Replace Bananas With Strawberries For A Fresh Take On A Classic Dessert

Bananas Foster is one of the great American desserts. Just the name Bananas Foster is evocative of its birthplace in New Orleans, conjuring up the unmistakable flavors of brown butter, bananas, and vanilla ice cream. For some, replacing one of these ingredients is food sacrilege. Nevertheless, the recipe for this dessert leaves a lot of room for experimentation. And, of course, not everybody is a fan of bananas. Whether it's the mushy texture or allergies, people who can't eat bananas shouldn't be denied the "Foster" part of this magnificent dish. Enter Strawberries Foster, a fresh take on this classic dessert.

Strawberries Foster might not be easy to find on restaurant dessert menus, but you can make it yourself at home. It only takes a few ingredients and a couple of simple steps. Just heat butter and dark rum in a saucepan. Then, add strawberries, allowing them to coat in the sauce with some sugar for the desired sweetness. Once the fruit is well coated and warmed through, you can add it as a topper for ice cream or eat it on its own. 

This variation on Bananas Foster works well because of the combination of brown butter and rum. These ingredients, when cooked together, effectively become a caramel sauce that goes with just about any mildly flavored fruit. Many desserts come to mind that you can use as the base for your Strawberries Foster topping. The original dish usually accompanies vanilla ice cream, but it also pairs well with bread pudding, crème brulée, flan, or cheesecake. When you want to take the flavor up a level, add warm baking spices such as cinnamon or allspice to the rum-butter mixture.

If you have kids in the house, make a big batch and add it to pancakes and French toast. While Strawberries Foster stands alone just fine, it also goes with maple syrup and whipped cream. Just be sure to adjust the amount of sugar you use in the sauce so that the pancakes or French toast don't become overly sweet. For an extra pop of color, you could even sprinkle in blueberries or blackberries. Just be sure to thoroughly cook off the alcohol when you know you're going to be serving kids.