Bananas Foster crepes make a beautiful brunch dish or weeknight dinner-and-dessert in one. Crêpes are easier to make than you think!
New Orleans is a city near and dear to my heart. When I lived in Houston, it was easily close enough for a spontaneous weekend visit, and I took full advantage. Years later, after I moved back to Canada, my husband and I took a vacation there. Before we left I worried that the special atmosphere and exuberance I remembered would be missing in post-Katrina New Orleans. But it seems that even that monumental tragedy could not keep the spirit of this city down for long.
I doubt we missed a single meal while we were there, no matter how many things were on our "to-see-and-do" list for the day. The food is just that good. On our last morning there, I had Bananas Foster french toast at a brunch place in the French Quarter, and I don't think I need to tell you how good it was!
Amazingly, I never got around to re-creating that meal at home until the other night when I didn't feel much like cooking - especially not the meal I had planned for us. Instead of french toast I opted for crepes, since the multi-grain bread we had on hand didn't exactly scream "decadent!". I found a recipe on The Kitchn and substituted the alcohol for maple syrup on account of the baby (thus depriving us of the fun "flambéeing" part of making Bananas Foster, but oh well!). With a lovely little scoop of vanilla ice cream, these Bananas Foster crepes turned out to be the perfect "dinner-and-dessert-in-one" solution.
Surprisingly, the baby didn't much care for it in the end, but what does he know 🙂
Bananas Foster Crepes
Ingredients
Crepes
- 1 cup (125 grams) all-purpose flour
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup milk (whole or 2%)
- ¼ cup water
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- butter for the pan
Bananas Foster
- ¼ cup packed light or dark brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons (43 grams) unsalted butter
- 4 ripe bananas peel and sliced about ½ inch thick
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ cup dark rum, or maple syrup for an alcohol-free version
- ½ teason pure vanilla extract
- vanilla ice cream for serving (optional)
Instructions
Crepes
- Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend for a few seconds until smooth. Alternatively, use a large bowl and an immersion blender.
- Pour into a medium-size bowl and refrigerate for 30 minutes to overnight.
- Heat your largest non-stick pan on medium heat. Melt a little chunk of butter in the pan, and spread it around with a paper towel to coat the pan thinly and evenly.
- Give the batter a good whisking before using. Pour about ¼ cup of batter into the pan, lifting and tilting the pan immediately to spread the batter as evenly as possible. Don't worry if it creeps up the side of the pan, this creates lovely crispy, waffly edges.
- Let the crepe cook until the underside is golden brown, adjusting the heat as necessary to avoid burning. Flip, and cook an additional minute or so.
- Continue with remaining batter, wiping the pan with additional butter, as necessary. This yields about 6 to 8 crêpes.
Bananas Foster
- Heat a medium-size pan over medium heat and add butter and brown sugar. Stir until melted and bubbly.
- Stir in cinnamon, and add sliced bananas. Cook, flipping occasionally for a minute or two until softened but not mushy. Add vanilla and rum and ignite using a long match or BBQ lighter. Let it go until the flame burns out. Give the filling a brief stir.
- Arrange the crepes on plates as desired. You can fill them and roll them, or fold them into quarters and top with the bananas. Add a small scoop of vanilla ice cream if you wish.
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