Cheaters Bananas Foster Food

BETTER-FOR-YOU BANANAS FOSTER

Steps:

• Remove 4 strips orange zest with a vegetable peeler. Squeeze the orange and strain the juice.
• Melt the butter with the sugar, orange zest and vanilla bean paste in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook, stirring, until the sugar caramelizes, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the liqueur, orange juice and a pinch of salt.
• Return the skillet to medium heat, add the bananas, cut-side down, and cook until glazed and golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and divide among bowls.
• Add the rum to the pan and return to medium heat. Bring the liquid to a boil without stirring, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook until the sauce thickens slightly, about 4 minutes. Spoon the sauce over the bananas. Garnish with whipped cream if using and the glazed orange zest.

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.

CHEATER'S BANANAS FOSTER

Steps:

• Slice up a banana into quarter inch slices.
• Then melt butter and brown sugar in a frying pan, making sure to stir as you do so.
• After a minute or so, add the sliced banana and stir to make sure the banana gets coated in the sauce.
• Let the banana fry, while you quickly scoop out ice cream into two bowls.
• Pour topping over ice cream and if desired garnish with whipped cream.
• Immediately serve.

BANANAS FOSTER

Steps:

• Melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed 12-inch skillet over medium heat.
• Add the brown sugar, cinnamon stick, and lemon zest; stir to dissolve the sugar, about 1 minute.
• (If the heat is too high, the butter and sugar will separate instead of combining to form a sauce).
• Add the bananas and spoon some sauce over each piece.
• Cook until the bananas are glossy and golden on the bottom, about 1 1/2 minutes.
• Turn the bananas and continue cooking until they are very soft but not mushy or falling apart, about 1 1/2 more minutes.
• Remove the skillet from the heat.
• Add the rum and wait until the rum has warmed slightly, about 5 seconds.
• Wave a lit match over the pan until the rum ignites, shaking the pan to distribute the flame over the entire pan.
• When the flames subside (this will take 15 to 30 seconds), divide the bananas and sauce among the four bowls of ice cream and serve.

EASY BANANAS FOSTER

Steps:

• In a small saucepan, combine all ingredients except rum extract. and bananas.
• Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally until sugar is dissolved and mixture is smooth; bring to a boil.
• Remove from heat; stir in rum extract and bananas.
• Serve over vanilla ice cream.
• Serving size is 1/3 cup.

AMARETTO BANANAS FOSTER

Steps:

• Melt butter in pan then add bananas. Stir over medium high heat until blended.
• Stir in brown sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, and salt and continue to cook, stirring constantly.
• Add Amaretto, reduce heat, and stir until mixed through then remove from heat.
• Serve immediately over vanilla ice cream or vanilla pudding.

ALTON BROWN'S 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.
• Immediately spoon the sauce over bananas and serve.
• Serve with waffles, crepes, or ice cream.