Bananas Foster breakfast heaven (no fire necessary)

Bananas Foster is said to have originated at Brennan's in New Orleans in the 1950s. It's a dessert made by sautéing sliced bananas in a sauce of butter, brown sugar and cinnamon. Dark rum and sometimes even banana liqueur are added and set aflame, often at tableside for dramatic effect. The sizzling bananas and sauce are served over top of vanilla ice cream. It's a decadent, retro classic that looks extremely impressive, but is really quite quick and simple.

Since childhood, I've been mashing bananas and adding them to my pancake batter, whether it was the kind from a yellow box or the from-scratch buttermilk pancakes I make now. It's one of my favorite ways to use up extra ripe bananas and make weekend breakfasts a little more special. I wanted to kick my breakfast game up a notch, as Emeril Lagasse would say, and invoke the flavors of Bananas Foster. But I had no desire to be setting things aflame in my kitchen at 8 a.m. on a Saturday morning while just sipping my first cup of coffee. That seemed like a bad plan.

Instead, I melted butter in a saucepan, then added the maple syrup for my banana pancakes in place of brown sugar and a little cinnamon. Then, I stirred in dark rum and allowed the sauce to simmer to cook off the alcohol and bring the flavors together. The result was a dark, buttery, boozy sauce, that when poured over a giant stack of banana pancakes, made the entire plate taste like Bananas Foster breakfast heaven, minus the flames.

Bananas Foster buttermilk pancakes

Yields about 8 pancakes

For the pancakes:

1 cup flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

1 1/4 cup buttermilk

2 tablespoons melted butter

1 ripe banana, mashed

For the syrup:

1/2 cup pure maple syrup

3 tablespoons butter

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

3 tablespoons dark rum

To make the pancakes:

Heat a nonstick* griddle or skillet over medium heat.

In a mixing bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda and salt. Add the eggs, buttermilk, melted butter and mashed banana. Whisk until the batter is combined. Using a 1/3 cup measuring cup for consistently sized cakes, scoop batter into the preheated pan. Flip the pancake when the bottom is golden and bubbles form on top, about 2 minutes per side or until cooked through. If your cakes brown before being cooked through, turn your heat down a notch. Repeat with remaining pancakes. Serve the pancakes with Bananas Foster syrup (instructions below).

*Note: I use a nonstick skillet for pancakes and I do not grease the pan with butter or oil, because I have found that I get prettier, more evenly-colored pancakes when I do not grease the pan. However, if you are using a griddle or skillet that is not nonstick, I recommend greasing the pan for easier flipping.

To make the syrup:

To a small saucepan over medium heat, add the syrup, butter and cinnamon. When the butter is melted and the syrup begins to bubble, add the rum. Simmer steadily for 60 seconds to allow the alcohol to cook off. Remove from heat and serve hot over banana pancakes.

Maya Wilson lives in Kenai and blogs about food at alaskafromscratch.com. Have a food question or recipe request? Email maya@alaskafromscratch.com and your inquiry may appear in a future column.