Episode 69
September 25, 2011
Bananas Foster (Bananas Flambe)
Even though Autumn is officially here the temperatures outside definitely still warrant frozen desserts. Here’s a great little recipe that’s honestly good any time of the year and can really make cooking a little more entertaining.
If you’ve never heard of bananas foster it’s basically a banana dish that is made on the stove with butter, sugar, and alcohol and then ignited to burn off the alcohol and to put on a show. It is often served with ice cream but can also be paired with breakfast items, like french toast, or other pastries. It is commonly accepted that Bananas Foster was invented in Louisiana in the 1950s by a restaurant owner to honor his friend. Flambe isn’t really a new technique but it wasn’t widely used until the mid to late 1800s.
One fun story for the origination of the flambeing is that a waiter accidentally set crepes suzette on fire while serving royalty. The more widely accepted story is that it was included intentionally by a chef providing crepes suzette for a scene in a play in order to wow the audience and keep the food warm for the actors. Whatever the origination, flambeing is here now and it’s actually pretty easy to do at home.
First and foremost, before trying out flambeing for the first time you want to make sure 
that you prepare your kitchen for safety. Flambeing is actually pretty safe as long as you follow some practical guidelines. Don’t wear a shirt with long loose sleeves, and roll your sleeves up before igniting. Make sure that the area above the stove top and in the immediate area is clear of anything flammable including paper and alcohol. If guests are watching, make sure they sit back away from the stove while you are cooking. Lastly, have a fire extinguisher ready (as you always should) just in case something does catch on fire.
Accidents with flambeing actually occur from improper preparation. Make sure the alcohol you are using is around 80 proof (40% alcohol). Anything too much higher will create a very large flame and anything too much lower may not ignite (beer and wine for example probably won’t ignite). When you are ready to flambe, carefully add the alcohol to the pan when it is off the heat (electric range) or the heat has been turned off (gas stove). If the pan is still hot the alcohol will begin to splatter – it’s not a big deal, but wait for the splattering to subside before igniting so sparks don’t fly from the pan. Ideally, you would want to wait until the dish has cooled off before adding the liquor and igniting but it’s still possible to do when the pan is hot.
Does flambeing actually contribute any difference in flavor to the dish? Most chefs would say no or even go so far as to say flambeing ruins the dish. Proponents for flambeing say that the flames cook the dish quickly at very hot temperatures which, in the case of bananas flambe, evaporates excess water, caramelizes the sugar, and cooks the bananas. Some chefs believe that it’s all just for show and that since the flames are actually igniting gases that are rising from the pan that the food isn’t actually getting touched by the flames. Still other chefs believe that the taste difference is too subtle for someone to actually notice. Personally I believe that it’s mostly for show and any subtle flavor that flambeing contributes is worth the extra effort. It’s also a great way to keep guests engaged and excited about the meal and to get possible future chefs excited about cooking.
I’ll let you be the judge! Here’s the recipe for Bananas Foster (Bananas Flambe) and the video is below. Enjoy and thank you for watching!
