Make this at home!
The delicious Banana's Foster was invented at Brennan's Restaurant on Royal Street in the French Quarter of New Orleans and is made with caramelized bananas and flaming tableside and is the most popular item on their menu!
It was so delicious, we once went at 9pm just for it! On my last visit we booked a table for the entire meal, but let's be honest – it was all just for dessert!
Chef Paul Blange opened the restaurant in 1951, and people have been flocking to this New Orleans restaurant since it opened in 1946. Hidden behind its pink facade, you can get lost in the nooks, corridors and connected restaurants.
Brennan's is busy and popular and I recommend eating here when you're in town.
But they're also so generous with their Banana Foster recipe that they even print it on the plastic cups you serve your takeaway drinks in.
So here it is:
Brennan's Banana Foster
1/4 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup banana liqueur (can substitute dark cocoa cream or vanilla extract – my suggestion!)
1/4 cup dark rum
4 bananas cut in half lengthwise and then in half again as desired
4 scoops vanilla ice cream
Combine butter, sugar and cinnamon in a saucepan or skillet. Place the saucepan over low heat and cook, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Stir in the banana liqueur and add the bananas to the pan. When the bananas soften and start to brown, carefully add the rum.
Continue cooking the sauce until the rum is hot, then tilt the pan slightly (away from you!) to ignite the rum. When the flames subside, turn off the gas, remove the bananas from the pan, and place two to four banana slices in each bowl on top of the ice cream. Spoon a generous amount of the warm sauce over the ice cream and serve immediately.
Definitely try this at home!
Read more of my New Orleans posts here Includes my picks for 8 amazing French Quarter hotels, my top 25 things to do in NOLA, my 5 favorite jazz venues, and everything you need to know before attending your first Mardi Gras!
