Bananas Foster French Toast

Bananas Foster was created at Brennan's Restaurant in New Orleans in 1951, named after Richard Foster, a friend of the restaurant's owner and chairman of the New Orleans Crime Commission. The original is a tableside dessert — bananas in brown sugar, butter, banana liqueur, and rum, flambéed and served over vanilla ice cream. This version takes the same sauce and puts it on French toast, which turns a great dessert into an even better brunch.

The sauce is caramel banana with dark rum and a note of cinnamon — it smells like New Orleans in the best possible way. The French toast underneath needs to be brioche, thick-cut, and soaked long enough that the custard has worked all the way through. Everything else is just timing.

Ingredients (serves 4): - 8 thick slices brioche (1½ inches, preferably day-old) - 3 tablespoons unsalted butter for frying

Custard Soak: - 4 large eggs - ¾ cup (¾ cup) heavy cream - ¼ cup (¼ cup) whole milk - 2 tablespoons brown sugar - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract - 1 teaspoon cinnamon - Pinch of nutmeg - Pinch of salt

Bananas Foster Sauce: - 4 tablespoons (2 ⅛ oz) unsalted butter - ½ cup (3 ⅞ oz) packed dark brown sugar - ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon - 3 tablespoons dark rum (Myers's or Appleton — light rum won't have the same depth) - 1 tablespoon banana liqueur (optional; Crème de Banane works well) - 4 ripe bananas, peeled and halved lengthwise - ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

To Serve: - Vanilla bean ice cream or cold crème fraîche - Flaky sea salt (just a pinch — it transforms the sauce) - Toasted pecans

Custard Soak: Whisk eggs, cream, milk, brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a wide, shallow dish. Soak brioche slices for 2 minutes per side — the bread should feel fully saturated and slightly heavy. If the brioche is very fresh, press it gently to encourage absorption.

French Toast: Melt butter in a large heavy skillet over medium heat until foaming. Cook brioche in batches 3–4 minutes per side until deeply golden and caramelized. Keep warm in a 200°F oven.

Bananas Foster Sauce: In a wide skillet over medium heat, melt butter. Add brown sugar and cinnamon, stir until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is bubbling and fragrant — about 2 minutes. Add banana halves, cut-side down, and cook 1–2 minutes until they begin to soften and caramelize. Remove pan from heat (this is important before adding alcohol). Add rum and banana liqueur. Return to heat — the sauce will bubble vigorously. If using a gas burner, you can tilt the pan to flambée; for electric, simply allow the alcohol to reduce for 30–45 seconds. Add vanilla. Taste — if it needs brightness, a small squeeze of lemon juice does the work.

Assembly: Stack two slices of French toast per person. Spoon warm banana sauce generously over and around, arranging the banana halves alongside or on top. Add a scoop of vanilla ice cream if serving this as a dessert-adjacent brunch course, or cold crème fraîche for a slightly more restrained version. Scatter pecans and finish with a tiny pinch of flaky salt.

Reference Links: - Bananas Foster history: Brennan's Restaurant New Orleans - Brown sugar caramel technique: Serious Eats

Pro Tips: Remove the pan from heat before adding rum — alcohol added over an active flame can cause an immediate, uncontrolled flare. Day-old brioche absorbs the custard far better than fresh; if using fresh, dry it uncovered at 300°F for 15 minutes first. The flaky salt on the finished sauce is not optional — it's what stops the caramel from being cloying.