Author: Julia

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History of Bananas Foster

Bananas Foster is one of those namesake foods. Bananas drenched in rum and banana liqueur then flambéed tableside and served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. It’s a dramatic presentation for a swoon-worthy dessert, but who is Foster? And why did anyone think setting bananas on fire would be a good idea? It all began at a New Orleans, Louisiana restaurant named Vieux Carre (informally known as the first Brennan’s), that had easy access to boatloads of bananas. Literally. 

Bananas were not introduced to North America until sometime after the Civil War (after 1865). In the mid-20th century, the port of New Orleans was a major point of entry for bananas shipped from Central and South America. In 1951, Owen Brennan, a well-heeled New Orleans restaurateur, challenged his chef, Paul Blangé, to create a dessert to honor then-New Orleans Crime Commission chairman Richard Foster. With a bounty of bananas, Blangé came up with — you guessed it — Bananas Foster. At least that’s one story. Other versions suggest Blangé had an accomplice.

By some accounts, including Brennan’s, Owen Brennan also asked his sister, Ella, to create a dessert to honor Richard Foster. In 2016, Ella’s daughter, Ti Adelaide Martin, told NPR her mother was working at her brother’s first New Orleans restaurant, Vieux Carré, when Owen surprised her with the unexpected request. “While fussing and carrying on, she just grabs the bananas,” Martin said. “They were probably just sitting right there, readily available.” 

Inspired by a memory of childhood breakfasts of sautéed bananas, combined with a nod to the flaming Baked Alaska on the menu at another venerable New Orleans dining institution, Antoine’s, Ella partnered with Chef Paul Blangé to create the dessert that has reigned supreme at Brennan’s (both the original Vieux Carré on Bourbon Street and the current incarnation on Royal Street) for more than eight decades.

The now-iconic confection wasn’t an immediate hit. It didn’t really catch on until Vieux Carré introduced a breakfast menu featuring what is now the restaurant’s signature dessert, ultimately spawning the longstanding tradition of Breakfast at Brennan’s. (Fear not: It’s still a mainstay on the dinner menu.) To match demand, Brennan’s flambés about 35,000 pounds of bananas every year. And even decades after its debut, Ella (who died in 2018) and her daughter Ti Adelaide, wondered how it had become so famous, musing to NPR, “Why in the world do people make such a big deal out of that simple dessert?”

Bananas Foster – Recipe

Adapted by John coletta

This dramatic, flambéed result is now the most-ordered menu offering at Brennans’. It is not unusual for guests who have dined elsewhere to arrive just for a dessert of Bananas Foster.

Yields 4 servings

Ingredients

• 50g. Butter; Unsalted; Room Temperature
• 110g. Sugar; Light Brown
• 1.50g. Cinnamon; Ground
• 50 ml. Banana Liqueur
• 2 each Bananas; Fresh; Peeled and cut lengthwise into half and cut in half vertically.
• 50 ml. Rum; Dark
• 2 each Bananas; Fresh; Peeled and cut lengthwise into half and cut in half vertically.
• 4-80g. Vanilla Ice Cream; Scoops

Instructions

1. Place a flambé pan onto a medium heat. Add the butter, sugar, cinnamon and combine into a unified mixture is achieved.
2. Add the Banana liqueur stirring to ensure a unified mixture. Add the bananas to the flambé pan and simmer slowly for 30-seconds to 1-minute.
3. Expose the flambé pan to the flame and add the dark rum, ensuring that the rum is ignited. Stir the sauce with the bananas, while ensuring that the alcohol is cooked away. Once the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of spoon, remove the flambé pan from the heat.
4. Arrange the bananas onto an appropriate serving vessel. Place a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream onto the bananas and spoon the pan sauce onto the vanilla ice cream.

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The Maize and Radish Dodda is from North India, specifically the Punjab, Haryana, and Himachal regions. A traditional Indian recipe, it is best accompanied with butter, yogurt and pickle.

Maize and Radish Dodda – Recipe

Adapted by Nimish Bhatia

Yields 4 servings

Ingredients

For Dodda Bread:

• Maize flour 100g
• Wheat flour 40g
• Grated winter radish 120 g
• Chopped coriander leaves 10g
• Chopped onion 10g
• Chopped green chilli 5g
• Chopped ginger 5g
• Ajwain (Carrom Seeds) 5g
• Salt 5g

• Butter 20 g
• Pickled shallots (4)
• Thick yogurt 150 g
• Cumin 8g
• Coriander Sprig (6)
• Mango Pickle 10g (optional)

Instructions

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 10 minutes

1. Take a mixing bowl and mix all the ingredients listed for dodda and then make crumbly dough with it, adding water in very little quantity, just to moisten the maize flour.
2. Once mixed divide the dough into small 40g dumplings and press flat with your fingers. Seer them on a flat griddle until golden color on both sides and glaze with butter.
3. Put the yoghurt in a mesh strainer and keep for ten minutes so extra whey drains out. On a pan dry toast cumin seeds until brown, grind it and strain it.
4. On each cooked dodda bread spoon a dollop of yogurt, sliced picked shallot, sprinkle roasted cumin powder, green coriander sprig, also optionally some mango pickle.

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Kababs are popular all over the world. Pakistanis have some authentic types of kababs and it is a part of our main course. Chapli kabab is a specialty of the city Peshawar. Minced meat is mixed with spices and fried on a pan. The unique element of this kabab is chunks of tomatoes. Tomatoes are not added to any kabab other than Chapli Kabab. Sometimes a tomato slice is placed on top of the kabab and then fried. As it is so famous in Peshawar, that the people of Karachi, Islamabad, and Lahore have learned the recipe too to enjoy this dish in their own city. Chapli Kabab is also made on Eid ul Adha and enjoyed with chatni and raita.

Chapli Kabab – Recipe

Adapted by Muhammad Raees

Yields 4 servings

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground beef or lamb
• 1/2 cup tomatoes, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup onions, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
• 1/2 cup fresh mint leaves, chopped
• 2 green chilies, finely chopped
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 tablespoon ginger paste
• 1 tablespoon garlic paste
• 1 tablespoon coriander powder
• 1 tablespoon cumin powder
• 1 tablespoon red chili powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon garam masala powder
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil, for frying

Instructions

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Cooking time: 30 minutes

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground meat, chopped tomatoes, onions, cilantro, mint, green chilies, egg, ginger paste, garlic paste, coriander powder, cumin powder, red chili powder, salt, and garam masala powder. Mix well to combine all the ingredients.
2. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or up to 2 hours, to allow the flavors to meld together.
3. After the marination period, take out the bowl and divide the mixture into equal portions. Take each portion and shape it into a flat disc, similar to a patty.
4. Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, place the shaped kababs into the skillet and fry for 5-7 minutes on each side, or until they are golden brown and fully cooked.
5. Once the kababs are cooked, remove them from the skillet and drain on a paper towel to remove any excess oil.
6. Serve hot with fresh naan bread, salad, and mint chutney on the side.

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