Caramelized Banana, Flambed Table Side is a dessert developed at Brennan’s on Royal Street in New Orleans’ French Quarter and is the most requested item on the menu!
Here’s how to make it at home…
It was so delicious that I once went to eat it at 9pm! On our last visit we booked a table for the entire meal but to be honest it was all about dessert!
Chef Paul Blange introduced the dish in 1951, and people have been flocking to the New Orleans restaurant since it opened in 1946. Hidden behind the pink exterior, you can get lost in the nooks and crannies, hallways and connecting dining rooms.
Brennan’s is busy and popular and I recommend eating there if you’re in town.
But they are also very generous with their banana growing recipes and even print them on plastic cups to hold your takeaway drinks.
So here it is:
Brennan’s Bananas Poster
1/4 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup banana liqueur (can be substituted with dark crème de cacao or vanilla essence – my suggestion!)
1/4 cup dark rum
Cut 4 bananas in half lengthwise, then cut in half if desired.
4 scoops of vanilla ice cream
In a flambé pan or frying pan, combine butter, sugar and cinnamon. Place the pan over low gas heat and cook, stirring, until the sugar dissolves. Add the banana liqueur, mix and add the bananas to the pan. Once the bananas have softened and started to brown, carefully add the rum.
Continue cooking the sauce until the rum is hot, then slightly tilt the pan to ignite the rum. Once the fire subsides, turn off the gas, remove the bananas from the pan, and place 2 to 4 slices in each bowl on top of the ice cream. Spoon a generous amount of warm sauce over the ice cream and serve immediately.
Try this at home!
Read more of my New Orleans posts here. Including 8 great French Quarter hotels I recommend, the top 25 things to do in NOLA, 5 of my favorite jazz venues, and everything you need to know before attending your first Mardi Gras!
