Catching up w/the Aussies :: Fried Plantains

Our friend S. was visiting from Sydney and we were lucky to be able to catch up with him and his girlfriend over dinner.  On the menu?  Tilapia en papillote with fried plantains and oozing brown butter plum cake for dessert! 

I love serving fish with fried plantains (or 'tostones'), the plantains crunch and saltiness complement the fish perfectly and you can't help but feel like your in the Carribean! 

Well, the other reason for plantains... after my tortilla experiment, I decided to buy a tortilla press.  And what better use for it than flattening plantains!  These also make a perfect anytime snack, or appetizer when entertaining.  Serve them with a fresh salsa on the side or get creative and serve individually w/ toppings.  My favorite: a top each 'toston' add a smear of creme fraiche, a slice of lox, and sprinkle scallions... yum.

PS:  The tortilla press is currently being stored in the microwave ...I'm sure all of you with a tiny kitchen can appreciate that.  On the bright side, I think I can buy a few more kitchen gadgets now that I discovered how much extra cupboard space you get when you use the microwave and the oven as storage.  Ice cream maker, here I come!  :-)

FRIED PLANTAINS (or TOSTONES) serves 4

2 green plantains

Vegetable oil

Salt to taste

Cut the plantain in 1 1/2 inch pieces.  Remove the outer skin with your hands.  I find that it comes off pretty easily once the plantain has been cut into small pieces, if not, use a pairing knife to remove any left behind pieces.

Fill your frying pan with plenty of oil. You want at least 2.5 - 3 inches of depth.  I use a small pan, a saucier, and use a small bottle of vegetable oil.  

Heat the pan on high.  When the oil is bubbling (be careful!) start adding your plantain pieces.  Only add a few at a time making sure to not crowd the pan.  When they just start to brown, remove them from the pan and set aside on a plate lined with a towel to absorb the grease.  Continue with all the pieces.

Now to press!  With a tortilla press, or a plate, lay a piece of the plantains between 2 pieces of parchment paper (or between a ziploc bag if you don't have wax paper) and press! You want the plantain to be about 1/4" thick.  Repeat.

You can set them aside if you are working in advance, the 'just fried' texture makes all the difference so I always do the re-frying fry right before serving. 

Reheat the oil.  When hot, start adding the pressed plantain.  Fry each for a minute or so, until light brown and crispy.  Remove from heat, and use a paper towel to soak the extra oil.  Then sprinkle with a generous amount of salt.

PS: If you want to give them more flavor - you can soak the plantain in a bit of cold water with a few cloves of mashed garlic after the first frying and after pressed.  But be careful to dry them thoroughly before you re-fry!

Enjoy!

I ♥ :: Brown Butter Plum Cake

I have to start be saying that I am truly in loooove with this recipe!  I ♥♥♥! Sugary plums, topped with a browned butter cake. 

I found it when googling plum recipes (reminder: I had 5 lbs of plums for this week's CSA share!) on Julie's blog, then saw it again on Patent & Pantry.  I love how recipes travel through books, friends, and blogs, and each person adds their own touch.

The pictures were so wonderful I couldn't resist and baked 2 cakes last night.  We only kept one, the second we shared with our neighbor who stopped by just as the pies had just come out of the oven...the whole apartment smelled sugary sweet! The effort of making one cake or pie is usually the same as baking 2...so if I have enough ingredients thats what I usually do... why not make and extra and share, take to work, or even freeze for later.

Instead of baking it in a pie pan, I baked it in a cast iron skillet...partly because I thought it would look nice served in the rustic skillet, partly because I don't own a pie pan :-)  Well it worked, the skillet method was perfect.

Here's the recipe. I hope you enjoy as much as I have.  I've enjoyed slices for breakfast, lunch, and dinner already. Next time I'll try baking it in individual ramekins for a dinner party or even a brunch.  It's so easy to make and a good use of fruits without having to undertake baking pie crust, and would go well with many different fruits (peaches, cherries, berries, or apples).

BROWN BUTTER PLUM CAKE (adapted from: Julie's blog)

8 large plums, or 20 small plums

3/4 cup sugar + 2 tbsp sugar (I used organic)

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/2 tbsp lemon juice (I like the tartness this adds, but if you would prefer it to be more sweet, skip the lemons)

1 stick butter

1 cup flour

2 eggs

Preheat the oven to 350°F and butter a pie plate/skillet/ramekins.

Toss the sliced fruit with  2 Tbsp. sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, and lemon.  Spread into the plate or skillet. Melt the butter in a small saucepan and keep cooking it, stirring the pan occasionally, for about 5 minutes or until it turns golden. Pour into a bowl. Allow butter to cool for 5 minutes (you don't want the eggs to cook in the next step!)

Stir the 3/4 cup of sugar into the butter, then the eggs, then the flour. Pour mixture over the fruit and sprinkle a little bit of sugar.

Bake for 45 minutes, until golden and crusty, and the juices ooze from around the edges.  Serve hot with ice cream or let it cool and enjoy at room temperature (my favorite!).

     

PS: In this picture it looks like I'm sharing, that was the first slice. A.'s let me eat the rest all on my own, and he's been having leftover palmiers for dessert instead.  :-)