This year, Brennan’s, aka “The Big Pink,” one of New Orleans’ most storied restaurants, is celebrating 80 years in business as well as the 75th Anniversary of Bananas Foster. In those 75 years, a bajillion bananas (35,000 pounds a year to be exact) have met the sword for the flaming dessert. Chef Paul Blangé concocted it on the fly in the 1940s with the assistance of Ella Brennan to honor Richard Foster, a restaurant regular, who had just been appointed to the city’s Crime Commission. It is based on the sautéed bananas with cinnamon that Ella’s mother routinely made for her large Irish family when Ella was a child.
The decision to jack the humble dish up with rum and flambé it tableside was a brilliant use of pantry staples that paid off in spades. The dramatic result is now the most-ordered item on Brennan’s menu.
Bananas were introduced to North America after the Civil War. Some decades later, when widespread consumption took hold, New Orleans became a major center for banana imports from Central and South America. At the time of the dessert’s invention, John Brennan, father of Ralph Brennan, the restaurant’s current proprietor, was running Brennan’s Processed Potato Company, a produce company with a surplus of bananas.
Ingredients
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 cup dark rum
1/4 cup banana liqueur
1 cup brown sugar
4 bananas, cut in half lengthwise, then halved
4 scoops vanilla ice cream
Directions
- Combine butter, sugar, and cinnamon in a large sauté pan. Place the pan over low heat and cook, stirring, until the sugar dissolves. Stir in banana liqueur, then place bananas in the pan. When bananas soften and begin to brown, carefully add rum. Continue cooking the sauce until the rum is hot, then tilt the pan slightly to ignite the rum. When the flames subside, lift the bananas out of the pan and place 4 pieces over each portion of ice cream. Generously spoon warm sauce over ice cream and serve immediately.
The Expert: Ralph Brennan, President of The Ralph Brennan Restaurant Group and third-generation proprietor of Brennan’s Restaurant, a place that was, quite literally, his childhood playground. As a high-schooler, he started his career at the restaurant as a summer prep cook, boning chickens and peeling shrimp.
What to Drink with Bananas Foster
Sommelier and Beverage Director Braithe Gill suggests ‘Essential by Brennan’s’ Champagne Brut NV, which was created specifically for the cuisine at Brennan’s by Piper-Heidsieck. Royal Tokaji Late Harvest, 2019, will also do the trick.
The Expert: Braith Gill elevated Brennan’s cellar to earn to Wine Spectator’s Grand Award under her leadership. She crafted Brennan’s exclusive private-label Champagne in 2023 with Piper-Heidsieck’s Émilien Boutillat.
