Let's play with some fire! This is one of those recipes where I saw something and just thought, "I bet that's good, I can make that." And even better, it involves a blow torch. I was watching Graham Elliot cooking on Masterchef, and he made some brûléed bananas as a garnish for one of his dishes. I don't remember what the dish was, but I know for sure that I attempted my own take on brûléed bananas that same night.
Since then, this has been something that I make whenever I have ripe bananas laying around, ice cream in the freezer, and I'm hungry. Granted, it's a little rare that those first two things happen at the same time, but it happens often enough. The best part of this recipe is that it's so easy; plus, it makes your banana sundaes look super fancy. You can also use them to top your morning yogurt, oatmeal, or cheesecake.
You'd think that a recipe with a word like brûléed in the title would mean it's complicated to make. Just look at all of those accents! It's really not, though. There are only three steps and three ingredients. The only special equipment you need is a torch, which you may or may not have. I still don't have a kitchen torch... I use a soldering torch from home renovations. If you want to try this recipe out, I'd recommend getting one (a kitchen torch, not a soldering torch): they're only $10-20. You can also probably get away with using a zippo lighter (don't use one that has a colored flame though).
The trick to this recipe is to cook the sugar quickly without burning it or heating up the bananas too much (they'll get mushy). I can't give you much guidance on this except to say that you'll get it. You might mess up once or twice, but you'll get it. You should end up with lukewarm bananas (at warmest) with a crispy, brown, sugary coating.
Brûléed Bananas
Makes: 2 servings
Prep time: 2 minutes
Cook time: 5 minutes
2 ripened bananas
1 Tbsp light brown sugar
⅛ tsp cinnamon
1. Slice the bananas into your desired shape (i.e. split lengthwise, sliced into rounds... I guess those are the only real options).
2. Stir the sugar and cinnamon together, then rub the mixture uniformly over the flat surfaces of the bananas.
3. Using a kitchen torch (or pipe soldering torch like I did), caramelize the sugar mixture. To avoid burning the sugar, make sure you keep the torch moving. The sugar should bubble as it's caramelizing. You'll know it's done when the surface is glossy and slightly browner than it started.