Bananas Foster

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 strip lemon, zest of, 1 to 2 inches long by about 1 1/2 inch wide
• 2 large firm ripe bananas, peeled and halved lengthwise and then crosswise
• 4 tablespoons dark rum
• 1 pint vanilla ice cream, divided among four bowls

Directions

1. 1

   Melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed 12-inch skillet over medium heat.

2. 2

   Add the brown sugar, cinnamon stick, and lemon zest; stir to dissolve the sugar, about 1 minute.

3. 3

   (If the heat is too high, the butter and sugar will separate instead of combining to form a sauce).

4. 4

   Add the bananas and spoon some sauce over each piece.

5. 5

   Cook until the bananas are glossy and golden on the bottom, about 1 1/2 minutes.

6. 6

   Turn the bananas and continue cooking until they are very soft but not mushy or falling apart, about 1 1/2 more minutes.

7. 7

   Remove the skillet from the heat.

8. 8

   Add the rum and wait until the rum has warmed slightly, about 5 seconds.

9. 9

   Wave a lit match over the pan until the rum ignites, shaking the pan to distribute the flame over the entire pan.

10. 10

    When the flames subside (this will take 15 to 30 seconds), divide the bananas and sauce among the four bowls of ice cream and serve.