Maralyn recently flew in from San Juan, via Charleston, en route to Phoenix to be home for four days. She was working from sun up to long after sundown. I doubt she had the time to get tipsy, let alone try this dish that I learned to make in the Abaco islands of the Bahamas.
My friends and I used to fix this simply delectable treat on the Puerto Rican island of Vieques after a dinner of fresh fish and rum drinks in coconut shells.
Tipsy Bananas
Ingredients
Two sliced ripe, but firm, bananas
Brown sugar, about 1/4 cup
Puerto Rican rum, about 1/4 cup
Method
Pre-heat oven to 350.
Peel and slice bananas lenghtwise into a buttered fire-proof dish.
Sprinkle with brown sugar.
Pour rum over the bananas and bake mixture in the oven until sugar is dissolved – only a few minutes.
Tips:
I have broiled these tipsy bananas with good results, but you cannot take your eyes off them while they broil on second or third shelf.
Baking is safer unless it is hot and you cannot wait.
Whether you use dark or light sugar or rum, they always taste delicious. My taste is for dark sugar and dark or amber spiced rum. This results in a rich color of mahogany.
If you are lucky you may find those delicious small sweet sugar bananas that grow in the islands of the Caribbean. If so, use 3 or 4 instead of two. These are so sweet and addictive on their own that you may not want to cook them.
Norm’s tip is to add a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top of these tipsy bananas.
Brenda C. Hill
International Food Wine & Travel Writers Association
Books By Hills Success Log Where & What in the World Blog
Finalist in the Writing and Publishing category of the 2009 Next Generation Indie Book Awards, “$uccess, Your Path to a Successful Book”
Author: Brenda Hill
As a longtime food writer for Where Magazine New York City, Brenda Hill, along with her writing partner, Maralyn Hill (no relation), writes and publishes books about chefs, food and international travel. They co-authored "Our Love Affairs with Food & Travel" and joined French Master Chef Herve Laurent in writing "Cooking Secrets: The Why and How" Brenda has been active in the California Writer's Club, IFWTWA, and the Santa Barbara's Writers Conference. Brenda Hill and her partner Maralyn Hill conduct marketing and writing seminars. Maralyn and I will be heading back to Rancho La Puerta in July to give our presentation on writing and marketing your book, as well as bringing back some freshly picked off the farm nutritious and tasty recipes.
