Baked Banana Splits

Adapted from Something Sweet by Jack Bishop

Makes 4 sundaes

This is a wonderful and easy dessert. It is especially delicious after a curry dinner, either Indian or Thai. It's from the most marvelous tiny little cookbook, Something Sweet, by Jack Bishop, which, sadly, is out of print. If you can find a copy, by all means get it because it has so many good dessert recipes in it.

4 ripe (but not mushy) bananas, unpeeled
⅓ cup orange juice
½ cup tightly packed light brown sugar
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 pint best quality vanilla ice cream (I use Häagen-Dazs Vanilla, not Vanilla Bean)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place whole bananas on a baking sheet, and roast until the skins turn black. This will take about 10 minutes. Remove the bananas from the oven, and cool for 5 to 10 minutes, until the skins are only warm to the touch.

While bananas are in the oven, put the orange juice, brown sugar, and butter in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, and simmer slowly until the sugar dissolves. Remove the saucepan from the heat, and cool slightly. The sauce will be quite thin.

Slit the cooled banana skins with a small, sharp knife, and peel the bananas. Slice each banana in half lengthwise, and cut each half in half again sideways. Place two pieces of banana in each of four dessert bowls, followed by a large scoop of your favorite vanilla ice cream. Drizzle some of the butterscotch sauce on top. The sauce will run over the ice cream and into the bottom of the dish right onto the bananas. Serve immediately.

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