Grilled Bananas on Sugared Rum Toast

Combine rum, brown sugar, and 1 tablespoon butter in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. (Be careful; rum will flame up when it comes to a boil.) When flames subside, stir with a whisk until syrupy. Remove from heat; stir in pepper and salt. Keep warm.

Heat a grill pan over medium heat. Coat bananas with cooking spray. Place on grill pan; grill 2 minutes on each side or until lightly charred.

Brush bread with remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons butter. Sprinkle granulated sugar onto a small plate. Dredge bread evenly in sugar. Place bread in pan; grill 15 seconds on each side or until lightly charred, being careful not to scorch. Serve bread with bananas and sauce.

VARIATION

Grilled Fig Toast: Use turbinado sugar in place of brown sugar and Saba* in place of rum; omit salt. Replace bananas with 6 fresh figs, halved. Arrange on a platter; drizzle with 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil. Sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon coarse sea salt. (*Saba is a sweet-tart condiment made from grape must; you can substitute balsamic syrup.) SERVES 4 (serving size: 1 bread block, 3 fig halves, about 2 teaspoons sauce, 1/4 teaspoon oil, and dash of salt) CALORIES 288; FAT 11g (sat 5g); SODIUM 315mg