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Ingredients

1. 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2. 16 firm, ripe baby bananas (about 3 pounds)
3. 1/2 cup dulce de leche
4. 2 vanilla beans, split lengthwise, seeds scraped
5. Two 3-inch cinnamon sticks, broken in half
6. 1/2 cup dark rum
7. Vanilla ice cream, for serving

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 450°. In a very large ovenproof skillet, melt the butter Add the bananas and cook over high heat until lightly browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the dulce de leche, vanilla beans and seeds and cinnamon sticks and cook over moderate heat just until the dulce de leche is melted.
2. Carefully add the rum to the skillet and stir gently just until combined. Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake for 5 minutes, or until the bananas are just tender and bubbling. Carefully pick out the cinnamon sticks and vanilla beans. Serve the bananas and sauce over vanilla ice cream.