As a rule, French toast on the weekend is a good call. If you can pile some layers of decadence on top, all the better. Berries, whipped cream, bananas. Here, bananas foster goes on top, making it slightly over-the-top, but that’s what weekend breakfast is for.

Then there’s the rum. This is special because it allows *Mount Gay rum to be worked into food. And at that, breakfast. Yep, rum for breakfast. I’d imagine that if pirates were to map out their perfect lives, rum for breakfast would be a part of that. If you don’t feel like getting drunk with breakfast, don’t worry, most of the alcohol burns off while cooking leaving you with that highly coveted Mount Gay flavor.

*Side note: Some friends and I, including the founders of What Youth, have a higher-than-normal affinity for Mount Gay rum. Been drinking it for years. Along with that bad girl Ri-Ri, it’s the pride of Barbados. So that’s why I’ve specified it here. If you want to live life less fully, feel free to sub in another Caribbean rum.

Functionally, even though this recipe has a long and fancy name, it comes together short and simple. And fast, which is great because fussing around in the kitchen on a weekend morning is less than ideal.

For the French toast:

 – 3 slices of thick bread per person. Try Danish bread or Hawaiian King Bread. Thick sourdough is great too.

– 4 eggs

– 1/2 cup milk

– 1 teaspoon vanilla (roughly)

– 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (roughly)

In a shallow mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, vanilla and cinnamon. Dip slices in mixture (if the bread is hard or dense, let those slices soak).  Cook in a hot skillet with plenty of butter until golden brown on both sides.

For the banana foster topping:

– 1 stick butter

– 1/2 cup brown sugar

– 6 bananas peeled and halved, cut lengthwise

– 1/4 cup dark rum, preferably Mount Gay

Melt butter in a large skillet. Add brown sugar and stir together. Add the bananas and cook until caramelized (kind of browned) over medium-high heat. Pour in the rum and catch a flame off of the gas stove or a BBQ lighter. Stand back when ignited and flame. Be careful; a flame will shoot up above the pan. Let flame die down.

Serve. Coat the whole thing in maple syrup and drink some champagne with it. Follow with a nap. —Paul Brewer