Page 22 of Roux the Day

Camille cocked her head to one side, her gaze sliding over him from tip to toe. “I don’t know. It might be fun to have a topless assistant in my kitchen.”

He crossed the room, pulled her into his arms, careful of her mug of coffee, and kissed her soundly. “If you weren’t making entries for the fair, I’d gladly be your topless assistant. But we can’t have chest hairs in your pie filling.”

“Immediate disqualification,” she murmured, her lips barely touching his. “But worth it.”

Landry chuckled. “At this rate, you won’t have to worry about disqualification. You won’t have any entries in this year’s competition.”

“I’m thinking I don’t really care,” she pressed her lips to his.

XAVIER’S BANANAS FOSTER

"A DESSERT SO DRAMATIC IT HAS TO BE ON FIRE — NOW THAT IS CAJUN FLAIR, CHER!"

DURATION

15 minutes

SERVING SIZE

4 people

INGREDIENTS

• 4 ripe (but firm!) bananas, peeled

• ½ cup unsalted butter

• 1 cup packed dark brown sugar

• ½ tsp ground cinnamon

• Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

• ¼ cup banana liqueur

• ½ cup dark rum (151-proof for flames)

• Zest of 1 navel orange

• Vanilla bean ice cream to serve

• FIRE — optional but iconic

METHOD

1. Melt butter in wide skillet over medium heat.

2. Stir in dark brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg until bubbling.

3. Add banana liqueur and orange zest; stir.

4. Halve bananas lengthwise; lay in pan. Cook 1–2 min per side.

5. Move pan OFF heat before adding rum — safety first!

6. Return to heat; tilt pan or use lighter to ignite vapors.

7. Let flames die (30–45 sec). Spoon over ice cream. Serve immediately!