From “Where Flavor Was Born,” by Andreas Viestad, makes 2 servings.
Ingredients
4 to 8 cardamom seeds
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk
1 clove
4 small slightly underripe bananas
1 to 3 tablespoons brown sugar
Directions
Bruise the cardamom pods gently between your hands, making small cracks in the hard pods but stopping short of breaking them open. The more you crush them, the stronger the cardamom flavor.
Combine the coconut milk, cardamom, and clove in a pot large enough to hold the bananas. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 3 to 5 minutes to release the flavor of the cardamom. Sample the coconut milk and adjust the flavor if necessary by crushing or bruising one or more of the cardamom pods with a wooden spatula or spoon.
Peel the bananas and add to the coconut milk. Boil gently for 5 minutes, turning once. Add brown sugar to taste and allow it to dissolve before gently transferring the bananas to serving plates. Spoon over the coconut milk and serve.
Wine ideas:
The nutty, caramel richness of a tawny Port would meld well with the creamy, brown-sugar richness of this tropically-inflected dish. They tend to run $20 and up, but a little goes a long way, and they keep well for a couple of weeks, maybe more if you keep them corked in the refrigerator.
Tara Q. Thomas
