Bananas Foster a la Mode Cups & A Giveaway!

A couple of months ago, my husband and I went to a restaurant in New Orleans. When it came time for dessert, we decided to split something, but the problem with splitting with my husband is the dessert cannot contain any chocolate, caramel or peanut butter (he hates it all). I know…poor guy doesn’t know what he’s missing! Luckily, this particular restaurant had a bananas foster torte, so I knew we were set. It was absolutely delicious, indulgent and rich. In fact, I’m SO glad we split it, because there was no way I could eat the whole thing. Ever since then, bananas foster has been fresh on my mind. I had to make a fun recipe with this classic New Orleans favorite.

I’m thrilled to be working with Calphalon again to review their brand new Elite Nonstick cookware, which is sold exclusively at Williams-Sonoma. It’s currently for sale on their website, and will be in stores on September 27th. I’m sure you guys know that I love using nonstick cookware, but one of the biggest issues I’ve faced is being limited to wooden or silicone utensils. This line is safe for metal utensils (fork out your whisks!). Yep…I’m serious! This cookware also comes with a textured sear surface, which is awesome because you can get the sear that you usually get from stainless steel, but with the convenience (hello, easy clean-up) of a nonstick pan. This line of cookware is also dishwasher safe.

Calphalon sent me this 3 piece set to review, and asked me to create a modern twist on a classic recipe, using one of the pans. With that in mind, I grabbed the 10″ pan, some bananas and got to work! The end result is homemade bananas foster ice cream, topped with warm bananas foster, contained in a cinnamon sugar wonton cup. I hope you like bananas for this one, y’all, because there is plenty of sweet banana flavor in this recipe!

For the ice cream, I omitted the rum, because even though the alcohol cooks off, I didn’t want to chance the ice cream not setting up properly. I suggest making the ice cream one day before you plan on serving these desserts, so the ice cream can be a scoop-able consistency.

Bananas Foster a la Mode Cups
Source: Nifty Foodie Original

**makes 12 servings**

Ingredients:

For the ice cream:

• 1/2 stick unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 2 large bananas, cut in half lengthwise
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

For the cups:

• 12 wonton wrappers
• 2 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

For the bananas foster topping:

• 3 tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 2 large bananas, cut in half lengthwise, then cut in thirds for each banana half
• 1/4 cup dark rum

Directions:

1. To make the ice cream, melt the 1/2 stick of butter in a 10″ pan. Once it’s melted, stir in the brown sugar and cinnamon, then cook it on low until the sugar dissolves into the butter. Add in the bananas, and cook them on each side for about a minute. Allow the bananas foster to fully cool.
2. In a blender, add the heavy cream, whole milk, bananas foster and vanilla extract. Chill the mixture in the fridge for about an hour. Then, place the ice cream in an ice cream maker, and make the ice cream according to your ice cream maker’s instructions (mine takes 25-30 minutes to churn). Then, place the ice cream in an airtight container, and allow it to freeze overnight.
3. To make the cups, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a cupcake tin with baking spray, and place one wonton in each cupcake well, pressing it down to form a cup. Brush the inside of the cups lightly with the melted butter. Mix the cinnamon and granulated sugar together, and sprinkle the mixture on the inside of the wonton cups. Bake the cups for 8-10 minutes, until the tips of the cups start to brown. While the cups are cooling, make the bananas foster topping.
4. To make the topping, melt the unsalted butter in a 10″ pan. Once it’s melted, stir in the brown sugar and cinnamon, then cook it on low until the sugar dissolves into the butter. Add in the bananas, and cook them on each side for about a minute. Carefully pour in the dark rum, and then using a stick lighter (like the kind for a candle) ignite the sauce and carefully swirl the pan around until the flame goes out. (Note: if the sauce is hot enough, the mixture may ignite on its own without a flame once you add the rum.)
5. To assemble the cups, add a small scoop of the ice cream in the cup, then place a banana piece on top of the ice cream. Spoon sauce over the banana and ice cream, and enjoy!

By the way, Calphalon is generously offering a lucky reader of The Nifty Foodie a 10″ fry pan from the Elite Nonstick collection (valued at $150). I absolutely love this cookware, and I think whoever wins this is in for a treat! I’ve used it a few times already, and the coating still looks new. I’m always hesitant to use metal utensils in it, but there’s been no scratches or damage. This is a great, sturdy line of cookware!

To enter this giveaway, check out the Rafflecopter widget below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Note: This giveaway is open to readers in the continental US only. Entries will be accepted until October 2nd at 12:00am (central standard time). Winner will be emailed (make sure you leave an email address in the form), and will have 48 hours to respond or another winner will be chosen.

Disclaimer: I was sent a 3 pc. Elite Nonstick set from Calphalon at no cost to me for a fair and honest review. Calphalon is also supplying the 10″ fry pan for the giveaway. All opinions are 100% my own.