For a fancy dessert, go bananas

Although bananas figure most prominently in our lives at breakfast or for snacks, pastry chefs are fond of slipping them into fancy desserts, especially in winter. Bananas Foster, that sweet, gooey treat hailing from New Orleans, is sometimes spectacularly flambéed tableside before being served over ice cream. A few years back, local chefs favored caramelized bananas layered with thick chocolate mousse or fudgy chocolate tortes.

This season the trend seems to be toward cakes that emphasize the true flavor of the yellow fruits, and are embellished with caramelized bananas, nuts, and plenty of whipped cream. Cuchi Cuchi in Cambridge gets raves for its French banana toast, a perennial on its menu. UpStairs on the Square is featuring a banana shortcake this season. The dessert sandwiches sweetened whipped cream, fresh bananas, and candied macadamia nuts between layers of shortcake biscuits. A triple treat is offered at the Federalist on Beacon Hill -- delicate banana cake served with fresh bananas and long curls of caramelized bananas under a drift of coconut ice cream. It's a star turn for the basic banana. -- ALISON ARNETT