Grilled Bananas Foster

Dessert

Ingredients

6 ripe bananas

1/3 cup + 2 Tbl unsalted butter, divided

1 cup + 2 Tbl brown sugar

3/4 tsp cinnamon

Pinch of nutmeg

1 cup dark rum

vanilla bean custard ice cream

Instructions

Peel the bananas and cut in half lengthwise. Melt 2 Tablespoons of the butter.

Brush the bananas with the melted butter and sprinkle them with 2 tablespoons of brown sugar.

Prepare the grill. Cook bananas over direct high heat 3-4 minutes, turning once. Remove bananas from the grill and hold. The bananas should be just warm. Do not overcook.

Melt the remaining butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Do not let the butter brown. Add brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg, and cook until the sugar dissolves, stirring constantly. Do not let this mixture get too dark.

Add rum and gently move the pan around to warm the rum, causing it to flame (Use a lighter if you are cooking on an electric stove). Continue cooking until the flame dies out. Add the grilled bananas to the hot rum mixture, and cook 2-3 minutes more.

To serve, place a large scoop of vanilla ice cream onto 6 serving dishes. Place two banana halves over the ice cream and drizzle with some of the sauce.

Yield: 6 servings

Recent Recipes

Amalfi Lemon Cake

There's a particular kind of sunshine that only shows up in citrus form, and this Amalfi Lemon Cake has it in spades. Bright, moist, and unapologetically lemony, it walks the line between a proper dessert and something you'd be just as happy eating with your coffee on a Tuesday morning. The glaze soaks into the crumb while the cake's still warm, so every bite carries that little pucker of acidity balanced against real sweetness. It's simple enough for a weeknight and pretty enough for company.

Pecan Crusted Redfish

There's a certain kind of Southern kitchen wisdom that says you can't improve on a fresh Gulf redfish — and for the most part, that's true. But every now and then a dish comes along that doesn't so much improve the fish as it does pay proper respect to it, and this pecan-crusted redfish is one of those. It's a dish that works just as well for a Tuesday supper as it does for a table full of guests you're trying to impress — which, if you ask me, is the mark of a truly great recipe. Serve it simple, with rice or grits and something green on the side, and let the fish do the talking.

Stuffed Pork

Robert St. John's Stuffed Pork is an elegant centerpiece dish that takes a braised pork loin and layers it with Black Forest ham and melted Fontina cheese for a result that's as impressive to look at as it is to eat. The pork is seared, slow-roasted in chicken stock, and then sliced accordion-style so each cut fans open to hold the savory fillings before going back into the oven to meld together. A silky pan sauce made from the reduced braising liquid and heavy cream ties it all together, making this one of those recipes that feels restaurant-worthy without being out of reach.

RobertStJohn.com