Bananas Foster Explained

Bananas Foster
Country:United States
Region:New Orleans, Louisiana
Creator:Paul Blangé and Ella Brennan[1]
Vieux Carré Restaurant, 1951
Course:Dessert
Main Ingredient:Bananas, vanilla ice cream, butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, dark rum, banana liqueur
No Recipes:true

Bananas Foster is a dessert made from bananas and vanilla ice cream, with a sauce made from butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, dark rum, and banana liqueur.[2] The butter, sugar and bananas are cooked, and then alcohol is added and ignited. The bananas and sauce are then served over the ice cream. Popular toppings also include whipped cream and different types of nuts (pecans, walnuts, etc.). The dish is often prepared tableside as a flambé.

History

Bananas Foster is an American dessert that originated in New Orleans made with cooked bananas served in a butter, brown sugar and rum sauce. The caramelized liquor-based sauce is often prepared via flambé. This dessert can be served with vanilla ice cream or as a crêpe filling, but it may also be eaten on its own.[3] Cinnamon and nutmeg may be added as seasoning.[4]

Though many think the dish was created at the restaurant Brennan's in New Orleans, Louisiana, it actually got its start a few years earlier in Owen Brennan's Vieux Carré restaurant.[5] In 1951, Ella Brennan and the restaurant's chef Paul Blangé worked together to modify a dish made by Ella's mother in the Brennan family home. At this time, New Orleans was a major hub for the import of bananas from South America. It was named for Richard Foster, the chairman of the New Orleans Crime Commission and a friend of restaurant owner Owen Brennan.

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: About Bananas Foster. brennansneworleans.com. Brennan's. New Orleans. 8 July 2017.
  2. Web site: New Orleans Food: Bananas Foster. NewOrleansOnline.com. New Orleans Tourism Marketing Corporation. November 6, 2017.
  3. Book: The Experiment. 978-1-61519-036-2. Bronski. Kelli. Bronski. Peter. Artisanal Gluten-Free Cupcakes: 50 From-Scratch Recipes to Delight Every Cupcake Devotee-Gluten-Free and Otherwise. 2011.
  4. Book: Manley, Stephanie. Ulysses Press. 978-1-56975-832-8. CopyKat.com's Dining Out at Home Cookbook: Recipes for the Most Delicious Dishes from America's Most Popular Restaurants. 2010-04-01.
  5. Book: Brennan, Ella. Miss Ella of Commander's Palace : "I don't want a restaurant where a jazz band can't come marching through". Martin, Ti Adelaide. 978-1-4236-4255-8. First. Layton, Utah. 939911126. 2016.