This is the fastest good dessert in the Bordier repertoire. Two bananas, a pan, and a spoonful of chocolate and cacao nib butter that melts into a spiced caramel around them. The butter carries 68% Ghanaian cocoa and roasted cacao nibs, so it browns the fruit and seasons it at the same time. About 15 minutes from start to plate, most of which is waiting for the caramel to take.
At a glance
- Difficulty: Easy
- Serves: 4
- Active time: 15 minutes
- Cook: Stovetop only, no separate cooking time given by Maison Bordier
- Key ingredient: 30 g (1 oz) Chocolate and Cacao Nib Bordier Butter
Why this works
Bordier introduced the chocolate and cacao nib butter in 2024 as a seasonal flavour: 68% Ghanaian cocoa blended into hand churned Breton butter, with roasted cacao nibs left whole through it. The nibs are the interesting part here. They are bitter, crunchy and they do not melt, so as the butter turns to caramel in the pan the nibs stay intact and give you texture against soft fruit. A plain chocolate sauce cannot do that.
The technique is straightforward caramelization. Sugar and butter meet a hot pan, the banana's own sugars start to brown, and the four-spice and star anise infuse into the fat rather than sitting on top. Rum goes in at the end to deglaze and to lift the whole thing with a little acidity and alcohol heat, which keeps the dish from reading as one flat note of sweetness.
Ingredients
Serves four. Use bananas that are ripe but still firm enough to hold their shape when you turn them.
| Ingredient | Metric | US |
|---|---|---|
| Fairly ripe bananas | 2 | 2 |
| Bordier Chocolate and Cacao Nib Butter | 30 g | 1 oz, about 2 tbsp |
| Four-spice blend of your choice | 1 tsp | 1 tsp |
| Star anise | 2 | 2 |
| Dark rum | 5 cl (50 ml) | about 3 1/2 tbsp |
| Brown sugar | 2 tbsp | 2 tbsp |
Method
Step 1: Melt the butter and spices
Cut the bananas lengthwise into two halves. Melt the butter in a hot frying pan, then add the sugar and the spices.
Step 2: Caramelize, flame and serve
Brown the banana halves, caramelizing each side. Deglaze with the rum and flame it. Serve the bananas warm with their juices and a scoop of rum raisin ice cream. For a rum free version, leave out the rum and serve with vanilla ice cream instead, which suits younger eaters.
Tips from our kitchen
- Ripe, not soft. You want bananas with a few brown freckles and no bruising. Fully soft fruit will collapse the moment you try to turn it, and you end up with a puree rather than two clean caramelized halves.
- Cut side down first. Lay the halves flat face down in the pan and leave them alone for two or three minutes. Moving them early tears the surface before the caramel has set, and the crust never forms.
- Watch the sugar, not the clock. Brown sugar in butter goes from amber to bitter quickly. Pull the heat back to medium as soon as the pan starts smelling of caramel rather than sweet butter.
- Flame with care. Take the pan off the heat before you add the rum, stand back, and light it at the edge with a long match. Never pour rum from the bottle straight into a lit pan. Measure it into a cup first.
- Do not chase every nib. The cacao nibs will settle in the caramel rather than dissolve. That is the point. Spoon the pan juices over the fruit so the nibs end up on the plate.
- Serve immediately. The caramel firms up as it cools and the bananas keep cooking in residual heat. Have the plates and the ice cream ready before the fruit hits the pan.
How to serve it
Two halves per person, the pan juices spooned over, and a scoop of ice cream set alongside so it melts into the caramel rather than on top of it. Fine sea salt on the fruit at the last second sharpens the chocolate. If you would rather serve this at breakfast than after dinner, the same butter works beautifully on warm enriched bread, and our Madagascar vanilla butter brioche shows how a Bordier flavoured butter behaves in a dough.
Where to buy Chocolate and Cacao Nib Bordier Butter in the US
The French Pantry ships Bordier butter across the United States in insulated overnight packaging, straight from the workshop in Brittany.
- Churned Seasonal Chocolate and Cacao Nib Butter by Bordier (4.4 oz): hand churned butter with 68% Ghanaian cocoa and whole roasted cacao nibs.
This one is seasonal, so if it is out of stock browse the Maison Bordier collection for the rest of the range.
Frequently asked questions
How much butter do I need to buy for this recipe?
The recipe uses 30 g, which is about 1 oz. Bordier blocks are 4.4 oz (125 g), so one block makes this dessert four times over.
Can I substitute a different Bordier butter?
The Madagascar vanilla butter is the natural stand-in. It has the same brown sugar base and works with rum and spices, though you lose the crunch of the nibs.
Do I have to flame the rum?
No. Flaming burns off some alcohol and adds a little theatre, but simply letting the rum bubble and reduce for 30 seconds gets you to the same sauce. The source also gives a rum free version served with vanilla ice cream.
What is four-spice?
Quatre-epices is a French blend, usually pepper, nutmeg, ginger and clove. Any version you like will work here, and the recipe leaves the choice to you.
How should I store the butter?
Keep it wrapped in the coldest part of your refrigerator and use it by the date on the pack. It freezes well for a few months if wrapped tightly.
Does Bordier butter need refrigeration?
Yes. Bordier butter is a fresh, hand churned product and ships cold. Unwrap the box and get it into the refrigerator as soon as it arrives.
Related reading
- Bordier Butter: What It Is, Why Chefs Love It, and How to Use It
- Madagascar Vanilla Butter Brioche
- How to Choose Your French Butter: A Buyer's Guide
Recipe and photograph adapted from Maison Bordier, with thanks. The French Pantry is an authorized US retailer of Bordier butter.