Sweet Plantains Food

OVEN BAKED SWEET PLANTAINS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450°F.
• Coat a nonstick cookie sheet with cooking spray.
• Cut the ends off of the plantains and peel.
• Cut each plantain on the diagonal into 1/2 inch slices.
• Arrange in single layer and coat tops with cooking spray.
• Bake, turning occasionally, for 10-15 minutes, until plantains are golden brown and very tender.

SWEET PLANTAINS

Steps:

• To peel the plantains, cut off ends and discard. With a paring knife, make 3 shallow slits lengthwise along the seams of the skin and peel away. Split the plantains lengthwise.
• Heat 4 tablespoons butter in a large skillet and place over medium low heat (plantains have a high sugar content and will burn if the heat is too high.)
• Fry the plantains in a single layer, until golden on the bottom then turn over with a spatula.
• Add the cinnamon, vanilla, and sugar and let cook a few more seconds, just to begin caramelizing the sugar.
• Just before serving, melt remaining tablespoon of butter to finish the sauce. Serve immediately.

SWEET FRIED PLANTAINS

Steps:

• Heat about 1-inch of oil in heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat until a deep-fry thermometer inserted in the oil registers 340 degrees F. Line a large plate with paper towels.
• Peel the plantains and discard the skins. Slice into 1/4-inch thick pieces. Fry the plantains in oil, turning occasionally, until a golden brown color, about 2 to 4 minutes. The longer the plantains fry the sweeter they are. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Sprinkle the plantains with a little salt.
• Put the sugar and cinnamon in a brown bag, drop the warm plantains into the bag, and shake to coat evenly. Serve with rum whipped cream or ice cream, if desired.
• Whip the cream just until soft peaks form. Add the rum and whip again, taking care not to over whip your cream. Serve now or refrigerate until ready to serve.

FRIED PLANTAINS

Steps:

• Trim both ends of the plantains, then use a paring knife to make 3 lengthwise cuts through the skins (try to avoid cutting into the flesh). Space the cuts evenly apart across each plantain. Gently peel away the skins, using the cuts as guides. Slice the flesh on a slight bias into 3/4-inch pieces, for about 24 pieces total.
• Heat 1/4 inch of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot and shimmering, dip the edge of 1 plantain piece into the oil. It should immediately start to bubble vigorously. If not, allow the oil to heat up for another minute. If the oil is ready, carefully add half of the plantains in an even layer. Cook until browned in spots on the first side, about 2 minutes, then use a slotted metal spatula to flip. Cook on the second side until browned in spots, about 2 minutes.
• Flip the plantains again, immediately lower the heat to medium and continue to cook the plantains until they are very tender and deeply browned, 4 to 8 minutes, flipping every 2 minutes to ensure even cooking. The cooking time will depend on the ripeness of your plantains and some pieces may cook faster than others, but you can just remove them as they finish cooking.
• Transfer to a wire rack set over a baking sheet. Season generously with salt on both sides. Repeat the cooking process with the remaining plantains, adding more oil if needed to maintain 1/4 inch.

SWEET PLANTAINS

Steps:

• To peel the plantains, cut off ends and discard. With a paring knife, make 3 shallow slits lengthwise along the seams of the skin and peel away. Split the plantains lengthwise.
• Heat 4 tablespoons butter in a large skillet and place over medium low heat (plantains have a high sugar content and will burn if the heat is too high.) Fry the plantains in a single layer, until golden on the bottom then turn over with a spatula. Add the cinnamon, vanilla, and sugar and let cook a few more seconds, just to begin caramelizing the sugar.
• Just before serving, melt remaining tablespoon of butter to finish the sauce. Serve immediately.

SWEET PLANTAIN BREAD

Steps:

• For the cheese spread: In a small bowl, whisk together the cream cheese, sugar, and chopped hazelnuts until fluffy and evenly blended. Cover and refrigerate until serving.
• For the plantains: Use 1/2 tablespoon of the butter to thoroughly grease a 9 inch round glass pie dish. Peel the plantain and slice it 1/4 inch thick on the diagonal. In a small skillet, heat the butter over medium heat and saute the plantain for 2 or 3 minutes per side, until softened and golden. Distribute the plantain evenly on the bottom of the pie dish and set aside.
• For the batter: Preheat the oven to 325.
• In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well between each addition. Peel the bananas and, in a medium bowl, mash them together with a fork, then mix in the milk and the walnuts. In another bowl, mix together the flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. First add the banana mixture to the creamed butter mixture, then fold in the flour mixture, stirring only until all the flour has disappeared.
• To make the bread: Scoop the batter into the pie dish on top of the plantains and bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 45 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. The cake will be a nice deep golden brown. Cool the pan on a rack for 10 to 15 minutes, then turn out upside down and slice for serving, warm or at room temperature. Pass the hazelnut cheese spread.

FRIED SWEET PLANTAINS (PLATANOS MADUROS FRITOS)

Steps:

• In a large skillet, melt the butter with the olive oil over medium heat; add the plantain slices and fry for about 4 minutes on each side, moving the slices with a spatula occasionally to prevent sticking.
• Remove the plantains from the skillet with a slotted spoon and let drain on paper towels.
• Transfer to a large, warm serving platter, sprinkle with lemon juice and salt and serve warm.
• *unripeplantains are green and hard, as they ripen they turn yellow and then get mottled with dark spots; Ripe plantains are sweet and soft and are brownish-black in color and resemble overripe bananas; To ripen a plantain, keep them in a warm place until they turn yellow, then brownish-black.

SAUTEED SWEET PLANTAINS (TAJADITAS DULCES DE PLATANO)

Steps:

• Heat peanut oil and butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat until the butter begins to sizzle. Gently toss plantain slices with brown sugar, then place into hot oil. Fry until the plantains begin to turn golden brown, then turn over, and continue frying until they have caramelized, about 2 minutes per side.
• Drain plantains on a paper towel-lined plate and sprinkle with salt before serving.

MADUROS (FRIED SWEET PLANTAINS)

Steps:

• Use a paring knife to cut a slit along the length of the plantains, carefully avoiding cutting into the flesh. Remove peels and discard. Slice plantains at an angle crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick pieces (about 12 pieces per plantain).
• In a large skillet, heat about 1/8 inch vegetable oil over medium-high. When the oil shimmers, add half the sliced plantains and fry until golden brown, turning once, 2 to 3 minutes per side. The plantains should be caramelized and slightly crisp at the edges but still tender in the middle.
• Using a slotted spoon, transfer maduros to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Repeat with remaining sliced plantains. Serve immediately.

ROASTED SWEET PLANTAINS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
• Place the plantains in their skins on a baking sheet or in a roasting pan and allow to roast for 20-25 minutes, or until soft but not mushy.
• Remove from the oven, split the skins and serve immediately.

SWEET PLANTAIN FRITTERS

Steps:

• Whisk together flour, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl, then add water and egg and whisk until batter is smooth.
• Peel plantains and cut on a slight diagonal into 1/2-inch pieces. Stir into batter to coat well.
• Stir together granulated sugar and cinnamon in a shallow bowl.
• Heat 1/2 inch oil in a 10-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat until thermometer registers 340°F. (See cooks' note, below.) Fry plantain slices in batches of 6 (don't crowd them) until bottoms are golden, about 45 seconds, then turn over and fry until other side of each is golden, 30 to 45 seconds more. Transfer with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain.
• While still warm, toss each batch in sugar mixture until coated, then transfer to a platter. Serve hot or warm.

FRIED SWEET PLANTAINS

Steps:

• In 2 very large nonstick skillets, heat the oil until shimmering. Working in batches, fry the plantains in a single layer over moderate heat, approximately 7 to 8 minutes per batch, turning occasionally, until deep golden and tender. Drain the plantains on a paper towel-lined rack and, if desired, sprinkle lightly with salt. Serve warm.
• Make ahead: The plantains can be fried early in the day and kept at room temperature. Reheat in a warm oven and sprinkle with the optional salt before serving.