Bananas Foster

Bananas caramelized in butter & brown sugar, flamed with rum, over vanilla ice cream — 10 minutes

Serves 4 · 10 min

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4 Tbsp butter
½ cup brown sugar
¼ tsp cinnamon · pinch salt
3 firm-ripe bananas, halved lengthwise then crosswise
¼ cup dark rum (or the alcohol-free swap below)
vanilla ice cream, to serve · optional toasted pecans

What you need

4 Tbsp butter

½ cup brown sugar

¼ tsp cinnamon · pinch salt

3 firm-ripe bananas, halved lengthwise then crosswise

¼ cup dark rum (or the alcohol-free swap below)

vanilla ice cream, to serve · optional toasted pecans

Make the caramel. Melt the butter over medium; stir in brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt until it bubbles into a loose caramel, 1–2 min.
Warm the bananas. Lay the banana pieces in cut-side down and spoon caramel over; cook 1–2 min a side just until softened — don't let them collapse.
Flame the rum (optional drama). Off the heat, add the rum; if you flambé, light it carefully with a long match and let the flames die on their own (keep a lid nearby). Or simply simmer 1 min to cook off the raw alcohol.
Serve hot over cold. Spoon bananas and sauce over vanilla ice cream right away — the hot-cold contrast is the point. Toasted pecans if you like.

Steps — tap one to keep your place

1. Make the caramel. Melt the butter over medium; stir in brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt until it bubbles into a loose caramel, 1–2 min.

2. Warm the bananas. Lay the banana pieces in cut-side down and spoon caramel over; cook 1–2 min a side just until softened — don't let them collapse.

3. Flame the rum (optional drama). Off the heat, add the rum; if you flambé, light it carefully with a long match and let the flames die on their own (keep a lid nearby). Or simply simmer 1 min to cook off the raw alcohol.

4. Serve hot over cold. Spoon bananas and sauce over vanilla ice cream right away — the hot-cold contrast is the point. Toasted pecans if you like.

✨ Untested — Claude drafted this one from scratch; it hasn't been cooked and amended in our kitchen yet, so treat the amounts as a starting point. No alcohol? swap the wine or beer for the same amount of stock, with a splash of vinegar or lemon for the brightness. Low salt — salt at the end and taste as you go; broth, cheese, and canned goods already bring salt.