Plantains with Vanilla Cream: Postre de Plátano con Vainilla
This dessert is a dressed-up version of a classic Mexican night-time street snack. Nearly every good-sized town square in the country has a cart with a busy vendor frying sliced plantains, eaten topped with sweetened condensed milk, to satisfy that late-night sweet tooth. This more sophisticated recipe calls for whipping cream flavored with vanilla and sherry. Plantains are used in various stages of ripeness for different dishes; for this one, they should be nearly completely black.
Ingredients:
- 3 large, ripe plantains, sliced in half lengthwise
- 4 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup whipping cream
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup sherry, preferably Tres Coronas or other Mexican sweet sherry
Preparation:
In a medium-sized skillet, saute the plantain slices in melted butter until golden brown, turning once to brown on both sides.
Place them in a shallow baking dish and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of the sugar.
Keep them in a warm oven while the cream is being prepared.
Whip the cream with the remaining sugar, vanilla and sherry.
Remove the bananas from the oven and serve at once topped with the cream.
Makes 6 servings.
