Maple Rosemary Banana Splits

By on 29 September 2011 in Desserts with 12 Comments.

It’s been a joy to cook with our garden herbs all summer. Unfortunately, they are starting to become a bit past their prime.

We’ve been gradually harvesting and preserving what we can for the winter – including our rosemary plant, which reminded me of a recipe I’d seen in The Herbal Kitchen (a gift from my sister written by a chef based in her home city of Seattle). Seeing as we had a few bananas lying around, I thought I’d give it a try.

Not only does this dessert come together in a just a few minutes, it is just as delicious as it sounds! The hint of rosemary added a nice complexity to the maple – and the butter added the perfect amount of caramel flavor.

If you don’t have the rosemary, it would be just as delicious without! Sauteed bananas make a quick and easy dessert with or without the herbs. Just make sure to use real maple syrup (none of that corn-based imitation stuff) – check out your local markets for some of the good stuff!

Maple Rosemary Banana Splits
Inspired by The Herbal Kitchen
Serves 4

What You Need
3 bananas
1/2 cup real maple syrup
4 to 5 sprigs rosemary
~1 tablespoon butter (or more to taste)
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
Greek yogurt or ice cream to serve

What To Do

1 Toast the walnuts: If the walnuts are not already chopped, chop them coarsely. (An easy way is to wrap them in a towel and smash them with the back of a spoon.) Place the nuts in a dry pan over medium high heat and toast for a few minutes, shaking the pan and watching constantly so they do not burn.

2  Prepare the bananas: Peel the bananas and cut them in half lengthwise, then crosswise.

3  Sautee the bananas: In a large skillet, place the bananas, 1/2 cup maple syrup and rosemary sprigs. Bring the syrup to a low boil, then cook for about 1 minute. Turn over the bananas and cook another minute more.

4  Thicken the syrup: Remove the bananas from the pan onto a plate. Bring the syrup in the pan up to a boil for a minute or two until it thickens, then stir in 1 tablespoon of butter until it melts.

5  Serve the splits: Place 1 scoop of yogurt or ice cream in each bowl. Top with bananas and pour syrup from the pan over each (remove the rosemary sprigs, or hold them back with a fork as you pour). Sprinkle with walnuts.

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