A Naked Banana Lacks Appeal

Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.

                               ~Groucho Marx

I don’t mind eating healthy. I enjoy fruits and veggies prepared in numerous ways. But I must say – when dealing with bananas, one of my favorite ways is pan fried in sugar and butter.

It’s just the way nature intended.

This was introduced to me when eating at a Brazilian Churrascaria. If you must know details, the place is called Texas de Brazil, and not only are the meats fantastic, but the salad bar… Oh my God… I could live in that salad bar. But I digress. This is served as a side dish to cleanse the palate between the different cuts of meats that were being served. It is yet another simple thing you can do with little or no experience. It’s quick and aside from cleansing palates, you can really spice up boring vanilla ice cream or it can just be something to tame the sweet tooth.

Also, if you’re familiar with desserts, this recipe is very similar and just a few steps short of being Bananas Foster. And even though that in itself is an easy task with spectacular results, I’m not going to give you that recipe or explain how to do it. Not because I don’t want to share or anything, but because the proper way to do it involves a technique called flambé, and I do not want to be the cause of any kitchen fires.

Eh, maybe one day I’ll give it to you.

But not today! Today, it’s just the banana:

Pan Fried Cinnamon Bananas:

                2 each ~ Ripened Bananas (because 1 is not enough)
2 tablespoons ~ Granulated Sugar
       1 teaspoon ~ Cinnamon
   1 tablespoon ~ Butter

It matters how fresh the banana is. If you try and do this with an over ripened banana, it’s just going to be nasty, mushy banana butter by the time you’re done. If that sounds appealing, go bananas (haha…ha..). If not, try and use a banana that is ready to eat but not over ripened.

About Bananas: I don’t know how educated you are about the awesomeness that this fruit packs, but I like to drop some knowledge here sometimes, so I’ll share some info about the ripening process. We never bought bananas before Sebastian turned into a little monkey and started eating them all the time. Now we buy them by the bunch but sometimes they go bad. I wondered why they ripened quicker some times more than others, so I looked it up… Ever wonder why a banana can be bright yellow and beautiful, but if you put it in a bag or an enclosed space it’ll change color before the day is over? It’s because of Ethylene Gas. It is what causes it to ripen and is naturally produced by the banana. So if you have 4 or 5 bananas all together, like in a bunch, they will ripen faster than just one by itself. Also, apples, tomatoes, and pears omit the same gas, so if you’re trying to ripen a banana, throw it in a bag with an apple or tomato. And if you’re trying to slow down the ripening, put an already ripe banana in the fridge. The peel will quickly turn brown and black, but the fruit itself will last a few weeks.

And that concludes learning time this week. Thanks to this guy for schooling me, so I can school you. He has a little more info on there, so check it out.

And now, the fun!

• Get a pan on med-high heat and melt your Butter. While it’s melting, mix the Sugar and Cinnamon on a plate. When mixing, you have to do it in the shape of a swirl or else the entire recipe will not work.

Haha, I crack myself up..

• Peel your Bananas and roll them around in the Sugar. Sprinkle the sugar over it, pat it around, and make sure it’s nicely covered.

• When it’s nice and bubbly, add the Bananas to the Butter. Cook them for about 45 seconds to 1 minute on each side, a little longer if they’re freshly ripened. If you feel like they should go longer, go ahead, but stop when you get a nice color. In case any got lost in the process, I like to sprinkle leftover sugar on them while they cook. Once done, put them on the same plate you rolled them around on because letting cinnamon sugar go to waste should be illegal.

And that’s it! Eat them straight off the plate, but don’t forget to chew, I know they’re amazing but no good ever came from swallowing a banana. Or if you’re feeling fancy, cut them up and put them on some ice cream with a little caramel sauce, a splash of vanilla extract, some candied pecans and a dash of cinnamon and you will be happy for at least a week.