Bananas Foster

INGREDIENTS

• 75g pecans
• 50g unsalted butter
• 4 bananas, halved lengthways
• 2 tbsp caster sugar
• 50g demerara sugar
• 2 tbsp golden syrup
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
• 50ml dark rum
• Vanilla ice cream, to serve

METHOD

1. Toast the pecan halves in a dry non-stick frying pan over a medium heat, then roughly chop and set aside.
2. Heat a large non-stick pan over a medium high heat and add half the butter and let it melt gently.
3. Sprinkle the cut side of the bananas with the caster sugar and place, cut side down in the pan and cook for 3-4 minutes until golden and sticky, turning once. Carefully remove to a plate with a palette knife.
4. In the pan add the rest of the butter, and when melted, add the demerara sugar in an even layer with the golden syrup and let it melt gently. Then add the cinnamon and vanilla and let it all melt to-gether and bubble for a minute. Return the bananas to the pan, cut side down again and cook for 30 seconds.
5. In a ladle or small pan, heat the dark rum over a low heat, then light it with a match. Bring the banana pan to the table and pour over the flaming rum. Once the flames have died down, serve with scoops of vanilla ice cream and a scattering of pecans.