Bananas Flambeed with Rum and Soft Caramel

Elegant and exquisitely simple, bananas flambéed in butter and rum topped with grapes, pistachios, and pine nuts and served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and caramel syrup is perfect after a spicy or rich meal to cleanse the palate and finish off a lovely dinner. To make this recipe, you need about two small bananas per person.

While this is a simple enough dessert that takes no time to make, caution should be taken when flambéing the bananas as the flare up is possibly dangerous. Banana flambé makes an exciting presentation when done right and will liven up the end of the party.

To prepare the bananas, peel and clean by removing all the strings on the fruit. Be careful as the bananas bruise easily and tend to discolor after being exposed to air for a while. Since the bananas used in this recipe are the small variety, they don’t need to be sliced lengthwise into two, which you will have to do if using larger bananas. It is best to peel and prepare them just before coking in the pan over the stove. Use a heavy skillet or cast iron to allow the temperature, which should be set to medium high heat, to be evenly distributed and prevent the butter from burning.

Wait for the butter to bubble slightly before adding the bananas. Sauté the bananas until they turn a gorgeous golden color. Gently flip them over using two spatulas to brown all sides.

When it’s time to flambé, carefully pour the rum over the bananas. You can flambé the bananas in two ways. One is by shaking the pan, which should cause the alcohol to ignite. Always keep your face and body at arm’s length from the fire and the pan. If this does not work, tip the pan slightly so that the flame from the stove catches the fumes from the alcohol. If this still does not work, you can use a long match or a mini kitchen blowtorch. The use of the blowtorch is the safest way to flambé the bananas.