Margarita's International Recipes

Gabon

Baked Bananas Baked or fried bananas are a common dessert in Africa, the Caribbean and Southeast Asia - basically, wherever bananas grow. And no wonder! The soft flavor of the banana is enhanced and sweetened by the caramelization that happens when cooked. This recipe for baked bananas is pretty spot on. The bananas are first covered with eggwash, to make sure that the breading sticks to them, and the acidity in the juice gives them a subtle kick. They are fried in oil to assure a crispy browning on the outside, but then baked to make sure they soften the whole way in. My daughter pronounced them delicious. You can serve them as a side or even a dessert, I just made them as a mid-afternoon snack. As a variation you can use flaked coconut and/or finely chopped peanuts instead of the bread crumbs. This recipe calls to serve the baked bananas with sour cream and brown sugar. I wasn't that fond of the combination prefering them plain, but it's worth a try. Baked Bananas Ingredients 8 bananas 1 egg 2 Tbsp. orange or lemon juice 1 cup plain bread crumbs 1/2 cup vegetable oil 1 cup sour cream 1/2 cup brown sugar Instructions Turn oven to 350F Cut each banana diagonally into 3 pieces. In a small bowl beat the egg and the orange juice together. Dip the banana pieces into the egg mixture and then into the bread crumbs. In a wide pad, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the prepared bananas and brown on both sides. Remove using a slotted spoon onto a baking sheet. Bake for 5 minutes. Serve topped with 2 Tbsp. of sour cream and 1 Tbsp of brown sugar. Adapted from a recipe in Bea Sandler's The African Cookbook Gabonese Recipes | Margarita's International Recipes | Marga's Food Blog | E-mail