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What is Bananas Foster?

Tricia Christensen
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Updated: May 17, 2024
Views: 11,477
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The 1950s are associated with many iconic things: poodle skirts, drive-ins, and sock hops, to name just a few. For people who are fans of dessert, or just fans of the culinary arts in general, many would add the birth of a popular dessert to the list of iconic 1950s developments, Bananas Foster. Still most popular in its birthplace, New Orleans, this special dessert has considerable drama and flare, particularly because it employs the flambé method of cooking.

Unlike desserts that have lengthy histories with no clear origins, Bananas Foster has a clear and undisputed history. Paul Blangé, the chef at the famous French Quarter New Orleans restaurant, Brennan’s, created the dessert in 1951. The name Foster was added to the dessert in reference to Stephen Foster, a local business owner who had worked with Edward Brennan on the New Orleans Crime Commission. Foster and Brennan had become good friends while helping to reduce crime in the French Quarter, and Foster became a frequent patron of Brennan’s.

Another reason why Bananas Foster made good sense was because of the location of New Orleans. It was a major shipping port especially for goods shipped from Central and South America. Bananas, a major export, were easy to come by and inexpensive. Bananas Foster quickly gained popularity and is still a fixture and one of the most requested items on the Brennan’s menu.

The classic Bananas Foster is made by sautéing bananas in a mix of rum, butter, brown sugar, sweet spices and banana liqueur. After the bananas are slightly softened and begin to brown, cooks tip the sauté pan slightly to set the alcohol on fire, producing that amazing flambé effect. In restaurants, the dish is often prepared at the table.

You can prepare Bananas Foster with a chafing dish, or perform the “flambé part” by removing the cooked bananas from the stove and then using a long tipped lighter to burn off the alcohol. Caution is required, if you're unused to lighting alcohol on fire. It can be fairly unpredictable, so do this step with care. The bananas are then served over vanilla ice cream, though you could use other flavors like dulce de leche if you prefer.

Though most of the alcohol burns off in the flambé process, a small portion of it does remain, just as with the dessert cherries jubilee. Therefore you may want to reduce the alcohol if you’re making the dish for children, or choose another dessert if friends don’t drink. You can make a delicious “virgin” version of the dish by merely sautéing bananas in butter, brown sugar and cinnamon, and perhaps adding a little apple juice to create a sauce.

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Tricia Christensen
By Tricia Christensen
With a Literature degree from Sonoma State University and years of experience as a WiseGeek contributor, Tricia Christensen is based in Northern California and brings a wealth of knowledge and passion to her writing. Her wide-ranging interests include reading, writing, medicine, art, film, history, politics, ethics, and religion, all of which she incorporates into her informative articles. Tricia is currently working on her first novel.

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Discussion Comments
By Wisedly33 — On Feb 09, 2015

I've actually made bananas foster. I didn't have any banana liqueur, but I did have rum, so I just made it with everything but the banana liqueur. It was delicious. I served it with dulce de leche ice cream, which was a great choice. I could also see serving it with chocolate or strawberry ice cream, too, for a little different flavor choice.

I need to learn to make beignets so I can add them to the side the next time I make bananas foster at home. Wonder how it would be with a berry liqueur like Chambord? Or maybe with Frangelico? Maybe cognac? Lots of possibilities there.

By Scrbblchick — On Feb 08, 2015

When I went to Brennan's, I had to have the bananas foster. It's like going to the Cafe du Monde and getting cafe au lait and beignets. You have to do it. It was pretty spectacular. The server did make it tableside and it was quite a show. That's one of those things you do once in a lifetime. It was delicious, and they also served it with vanilla ice cream and tiny beignets, and recommended the coffee with chicory, which was an excellent suggestion. I love coffee with dessert, and it was perfect since the bananas foster was so sweet and caramelly.

Tricia Christensen
Tricia Christensen
With a Literature degree from Sonoma State University and years of experience as a WiseGeek contributor, Tricia...
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