Banana Foster — rum and brown-sugar banana flambé
Bananas Foster is a New Orleans classic: ripe bananas cooked in butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and dark rum, flambéed at the table for a dramatic blue flame, and served over vanilla ice cream. The hot caramel sauce meets the cold ice cream in the bowl.
i. Origin & history
Bananas Foster was created in 1951 at Brennan's Restaurant in New Orleans, named for Richard Foster, a friend of the restaurant's owner Owen Brennan. It remains the canonical Brennan's dessert.
ii. Ingredients
Makes 4 servings · scroll the side panel to adjust
- 100 g unsalted butter
- 200 g muscovado sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp allspice
- 60 ml banana liqueur (or extra rum)
- 60 ml dark rum
- 4 ripe bananas, peeled and halved
- 500 ml vanilla ice cream
iii. Method
- Melt butter in a wide pan; add sugar; stir until dissolved.
- Add cinnamon, allspice, banana liqueur. Bring to a simmer.
- Add bananas; cook 2 min until softened slightly.
- Stand back; pour in rum. Carefully tilt the pan into a flame (or use a long match) to ignite. Let the flames burn off — about 30 seconds.
- Serve immediately over scoops of vanilla ice cream.
iv. Tips & common mistakes
- Use the freshest ingredients you can. The recipe relies on them.
- Read the method through first. Several steps must be ready in advance.
- Season patiently. Sweetness and salt are tuned at the end, not the start.
v. Variations
Brennan's original uses bananas, butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, banana liqueur, dark rum, vanilla ice cream. Cherries Jubilee is the related cherry flambé.
vi. Common questions
What is banana foster?
Banana Foster is rum and brown-sugar banana flambé, from north american cuisine. The hot caramel sauce meets the cold ice cream in the bowl
Where is banana foster from?
Banana Foster is from the north american dessert tradition; the recipe and history are detailed above.
How long does banana foster keep?
See the storage note in the Quick facts panel: Eat at once.