Better For You Bananas Foster Food

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:

• 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.

BANANAS FOSTER

Steps:

• Cover a baking sheet with plastic wrap or foil. Using a serrated knife, cut ice cream package in half lengthwise through the cardboard. Wrap one half in plastic wrap and freeze for another use. Halve the remaining piece lengthwise. Flip the ice cream, with the 2 pieces still together, so the cut side is up, and cut it crosswise into 4 equal sections - you'll have 8 pieces of ice cream.
• Place a crepe on the work surface and place a piece of ice cream in the center. Fold the crepe over the ice cream to enclose completely. Place the filled crepes on the prepared baking sheet. Continue with the remaining ice cream and crepes and freeze until just firm. (This recipe can be prepared up to this point 1 day in advance. Wrap carefully in plastic wrap before freezing. Allow to soften slightly before proceeding.)
• Peel and slice the bananas on a sharp angle into 2-inch pieces. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and lemon juice and cook, stirring, until smooth and just at a simmer, about 3 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and add orange liqueur. Return skillet to high heat and stir until smooth. Carefully fold in bananas. Remove the skillet from heat and add the rum. Return the skillet to the heat, and shake the pan back and forth to warm the rum and coat the bananas. (If working over a gas flame the sauce may ignite; continue to cook until the flames subsides.)
• To serve, place 2 filled crepes on a plate crisscrossing each other and spoon banana mixture over the top. Garnish with sifted confectioners' sugar and a sprig of mint, if desired.
• Whisk the flour, sugar, and salt together in a bowl. Gradually whisk in the milk, water, eggs and vanilla extract, and continue whisking until smooth. (The batter can be made to this point a day ahead and refrigerated. Bring to room temperature before adding the butter.) Stir in the butter. Set aside for at least 30 minutes to rest. (The crepe batter may be made in a food processor blender: Pulse the dry ingredients, then add the wet, process until smooth, and then stir in the butter.) Pour the batter into measuring cup with a spout.
• Have a plate near the stove to stack the cooked crepes, or 4 plates, if you plan to serve the crepes immediately. Heat a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat until a drop of water bounces and sizzles briefly around the pan before evaporating. Pour a scant 1/4 cup of batter into the skillet and quickly swirl it to coat the pan evenly. Cook until the batter sets, about 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. The crepe will blister in the middle, and the edges will look dry and slightly crispy. Using your fingers or a spatula, carefully pick the crepe up by its edges and flip it over to cook the other side, about 15 to 30 seconds. Repeat with the rest of the batter, stacking the crepes on the plate as you go.

BANANAS FOSTER

Steps:

• Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the brown sugar and stir until the sugar completely dissolves, about 2 minutes. Lay the bananas in the pan and cook on both sides until they become slightly soft and begin to brown, about 3 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and add the banana liqueur and then the rum and cinnamon. Tip the pan slightly and carefully ignite the alcohol with a long kitchen match or kitchen lighter to flambe. Put the pan back on the heat and shake it back and forth basting the bananas, until the flame dies out.
• Divide the ice cream among dessert bowls. Gently lift the bananas from the pan and place 2 pieces on the ice cream. Spoon the sauce over the ice cream and serve immediately.