Seems like these take forever to ripen...
Worth the wait, though!

Put them in a paper bag, and roll up the top so that it’s not airtight but somewhat sealed.

My mom used to make a desert with very ripe plaintains. Can't remember the exact recipe but it involved butter, caramelized sugar, cinnamon and cinnamon cloves for sure. Kind of a jazzed up Bananas Foster in my mind.

How much for a slice of pie?

Wasn't pie. It was the plaintains cut into maybe halfs or thirds, cloves pushed into the sections, cooked in the butter and sugar with cinnamon. I remember the sugar ended up almost like a honey consistency. Wish I could remember the exact recipe, but it was many, many years ago.

Never had a super ripe plantain, but we used to cook bananas foster’s table side and it’s pretty simple.

Melt butter and sugar in a pan, squeeze an orange and half a lemon (thru cloth) into the pan, toss in the bananas, flambé with Cointreau and good dark rum. (They used to call me Chernobyl.) Server vanilla ice cream crepes.

I can see where some people are turned on by cinnamon and cloves. Funny I know some people that hate cinnamon ‘cuz they were raised in Southeast Asia … it’s put in every tribal medicine.

To me, super ripe plantains are best served fried and as a side to food, rather than a dessert. Similar to caramelized onions, it imparts a flavor that is unparalleled. It’s particularly well suited to dishes with sauce, for some reason (beef stew over rice, etc).

Soo….
What did you do with these?? Inquiring/aspiring chefs want to know!

Nearly there...

quote:

Originally posted by irreverent:
Soo….
What did you do with these?? Inquiring/aspiring chefs want to know!

Plantains, unlike bananas, are not eaten raw. You normally wait for them to ripen, then either slice them thinly and fry them (a few seconds on each side in lots of hot oil), or bake them. Frying is much preferred.

For me, ripe is when they are black but not squishy. Here’s a photo of fried plantains:

Looks incredible....great photography too !

quote:

Originally posted by Tonydec:
…cinnamon and cinnamon cloves…

Are you from the Caribbean?

When you say cinnamon cloves, are you referring to what Americans call allspice? I know that allspice is huge in Jamaican Jerk. However it is referred to under many names.

Yeah, I’m a spice geek.

I like them the way Texas de Brazil makes them.

I have a coworker from Columbia who puts sweetened condensed milk on them after cooking them. I used to eat them plain but it is amazing at what I have been missing out on.

quote:

Originally posted by Oz_Shadow:
I like them the way Texas de Brazil makes them.

Those are bananas and not plantains…

quote:

Originally posted by Beancooker:

quote:

Originally posted by Tonydec:
…cinnamon and cinnamon cloves…

Are you from the Caribbean?

When you say cinnamon cloves, are you referring to what Americans call allspice? I know that allspice is huge in Jamaican Jerk. However it is referred to under many names.

Yeah, I’m a spice geek.

Maybe they are just called 'cloves' and not cinnamon cloves? Like I said, it's been many years. I have also had them in Greek rice from a certain restaurant. They are like little fibrous spikes.

Very versatile. I get a craving now and then for the "tostone".