Banana Campfire

Easy, elegant and delicious

We first had this dessert at a friend’s house. It was his take on bananas foster. We added the cardamom and black pepper after trying the combination in Indian cooking. My son, David, came up with the name banana campfire.

I like this recipe for using up the bananas that are still firm, but not very appealing to look at (see what I did there?). My favorite way to serve is over vanilla ice cream, but it’s also good on its own or over yogurt or cottage cheese. Feel free to omit the rum completely, but it’s kind of fun to ignite it.

For 4 servings you’ll need:

• Three ripe bananas, peeled and sliced into ¼” coins
• 2 T butter or vegan spread
• 1/3 C dark brown sugar (light is good, too)
• ½ t ground cardamom
• ½ t ground cinnamon
• Pinch of coarsely ground black pepper (two or three grinds on the pepper mill)
• 2 T dark rum or banana liqueur (optional)

Method:

1. Melt the butter in a small skillet over medium high heat.
2. Add the brown sugar, cardamom, cinnamon and black pepper, stir to combine.
3. Allow the sugar to melt briefly, then add the bananas and gently mix so each piece is coated with the syrup.
4. Add the rum and carefully light with a stick lighter.
5. When the flames subside, spoon the sauce over ice cream.

If you are wary of the pepper, omit it from the recipe but spoon a sample into a small bowl and add a very small amount of pepper to try. I think you’ll find it’s a good complement to the sweetness of the bananas.

Let me know what you think! Did you try banana campfire with the pepper?