Zak’s Bananas Foster
After a very filling dinner of Rejewvenator Braised Chicken, Zak was ready to show off for dessert. Like any good dinner guest, he had arrived bearing two bottles of booze, and a bottle of beer. Except the bottles of liquor weren’t for drinking: they were bound to be lit on fire. Which is really the best part of Bananas Foster anyway.
After the bananas were sliced, Zak added the brown sugar and butter to a nonstick pan, and under very, very low heat, combined them. We were waiting for the suger to completely melt and it to stop appearing grainy. It in fact took so long, I got impatient, and opened the beer I intended to serve with dessert, a bottle of Brew Dog’s Paradox Islay #9, which is aged in Scotch barrels.
I am supremely confident that there are people out there who must love this beer – people who adore scotch with a good cigar. I’m just not one of them. It was hugely peaty and smokey, to the point where Liz, Zak’s girlfriend, took one sip and announced that it “tastes like an ashtray.” While I wouldn’t go that far, it was just too aggressive for me. Luckily, all this tasting had given Zak enough time to finish melting the sugar, and he added the bananas, which cooked though in the sugar.
Then it was time, finally, to start lighting things on fire. Zak added the booze, tilted the pan, and an impressive flame lurched out of the pan. Which I of course, didn’t catch on my camera as I fumbled with the settings. Canon doesn’t include a “flambe” preset, but they should. Not wanting to let the blog down, Zak dutifully added more booze. I again, failed to capture the moment on film.
Determined to capture the a flame in the pan, Eli and I later returned to the scene, and staged this dramatic flambe recreation for your viewing pleasure. I hope it was worth it.
This final dessert however, was not staged. It was delicious. Plates were quickly assembled with vanilla ice cream and handed out to the awaiting diners.
