Bananas Foster In the 1950s, New Orleans was the major port of entry for bananas shipped from Central and South America. Owen Edward Brennan challenged his talented chef, Paul Blangé, to include bananas in a new culinary creation-Owen's way of promoting the imported fruit. Simultaneously, Holiday Magazine had asked Owen to provide a new recipe to appear in a feature article on Brennan's. In 1951, Chef Paul created Bananas Foster. The scrumptious dessert was named for Richard Foster, who, as chairman, served with Owen on the New Orleans Crime Commission, a civic effort to clean up the French Quarter. Richard Foster, owner of the Foster Awning Company, was a frequent customer and a very good friend of Owen. Little did anyone realize that Bananas Foster would become an international favorite and is the most requested item on the restaurant's menu. Thirty-five thousand pounds of bananas are flamed each year in the preparation of its world-famous dessert. Over the years, we've modified their recipe to suit our guests taste. Here it is. Ingredients: 1/4 cup banana liqueur 4 bananas, cut in half lengthwise 4 ounces dark rum 1/2 stick of butter 1 cup dark brown sugar 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, ground 4 scoops vanilla ice cream Directions: Mix butter and brown sugar in a skillet until it's a creamy paste. Place the pan over low heat on top of the stove, and cook, stirring, until the sugar dissolves. (It will carmelize after about 5-minutes.) Stir in the banana liqueur, then place the bananas in the pan. When the banana sections soften and begin to brown, carefully add the rum. Continue to cook the sauce until the rum is hot, then tip the pan slightly to ignite the rum. Agitate to keep flame burning. Add a few pinches cinnamon (Voodoo magic!) to the flame. When the flames subside, lift the bananas out of the pan and place four pieces on plate. Add scoop of ice cream over each banana. Generously spoon warm sauce over the top of the ice cream and serve immediately. Serves Four.
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