What goes with bananas?

[merstar]

Here is what I do with bananas. It works equally well on a BBQ or in the oven. (One banana per person - so multiply as required).

Split the skin of the banana along the inside curve and pull the skin away slightly.

Stab the banana with a fork, then drizzle with rum (of your choice).

Stash pieces of dark chocolate along the sides - between the skin and the banana.

Wrap in tin foil and heat on the BBQ or in the oven. Timings really depend on the size of the banana and how impatient you are feeling. But the banana should be soft - but not totally mushy. 15 - 20 minutes on the BBQ - 30 minutes in a hot oven?

Open up the parcel and serve with fresh whipped cream and/or ice cream.

Truly delicious!

Aieee! - that sounds great!

 

[larry_stewart]

Here is what I do with bananas. It works equally well on a BBQ or in the oven. (One banana per person - so multiply as required).

Split the skin of the banana along the inside curve and pull the skin away slightly.

Stab the banana with a fork, then drizzle with rum (of your choice).

Stash pieces of dark chocolate along the sides - between the skin and the banana.

Wrap in tin foil and heat on the BBQ or in the oven. Timings really depend on the size of the banana and how impatient you are feeling. But the banana should be soft - but not totally mushy. 15 - 20 minutes on the BBQ - 30 minutes in a hot oven?

Open up the parcel and serve with fresh whipped cream and/or ice cream.

Truly delicious!

Similar to this technique, I was once watching a Bobby Flay show, where a guest split the skin of the banana along the inside curve , pulled skin away slightly ( as mentioned above). He then put sweetened condensed milk in, and sprinkled cinnamon ( too early in the morning to try and spell cinnamon, took me 4 tries), wrapped in foil and grilled until warm. I tried this ( in the oven ) and it really was good.

 

[Cooking Goddess]

Hmm, never thought of rum. When I was a Girl Scout leader we'd make Banana Boats on the campfire. The approved youth version is: Cut a slit into the banana right through the peel, not quite from end-to-end. Pry the slip open a bit, lay pieces of Hershey chocolate from a candy bar (the kind you use for S'Mores) into the slit, then stuff mini-marshmallows along side the chocolate. Wrap in foil, toss on fire (or grill or in fireplace) and bake about 15 minutes (? - little fuzzy on the time). Pull from fire, let foil cool until you can open the wrap, and scoop out goodness with a spoon.

When we have a fire this winter I'll have to try your version with rum Katy.

 

[Mad Cook]

I still don't believe anything goes with bananas other than monkeys. Can you share your recipe?

Off hand I can't remember the quantities I used but it's basically 4 bananas and the juice of 1/2 a lemon pureed in the processor or mashed well with a fork sweetened to taste with about 3ounces of icing sugar (powdered sugar) and rum stirred in. Then 12 fluid ounces of softly whipped heavy cream folded in. You can use vanilla extract (not essence) if you have a problem with the rum or you're giving it to children.

My ice cream machine is one of those with a bowl which needs to be frozen. I put the banana mixture in and run it until it stops. The ice cream is still quite soft. I fold in the walnuts and either put it into a lock and lock and chuck it in the freezer or if I'm making a bombe I use a china, glass or metal pudding basin (not plastic) which has been in the freezer for a couple of hours and I spread the ice cream in it so it lines the bowl with an even layer leaving a basin shaped depression. Pop it in the freezer to get firm and in the meantime make the sorbet:

1 cup water, 2 cups sugar, 1/4 teaspoon (or to taste) Kosher or sea salt

Heat the sugar in a dry heavy saucepan without stirring until it begins to melt and turns a golden colour (watch it like a hawk!). Continue cooking stirring with a fork until it achieves a caramel colour. Add the water VERY CAREFULLY as the caramel will bubble up and spit in an alarming manner (I wear gloves for this part!). Return to the heat and cook, stirring continually until caramel is completely dissolved. Stir in salt and chill until cold. Churn as for ice cream and when churning stops spoon the sorbet into the lined bowl, cover and freeze. You can fold a stiffly beaten egg white to the cold sorbet before freezing if you are OK with uncooked egg. I usually do it but I know some people are worried about it.

To serve, remove the bombe from the freezer. wrap a hot damp cloth round the bowl for a few seconds and then turn it out of the bowl onto a serving plate. Decorate if you wish in any way that suits with fruit such as strawberries or with crystalized flowers or sparklers or candles - wherever your creative bent sends you. Keep in the 'fridge until you are ready to serve it but not much longer than 1/2 an hour. If you try to serve it directly from the freezer you won't be able to portion it out. I usually serve it in narrow wedges like a cake.

It's not as fiddly as it sounds and the beauty of it is that you can make it a week or two in advance and people think you are really clever!

 

[Mad Cook]

Similar to this technique, I was once watching a Bobby Flay show, where a guest split the skin of the banana along the inside curve , pulled skin away slightly ( as mentioned above). He then put sweetened condensed milk in, and sprinkled cinnamon ( too early in the morning to try and spell cinnamon, took me 4 tries), wrapped in foil and grilled until warm. I tried this ( in the oven ) and it really was good.

I'm sure that if I was a banana fan I would really love that but cooked bananas have the same affect in my mouth as stewed tripe and onions. I was at a dinner party once where I didn't know the hosts very well and baked bananas in rum was the dessert. I tried, I really tried,to swallow it but I had to surreptitiously spit the banana into my table napkin). Fortunately the napkin was paper so I could slip it into my handbag.

 

[CatPat]

I like to put bananas, vanilla ice cream, some milk and the GF Suisse Mocha coffee mix into a blender and mix it well. Then we have a type of a banana and Suisse Mocha smoothie.

It does sound odd, but it is very nice!

With love,
~Cat