Bananas Foster Popcorn Food

BANANAS FOSTER

Steps:

• Melt the butter in a heavy skillet over a medium-high heat. Add the brown sugar. Stir together and cook for a minute or two. Pour in the cream and stir it around to combine.
• Peel the bananas and slice them on the bias inside the peel. Drop the slices into the pan. Next, add the chopped nuts and stir them into the sauce. Then - and this is where you need to be a little careful - stir in the rum. Let it start to bubble, and then carefully use a long lighter to ignite it. (Be sure to have a lid handy in case you need to extinguish the flame.) Let the fire burn and go out (it'll only take about 30 seconds or so), and then stir in the cinnamon at the end. You may also cook the mixture without flambeing it.
• Spoon it over a couple of scoops of vanilla ice cream and enjoy immediately.
• Spoon bananas Foster over French toast, waffles or crepes. Substitute peaches, pears or cherries for the bananas. Of course, then it probably wouldn't be considered bananas Foster.

CLASSIC BANANAS FOSTER

Steps:

• Peel the bananas and slice them about 1 inch thick on a long bias. Heat the sugar, butter and cinnamon together in a medium skillet over medium heat until bubbling. Add the bananas and stir gently to coat. Add the rum and carefully ignite the alcohol with a stick lighter. Step back and let the alcohol burn off. Continue to cook, stirring gently, until the sauce has thickened a little bit and the bananas are slightly softened, 1 to 2 minutes. Divide the bananas and sauce between 2 small bowls. Top with ice cream and serve immediately.

BANANAS FOSTER

Steps:

• Prepare a grill for medium-high heat.
• Heat a cast-iron skillet over direct heat. Melt the butter until it begins to brown, then stir in the sugar and cinnamon until the sugar melts. Stir in the salt. Add the bananas in an even layer and cook, turning the bananas once to coat in the sauce, until lightly browned, 1 to 2 minutes per side.
• Remove the skillet from the heat and add the rum. Light the sauce with a lighter and allow it to flame. Once the flames have extinguished, baste the bananas with the sauce. Add the orange zest. Serve warm over vanilla ice cream.
• (Alternatively, you can cook the bananas over medium-high heat on a stovetop.)

BANANAS FOSTER POPCORN

Steps:

• Melt 1/2 stick butter with 2 tablespoons each brown sugar and granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon dark rum, 1/2 teaspoon banana extract and a pinch each of salt, nutmeg and cinnamon. Toss with 8 cups popcorn. Spread on a baking sheet and let cool completely. (Makes 8 cups.)

BANANAS FOSTER

Steps:

• Melt butter in a 10-inch heavy skillet over low heat. Add brown sugar, allspice and nutmeg and stir until sugar dissolves. Add banana liqueur and bring sauce to simmer. Add bananas and cook for 1 minute on each side, carefully spooning sauce over bananas as they are cooking. Remove bananas from pan to a serving dish. Bring sauce to a simmer and carefully add the rum. If the sauce is very hot, the alcohol will flame on its own. If not, using stick flame, carefully ignite and continue cooking until flame dies out, approximately 1 to 2 minutes. If sauce is too thin, cook for 1 to 2 minutes until it is syrupy in consistency. Add orange zest and stir to combine. Immediately spoon the sauce over bananas and serve. Serve with waffles, crepes, or ice cream.