Molten Banana
I think the next time (if there is one) I make bananas and chocolate wrapped in phyllo I'll use firmer bananas. Last night I cut a banana crosswise in four pieces, the wrapped each piece in a sheet of buttered phyllo with a few chocolate chips. Baked for 10 minutes in a 425 degree oven. The banana didn't hold its shape at all (I haven't decided if that's bad or not, but it reminds me a bit of the baby's bananas). I like the flavor combo, though, and this was a really easy recipe for a quick chocolate-banana fix. Of course, I could just dip a banana in melted chocolate, but I like the flakey crunch of the phyllo, too. Or make a napoleon with baked phyllo sheets, sliced bananas and melted chocolate. That sounds promising.
We made banana fritters the other night using a recipe from an Asian cookbook. We took it one step further by subbing coconut milk for milk, and some cornflour instead of rice flour. The batter was really thick and plastic. It worked really well and turned out to be delicious.
Maybe use bananas a bit on the greener side to get them to hold their shape? I slice them lengthways before peeling them, the idea being that they won't break as easily during slicing with the peel on, but results are mixed and inconclusive.
Waz
www.crashtestkitchen.com
Next time, give plantains a try. They're perfect for cooking (you have to cook them in order to eat them anyway). They hold up well under intense heat (grilling, roasting, baking), and the flavor pairs well with chocolate and anything tropical.
Roxanne Rieske
Denver, CO