼ cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ cup banana liqueur
4 bananas, peeled and cut in half length wise, then halved
¼ cup dark rum
4 scoops vanilla ice cream

special equipment

Countertop butane range (about 8,000 BTU) with 8-ounce butane canister

steps

Combine butter, sugar, and cinnamon in a large, oval-shaped sauté pan. Place pan on gas burner over low heat and cook, stirring, until sugar dissolves. Stir in banana liqueur, then place bananas in pan. After about 2 minutes, when bananas soften and begin to brown and butter and sugar are bubbling, carefully add rum. Continue to cook sauce until rum is hot, about 30 seconds.
Tip pan towards you very slightly so dry part of pan gets really hot, about 20 seconds. Then tip pan away from you, not enough to spill the liquid but just enough so that the cooking flame can catch alcohol fumes and ignite. Immediately level the pan flat on the burner and turn off the gas. Flame will burst up so be prepared, but don’t worry: It will die down quickly. You can keep a metal lid or pan cover on the side if you’re worried about the flame extending too long.
When flames subside, scoop bananas out of pan with tongs and place four pieces over each portion of ice cream. Generously spoon warm sauce over ice cream and serve immediately.