Angela DealeBananas Foster and one leftover crepe
Mmm, overripe bananas. They turn soft, fragrant, and their skins are mottled with black spots--that's when I actually prefer to eat them. For most people though, that's when they're no longer edible. So what do you do when you notice that your bananas are turning soft and the ? Toss them in the freezer, compost them, or make banana bread? We're big banana bread lovers in this house, but sometimes even we get sick of it.
So to do something different and slightly indulgent, I used the bananas to make Bananas Foster for dessert. It's the classic New Orleans dessert, with butter, ripe bananas, brown sugar, and other spices cooked in a saucepan and then flambéd when one adds dark rum. Traditionally, it's served over vanilla ice cream, but I was inspired by Martha Stewart's Living magazine and served it with crepes instead.
Bananas Foster Crepes (Martha Stewart)
*I used my standard recipe for crepes. Here is Martha's recipe.
Ingredients (Servings: 4)
Directions
What to Do With a Leftover Crepe
And as for the morning after, I cooked a beaten egg and shredded some mozzarella cheese. Seasoned with pepper and a bit of parsley. Then, I placed them in the middle of the crepe, folded it burrito-style, and briefly toasted it on a dry pan over medium heat. Yum!
So to do something different and slightly indulgent, I used the bananas to make Bananas Foster for dessert. It's the classic New Orleans dessert, with butter, ripe bananas, brown sugar, and other spices cooked in a saucepan and then flambéd when one adds dark rum. Traditionally, it's served over vanilla ice cream, but I was inspired by Martha Stewart's Living magazine and served it with crepes instead.
Bananas Foster served in a folded crepe
Bananas Foster Crepes (Martha Stewart)
*I used my standard recipe for crepes. Here is Martha's recipe.
Ingredients (Servings: 4)
- 1 1/2 ounces (3 tablespoons) unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup dark-brown sugar
- 2 ripe bananas, cut into 1/4-inch rounds
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Pinch of coarse salt
- Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup dark rum (I used Captain Morgan's)
- 4 crepes
- 1/2 cup creme fraiche or vanilla ice cream (I omitted this)
- Warm butter and sugar in a saute pan over medium heat until butter melts, 1 to 2 minutes.
- Add bananas, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, and vanilla, and cook, stirring, for 1 to 2 minutes.
- Remove pan from heat. Add rum. Return to heat. If using a gas stove, tip pan away from you carefully until the vapors from the rum ignite. (Or light with a long match.) Cook until flames stop, about 1 minute.
- Divide bananas among crepes; reserve sauce in pan.
- Fold each crepe in half, then fold in half again. Drizzle crepes with reserved sauce, and top with creme fraiche or ice cream. Serve immediately.
What to Do With a Leftover Crepe
And as for the morning after, I cooked a beaten egg and shredded some mozzarella cheese. Seasoned with pepper and a bit of parsley. Then, I placed them in the middle of the crepe, folded it burrito-style, and briefly toasted it on a dry pan over medium heat. Yum!
Egg and cheese in a folded crepe
