# Bananas Foster help



## beetle_slayer (Sep 12, 2007)

I attempted tomake this the other night with no success other than a really sweet hot liquid. I don't know if I cooked it too fast, not long enough, or what??? You may find the recipe I used here


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## Uncle Bob (Sep 12, 2007)

Beetle slayer....Welcome ot DC. Maybe slow your fire down a bit, and cut back on the liqueur, and rum. See if you like that better!


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## kitchenelf (Sep 12, 2007)

Hi there!

Just so you know I changed your recipe to a link.  It was exactly like the Brennan's recipe, word for word, and they do hold the copyright to it.  

Now, back to your recipe - It is most definitely supposed to be hot AND sweet.  The ice cream sort of tones all that down.  The bananas also should have been softened.  I guess if you know you don't like it that sweet the next time you can leave out some of the brown sugar.


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## Dave Hutchins (Sep 12, 2007)

If you flame it it is a dramatic for the dinning room sprinkle some cinnamom in the flames for a sparkle effect. I use to make this table side in the country club I worked in.


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## TATTRAT (Sep 12, 2007)

I think KE summed it up, that is the desired effect. A few factors that could lead to a less then desirable finish are, not cooking out the bite of the booze, and not letting it reduce long enough leaving it too loose, and not viscous. Finish with butter for a nice sheen and a little extra body.


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## beetle_slayer (Sep 12, 2007)

kitchenelf said:


> Hi there!
> 
> Just so you know I changed your recipe to a link. It was exactly like the Brennan's recipe, word for word, and they do hold the copyright to it.


 
Yes it is Brennan's, but I wasn't allowed to post a link since I am under a certain number of posts.  

Based on what I've gathered, I cooked it too fast and too hot.  I cooked it on the stove top on 3 then moved it to 6 (the knob reads 1-9).  It was kind of a foamy boiling mixture and I cooked it til the bananas were soft.  I'll try it again tonight by cooking slow and low.


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## VeraBlue (Sep 12, 2007)

I've had the bananas foster there many times, and the recipe is spot on.  Is it possible your bananas were over ripe?  

I just cook it all long enough to carmelize the sugar, give the banana a slight brown edge, and then ignite.


There is nothing like having a three course breakfast at Brennan's and ending it with the bananas Foster.   You really need a big ol' nap after that breakfast.


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## jpinmaryland (Nov 13, 2007)

Copyright on a recipe? Give me a break. For one thing, the ingredient shouldnt be protectable, it's just a list, you cant protect stuff like that. As for the recipe itself, there is almost no artistic quality to it at all, there is nothing about the wording that is creative. It's just "heat this" "stir that" etc. If you were to allow copy. on stuff like that then no one would be able to communicate about foods. Everybody would just claim on copyright on everything. I claim scrambled eggs: "Take two eggs, beat them..."

If the writing here had some sort of style to it e.g. "we used to use whiskey then one day in the kitchen a waif told us..." You know something that is not just a set of steps, then that would be protectible but only for the creative content. You would still be able to describe the basic process. 

There is still another problem, it is arguable how much wording is needed to copy. The recipe maybe runs 120 words and is borderline, even if it didnt have the problems mentioned above. There was a case involving Madame Curies's letters. The letters were short e.g. 100 words and they were not long enuf to be copy. Most wisdom holds you would need about 100-200 words before you can be sure it would be protectable. 

But here the problem is the wording is so basic. If you were to allow copy. on this then no one would be able to communicate about cooking and foster that knowledge. That is not the pt. of copyright, the point is to protect the creative aspect of the wording.

But go ahead, be your own copyright police, keep people from learning how to cook.


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## Andy M. (Nov 13, 2007)

Yes, we are the copyright police, but we don't do it because we want to keep people from learning how to cook.  That's clearly an absurd statement.

You may not like that there are copyright laws that keep you from doing what you want, but the owner of this site must deal with reality.  

Recipe copyright holders have successfully sued sites like this one for posting recipes without permission and have won six figure awards.  The admins and mods are charged with preventing that from happening here.

An attorney we have on staff agrees that ingredient lists are not copyrightable but is confident instructions are.


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## stassie (Nov 13, 2007)

jpinmaryland said:


> Copyright on a recipe? Give me a break...
> 
> ...But go ahead, be your own copyright police, keep people from learning how to cook.


 
 To the best of my knowledge, kitchenelf had a valid point.


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## jpinmaryland (Nov 13, 2007)

do you have a reference to a successful copyright suit that you are talking about? I doubt it has the same facts as this but go ahead...


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## Andy M. (Nov 13, 2007)

It doesn't have to have the same facts. We are not putting ourselves in a position to separately evaluate every copyrighted recipe for applicability. Our policy was fashioned to protect this site and its members.


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## jpinmaryland (Nov 15, 2007)

I dont see how your policy works and/or makes logical sense.

Look at the policy posted, it says you can post a copyright recipe so long as you change some words. But it has to be more than a few. So how many? The policy doesnt say. How is a person supposed to know? 

Anyhow, do you have a reference to the case you are talking about?


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## VeraBlue (Nov 15, 2007)

jpinmaryland said:


> I dont see how your policy works and/or makes logical sense.
> 
> Look at the policy posted, it says you can post a copyright recipe so long as you change some words. But it has to be more than a few. So how many? The policy doesnt say. How is a person supposed to know?
> 
> Anyhow, do you have a reference to the case you are talking about?


 

It doesn't really have to 'make logical sense' to you.  It has to make the site owner feel comfortable that he's not going to be blindsided with a lawsuit from Old Lady Brennan.   If the recipe says 'cook the bananas over high heat till golden' all you have to do is type 'saute sliced bananas in medium size skillet on high till the sugar caramelizes'.   It's not that difficult do, but you do actually have to type in the recipe.  No cutting and pasting. 

The idea is you are posting it with your name, so it appears to be your recipe.  But, if you just cut and paste from the Brennan's site, it's Old Lady Brennan's recipe, and she (in addition to the site owner) don't take kindly to people stealing her digs.  I never really understand the impetus behind coming to someone's ballpark, jumping into a game already in progress and then crying foul when they don't care for the rules everyone has agreed upon with registration.


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## jpinmaryland (Nov 19, 2007)

Why cant I criticize a policy that makes no sense to me and/or makes no legal sense either? 

Do you have a copy of that case that has the legal dept. so worked up over?


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## Andy M. (Nov 19, 2007)

jpinmaryland said:


> Why cant I criticize a policy that makes no sense to me and/or makes no legal sense either?
> 
> Do you have a copy of that case that has the legal dept. so worked up over?


 
You're welcome to criticize our policies in a civilized manner.  You are not required to agree with them, only to comply with them.

I am not going to go look for any documentation to support my earlier statement, it's irrelevant to the central issue - that we have a copyright policy that we are enforcing for the protection of the community and ownership.

I really have nothing more to say.


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## GB (Nov 19, 2007)

jpinmaryland, the bottom line is that we have a policy in place that needs to be followed. It is there not only for the protection of the site, but for your protection as well. These rules are not up to your interpretation or for you to decide that they are stupid. You can feel that way if you like, but you still either need to follow the rules or find somewhere else to play. 

If you would like to discuss it further then you are free to send a message to any of the staff members or to create a separate thread about it. THIS thread is (or was) about helping a member with Bananas Foster. That is the only thing that should have been discussed here as another community policy that we have (that you agreed to follow when you signed up) was to stay on topic and not hijack threads.


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## carolily531 (Dec 16, 2007)

*copywrite laws*

If you remember the old AOL, there used to be a recipe exchange online there that was ongoing.  People would copy recipes from cookbooks onto the site all the time, and TELL where they came from.  I'm sure AOL had to pay some penalties for allowing recipes from copywrite protected cookbooks to be printed.  If you were the creative soul who put a cookbook together, put your money and time into the work and marketed it, I'm sure you would want your efforts protected.


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