Bananas or Plantains Flambé
by Margarita Martínez on Jun 18, 2013
This elegant dessert of banana or plantain flambé is popular in the finer restaurants of Mexico. It is a more sophisticated version of plátanos maduros, or sweet fried plantains, which has been a dessert staple in Latin American and Caribbean cuisine.
- Servings
- 4 servings
- Course
- Dessert
Tags
Ingredients
- 2 cups sliced bananas or plantains
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1/4 cup brandy
Instructions
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In a saucepan, melt the butter. Add the sugar and the cinnamon. Stir.
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Sauté the bananas for a few seconds so they get covered in butter, sugar, and cinnamon.
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If you have a gas stove, lower the flame and add the brandy very carefully, stirring it.
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Increase the size of the flame and tilt the pan toward the flame until it catches fire. Then turn off the gas.
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When the alcohol is burned, the flame will go out. (If it’s an electric stove, strike a match on top of the brandy.) Alcohol burns blue. Food burns yellow. If the flame is yellow, it’s the bananas that are burning, not the brandy. Don’t try to extinguish the flame—just let it burn out.