Another holiday is upon us…Fat Tuesday or Mardi Gras. And I’m joining Erin of Big Fat Baker and the Holiday Blog Hop gang in celebrating with a festive dish. Going into this Lenten season, I’m giving up my favorite guilty pleasure…cookie dough. There is one last day to gorge, so I’ve selected a traditional New Orlean’s dessert for today. This easy, yet decadent dessert was created in 1951 by Paul Blangé at Brennan’s Restaurant. Their recipe uses banana liqueur along with the rum, but I elected to use vanilla instead (my palate is forever scarred after taking liquid banana Dramamine before our family vacations…I’m sooooo wary of banana flavored anything).
Bananas were sliced and sauteed in a mixture of butter, cinnamon and dark brown sugar along with some pecans. My brown sugar didn’t melt into a smooth sauce, but no worries…the taste was uncompromised. Rum and vanilla were added and can be flambéed for a dramatic effect right before serving. Spooned over vanilla ice cream, these boozy and caramelized bananas will impress your guests.
Bananas Foster…adapted from Allrecipes
1/4 cup butter
2/3 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3 bananas, peeled, then cut on the diagonal
1/4 cup pecan halves
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
3 1/2 tablespoons dark rum
Vanilla ice cream
In a large skillet over medium heat, melt butter. Add sugar and cinnamon and mix to combine. When mixture starts bubbling, continue cooking till sugar dissolves; add bananas and pecans. Spoon sugar syrup over bananas and cook till bananas are hot, only a couple minutes. Add vanilla and rum, and using a lighter, ignite alcohol if desired.
Serve over ice cream.
Serves 4.
Print
And now a special thank you to my blogger friend, Javelin Warrior, for another Leibster!! Such a thrill to be recognized by one of my peers. I hope you’ll check out his wonderful blog.
{ 49 comments… read them below or add one }
This looks delicious, Liz! Good luck giving up cookie dough….I know that is quite a sacrifice for a baker chick!
These bananas look exquisite – definitely my ideal dinner
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
P.S – Congrats on the well deserved award
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
These look soo yum!
I love the flavor of rum with bananas!!
Simple yet with a wonderful outcome. This is for me to try out.
I am going to try this one the weekend. It looks super cool and delicious
I must try this some day, because I have never tasted this. I knew a lady whose family had this tradition of serving Banana Fosters for dessert every Sunday. This sounds so fun and delicious to make.
Looking at the other posts from the blog hop it seems that Bananas Foster is a bit of a craze at the moment. I have to say I have never heard of them before!
Oh this reminds of my favorite French Vietnamese restaurant – they serve fried banana with coconut ice cream… and they cook the banana with rum in front of you showing off this flame! I’m going to make this this week or weekend. It’s not fried banana, so it’s easier to cook, too.I’m so excited but kids will be extra excited for sure!
A delicious combination! Yum yum!
Your blog also promoted me to look up lent and the reason why we had pancakes at work today. Now I know:)
Awesome!! That flame adds the perfect touch!
Mmmmmmmm. I have nothing more to add!
Bravo on the flaming! That part always makes me a little nervous. I also always end up with mushy bananas. Yours look perfect!
Congrats on your awards and this recipe. I’ve flambeed bananas once and was shaking in my boots. I’d love this over French vanilla ice cream.
you know I love me bananas. I was just telling one of our cooking friends, how I put bananas in all cakes, cupcakes, muffins… because back when I was a kid we were poor and I ate bananas maybe tree times a year (bananas were caviare for me back then, and coca cola a champaign)
so now I try to cure my childhood yearnings 
These look delicious! Maybe one of these days I will get over my fear of the flaming and make some of these for hubs – he loves it! Great pick!
You are sending me over to the sweet side…
Good for you that you did the flambe of the banana… that part always scares me.
This is always such a decadent treat over vanilla ice cream. Love all the Mardi Gras recipes. 
Happy Fat Tuesday.. Skinny Chick. Sorry had to throw that one in. 
Liz, these bananas flambées look very impressive! And rum+banana can only create delightful flavours.
Oh yummm, I love caramelized bananas! These look like a glorious rendition!
This is a delicious combination of rum bananas with vanilla ice cream. I liked that last picture.
Mmmm, I so wish I could eat this! Bananas all caramelized with sugar and butter and rum, how heavenly!
::falls down:: I’m going to need some bananas foster to revive me >) Love the look and simplicity of this dessert – so few ingredients but so much to love. Oh, and thanks for the (unnecessary) shout-out…
Two posts in one day, you go girl!
I need to make your recipe for my husband’s birthday, he would L O V E it! We enjoyed bananas foster at Commander’s Palace in NOLA a couple of years ago, and we still talk about it!
Oooh Lizzy, you chose to make the real deal Bananas Foster, which BTW I’ve never tasted. Looks so decadent and rich; just what I crave for a dessert! I made Bananas Foster muffins for this theme. So much fun for pre-Lenten sacrifices! Now I truly need to experience New Orleans someday!
I never realized how easy it was to make banana’s foster; I think my Banana’s that are sitting on my Kitchen counter are calling out to me ” make me into Banana’s Foster”; this may just be on the list for tonights dinner!
wow lizy u killing me with super delicious recipe..wll try on some week end
Hi, Before this blog hop I wasn’t sure what Banana Foster was, but heard of it. Totally cool dessert! I need to make it! You make the recipe seem easy. I would love to make it flame to! Plus it would scare my Husband! lol He gets nevous when I use the blow torch for melting marshmallows, imagine a big flame in my skillet. he he
Love the recipe and the history of Banana Foster!
Banana foster is so good and it looks amazing. Funny enough my first time eating some was in New Orleans…a banana foster cheese cake.
I feel your pain on the banana flavored medicine. Fake banana is probably one of my least favorite flavors EVER. I usually double up the rum when I make Bananas Foster at home. Happy Mardi Gras!
Wow Lizzy! You’re giving up cookie dough, that’s a good one. I don’t think I could do it! Your bananas foster sounds incredible! On top of all of the other banana recipes floating around I’ve decided to pick up some bananas on the way home & I’ll definitely be whipping up something similar! Congrats on the award, you deserve them all!
Who knew bananas could look so pretty?
This is a NOLA classic, beautifully presented…and I’m scarred just thinking about the banana dramamine.
Cookie dough? That would be tough to give up. Does that mean no cookies until April, or will you actually not eat the dough. I am not sure I could do that!
I have never had bananas foster before, it looks delicious!
This bananas Foster looks so delicious right now, especially since I skipped lunch. Congrats on the Liebster!
Ever since a studenty party on a budget, and discovering banana liqueur on arrival in Paris, I haven’t eaten a banana since. Guide’s honour. But perhaps I may just start bananas for lent, Liz. You have a power of persuasion, my friend.
I will mark this bananas foster recipe for sure,looks delicious,I can’t wait to try :0
Ridwan
Mm, I never heard of bananas foster, but they’re a bit like a flambéed banana dish I make sometimes, though I use brandy instead of rum, and don’t add the nuts. I’ll have to give this a try next time! Looks delish!
I have a soft spot for bananas foster. My mom used to make it whenever we had a birthday in the family and I love it to this day. Your recipe looks great and it was fun to remember an old classic!
You are a busy bee girl-2 posts in one day. You must have a clone or several helpers.
This dish does remind me of Jamaica and it is one of those tropical indulgences I love. Yours does look like it has all the delicious qualities I look for. Amazing pictures-yum!
This has been on my mind since early this morning…need a bowl…now.please:)
I’ve always wanted to try Bananas Foster and the recipe looks fairly simple. I love the photo with the flames – so impressive!
I love bananas foster! Best of luck with giving up cookie dough! I know that has to be tough, but you can do it!
Love bananas foster! And this one looks like the yummiest I’ve seen! Love the gorgeous caramelization and the pecans in there… beautiful post, Lizzy! Congrats on the award
Love-love it! I don’t know about perfection, but it looks yummy! Great post! Congratulations on award!
Cookie dough? Yeah, I gave up Krispy Kreme Donuts! I had no idea they made banana dramamine. Ewwww? Your banana fosters looks great along with the pyrotechnics. I think I would have singed my eyebrows for something. Thanks for sharing this yummy recipe with us.
Now this is a great dessert! Good for you giving something up!
Gorgeous! I love bananas foster, and had the chance to make it for the first time last semester in my food service class. I have a few bananas sitting on the counter that are now tempting me to make this tonight… Great post!
Oh la la for sure!!! This a dessert I love ordering at restaurants, so delicious:-) Hugs, Terra