The Recipe · No.741 · Bananas Foster

Bananas Foster, and Where to Source It

The showpiece is the flambé, and timing is everything: the caramel has to be hot and the rum added off the heat, then lit so the alcohol burns off in a low blue flame and leaves behind a rounder, deeper caramel. The bananas go in only at the end so they warm and soften without turning to mush.

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Published July 2026 · Sourcing verified 5 Jul 2026

Prep10 min
Cook10 min
Makes4 servings
CuisineAmerican
Part One
The Ingredients — and where to get them
Bananas
Ripe but still firm so they hold shape in the caramel. Just-yellow bananas are perfect.
4
Local / market
Butter
The base of the caramel with brown sugar. A good butter makes a rounder sauce.
4 tbsp
Source it →
Brown sugar
Melted with butter into the caramel; the molasses note is the backbone. An unrefined sugar is deeper.
1/2 cup
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Dark rum
For the flambé and flavor; added off the heat, then lit. Buy this fresh and local.
1/4 cup
Local / market
Vanilla ice cream
The cold foil to the hot caramel. A real vanilla-bean ice cream is worth it.
to serve
Source it →
One list, with a link to where to buy each one.
Part Two
The Method
  1. Make the caramelMelt butter and brown sugar with a pinch of cinnamon into a bubbling caramel.
  2. Add the bananasLay in the halved bananas and spoon the caramel over to warm and soften them.
  3. Flambé the rumOff the heat, add the rum, then carefully light it and let the flame burn out on its own.
  4. Spoon over ice creamSpoon the hot bananas and sauce straight over cold vanilla ice cream and serve at once.
Part Three
The Toolkit

Skillet · Long lighter · Wooden spoon

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