It's office Birthday Party time again. We were celebrating the big "Five Oh" of one of wuffy's co-workers today!

Others had already volunteered to do eggs, fruit, sausage and bacon, etc. So wuff's choices were a little limited. But, for such an auspicious occasion, Vrghr wanted to create something a little special.

So, how about something with a little "illicit" (at least in the work environment) rum, and a flaming presentation? Something sweet, crunchy, fruity, and a bit exotic? Something you might not expect to find coming out of an office place kitchen?

How about Deep Fried Bananas, enshrouded in pancake batter, cooked until the edges are crisp and crunchy, with soft, luscious banana in the middle? How about we create a "Fosters" sauce with brown sugar, butter, cinnamon, and rum? Why not flame it in front of everyone for a bit of "Wow!" factor?

Yup! These definitely fit the bill! And they are amazingly easy to create. An electric fry pan served as the deep fryer. An induction hob and skillet created the sauce. Wuff simplified things even further to get the breakfast out faster in the office by using boxed pancake mix to create the batter, though you can certainly whip up your own favorite pancake mix.

Best eaten warm from the fryer while the edges are still crispy and the centers still soft and warm.

Without further ado, here's the recipe!

(Wuffy reduced the quantities below to serve 4-5 though this easily doubles for a larger crowd.)

Ingredients:
4 Large, ripe bananas
Oil for Frying (about 1 inch deep)

For the batter
1 C Pancake powder Mix (Wuff used Krustease, but Aunt Jamima, etc., works just as well)
~ 1 C water
1 egg
1/4 C Vegetable Oil
1 tsp Vanilla
1 1/2 tsp Cinnamon

For the Fosters sauce
1 C Brown Sugar
1/3 C Water
2 Tbs Butter
1 Tbs Cinnamon
2-3 Tbs Dark Rum (to taste)

Powdered Sugar for garnish

Directions
Create the bananas
Heat the oil to ~350 degrees

Peel the bananas. Slice them in half or thirds, depending on size. Slice each segment in half lengthwise

Combine the ingredients for the batter in a large bowl and whisk until the lumps are gone

Submerge the banana slices into the batter, let the excess batter drip off and then CAREFULLY transfer the slices to the hot oil
Fry until golden brown, flipping the slices over to finish the other side (about 3-4 minutes per side, depending on temp of oil)
Remove slices to plate lined with paper towels to drain

Create the sauce
In a medium skillet, combine the sauce ingredients EXCEPT the rum and cook over medium heat until the sugar completely dissolves and the syrup reaches the "thread" stage (~215-230 degrees F (101-110 C))
Pour in the rum and stir briefly
REMOVE PAN FROM FIRE!
!Carefully! ignite the alcohol fumes and allow to flame. With a long handled spoon, gently and Carefully stir the sauce, moving the bottom layers to the top. The Rum will flame off in about a minute. If not, blow it out or CAREFULLY cover with a metal lid.
Return the pan to law heat to keep warm

Plate the Bananas
Place several slices of banana on plate
Drizzle lightly with the warm Rum (Fosters) sauce
Dust/sprinkle with powdered sugar for garnish
Serve immediately

DEVOUR!!

(Serves 4-5)