52
MY
ROUSES
EVERYDAY
JULY | AUGUST 2014
BANANAS AT BReNNAN’S
by
Ali Rouse Royster
I did a lot of research (and sampling) for our story on
Alabama banana pudding, and I came across another
banana connection, this time to New Orleans. In the
early 1950s New Orleans, like Mobile, was a primary
port of entry for bananas shipped from Central and
South America. Owen Brennan, (Ella’s brother) was at
the helm of a French Quarter restaurant that carried
his name, Brennan’s. He asked his chef, Paul Blange,
to come up with a recipe using the imported bananas
and the result was flaming Bananas Foster. By the way,
a new restaurant in the old Brennan’s location is soon
to open with a new Brennan as owner, Dickie.
Brennan’s Bananas Foster
WHAT YOU WILL NEED
¼ cup (½ stick) butter
1
cup brown sugar
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ cup banana liqueur
¼ cup dark rum
4
scoops vanilla ice cream
4
bananas, cut in half, lengthwise, then halved
HOW TO PREP
Combine the butter, sugar and cinnamon in a flambé pan or
skillet. Place the pan over low heat on an alcohol burner or on
top of the stove, and cook, stirring until the sugar dissolves. 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. When the flames subside, lift the
bananas out of the pan and place four pieces over each portion
of ice cream. Generously spoon warm sauce over the top of the
ice cream and serve immediately.
(Serves 4)
The
Scoop
on
Ice Cream
the
Gulf Coast
issue
photo by
Eugenia Uhl
