Antiguan Caramelized Bananas over Vanilla Ice Cream

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By: Linda Haynes, author of More from Ace Bakery

You will find a rendition of this lovely dessert when visiting most Caribbean islands. Each cook personalizes it to make it his or her own. At home, we call this "Mrs. Pellegrino's Bananas" as we first tasted it at her house in Antigua. If, by any chance, you have any bananas left over, serve the next day over French toast.

Ingredients

3 large bananas

1/2 cup (120 mL) packed brown sugar

1/3 cup (80 mL) water

1/8 tsp (0.5 mL) ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp (2.5 mL) ground cinnamon

1 tbsp (15 mL) freshly squeezed lime juice

1 tbsp (15 mL) dark rum

good quality vanilla ice cream

Preparation

Cut the bananas in half lengthwise and then widthwise, so that you end up with 12 banana pieces.

Put the sugar and water in a frying pan large enough to hold all the bananas in one layer. Heat over medium-high until the sugar melts. Add the nutmeg, cinnamon, and lime juice; simmer for 1 to 3 minutes or until the sauce thickens slightly. Reduce the heat if the sauce starts to boil.

Add the bananas. Cover with sauce and simmer for just 2 minutes more. The bananas should retain their shape and not be mushy.

Meanwhile, heat the rum in a small saucepan over medium heat. Remove the bananas from the heat. Carefully pour the rum over the bananas and light with a match. The alcohol will flame and then die out.

Serve warm bananas and sauce over vanilla ice cream.

More Information

Cook's Tip: Hyacinth Anderson, who is from Jamaica, makes this quick-and-easy dessert in the oven. Preheat the oven to 375F (190C). Lay the cut bananas in a baking dish. Mix the sugar, water, and lime juice together and pour over the bananas. Sprinkle with the nutmeg and cinnamon. Bake, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Spoon the sauce over the bananas and bake for another 15 minutes, making sure the sugar syrup doesn't burn and the bananas don't turn mushy. Remove from the oven and flambé with the rum. To be very authentic, serve with coconut cream, evaporated milk, or vanilla ice cream.

Serving(s): 4

Also in this menu:

A warming winter meal

Source

Excerpted from More from Ace Bakery: Recipes for and with Bread by Linda Haynes. Copyright 2006 by Linda Haynes. Excerpted with permission by Whitecap Books. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

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