Bourbon Bananas Foster 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.

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.

MANGO BOURBON BANANAS FOSTER

Steps:

• Heat butter and brown sugar in a medium saute pan over medium high heat, stirring constantly until a smooth mixture is formed. Add the mangoes and baste with the syrup for 2 minutes. Add the bourbon and bananas (if the bourbon doesn't ignite immediately, light it with a match) and let warm for a few minutes. Gently swirl the pan and baste the mangoes and the bananas until the flames die out. Remove the fruit with a slotted spoon to a bowl, leaving the syrup behind. Stir in the heavy cream and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until slightly thickened.
• Scoop ice cream onto a bowl and top with a large spoonful of the mango/banana mixture. Serve immediately.

BANANAS FOSTER II

Steps:

• In a large, deep skillet over medium heat, melt butter. Stir in sugar, rum, vanilla and cinnamon. When mixture begins to bubble, place bananas and walnuts in pan. Cook until bananas are hot, 1 to 2 minutes. Serve at once over vanilla ice cream.

BOURBON BANANAS FOSTER

Steps:

• 1. In a large skillet, cook the butter and brown sugar over medium-high heat, stirring until the butter melts. Add the bananas and gently turn to coat. Once the sauce begins to bubble, add the bourbon. 2. Using a long match or igniter, light the mixture. Cook until the flames subside. Alternatively, simmer the bourbon, stirring frequently, until the sauce thickens to the consistency of honey, about 2 minutes. 3. Divide the cake among the serving dishes and drizzle with some of the bourbon sauce. Top with the ice cream, then the bananas and remaining sauce. Serve immediately.

DELICIOUS BANANAS FOSTER A LA MODE

Steps:

• In a large skillet, over low heat, combine butter, sugar and cinnamon, stirring until sugar dissolves.
• Add bananas, stirring gently until bananas begin to soften and brown.
• Carefully add rum and liqueur, cooking until rum is hot.
• Tip pan slightly and ignite rum.
• When flames subside, remove bananas from pan and serve 4 pieces of banana with 1 scoop of ice cream Generously spoon warm sauce over top and serve immediately.

BANANA BOURBON FRENCH TOAST

Steps:

• To make sauce: In a small pan, melt butter and brown sugar over medium heat; carefully add bananas and simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from stove and add bourbon; return to flame and continue simmering an additional 2 minutes. Cover and keep warm until ready to use.
• To make batter: In a large bowl, whisk eggs and salt. Add vanilla. Pour in cream, continuing to whisk until well blended.
• Melt 1 to 2 tablespoons butter in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Dip each bread slice in batter and cook each side until golden brown. Repeat with remaining bread slices.
• Transfer 2 bread slices to individual plates and top with banana slices and sauce. Serve with maple syrup or powdered sugar.