Roasted plantain with pistachio ice cream recipe
Plantain is the ultimate form of comfort food. When at peak ripeness, plantain is an edible gift that provides a uniquely sweet burst of decadence that I have yet to experience from any other ingredient. When cooked, the sugars are drawn out from intense heat, the flesh caramelising until soft and golden. Combined with either sweet or savoury elements, plantain elevates the everyday into the extraordinary. This recipe is an adaptation of boli, a Nigerian street food dish of roasted plantain that is then eaten with groundnut, and serves as one of my many odes to plantain – “my precious”!
Ingredients
- 200 g granulated sugar, separating 70g/2.5oz
- 320 ml whole milk (or any nut milk of your choice)
- 320 ml double cream
- 4 egg yolks
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp almond extract (optional)
- 150 g pistachios (unsalted, not roasted, shelled)
- 7.1 oz granulated sugar, separating 70g/2.5oz
- 11.3 fl oz whole milk (or any nut milk of your choice)
- 11.3 fl oz double cream
- 4 egg yolks
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp almond extract (optional)
- 5.3 oz pistachios (unsalted, not roasted, shelled)
- 7.1 oz granulated sugar, separating 70g/2.5oz
- 1.4 cups whole milk (or any nut milk of your choice)
- 1.4 cups double cream
- 4 egg yolks
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp almond extract (optional)
- 5.3 oz pistachios (unsalted, not roasted, shelled)
- 4 plantain
- 1 glug of coconut oil, just enough to cover each plantain)
- 1 pinch sea salt flakes
- 4 plantain
- 1 glug of coconut oil, just enough to cover each plantain)
- 1 pinch sea salt flakes
- 4 plantain
- 1 glug of coconut oil, just enough to cover each plantain)
- 1 pinch sea salt flakes
- 210 g granulated sugar
- 180 g golden syrup
- 28 g salted butter
- 25 ml water
- 130 g pistachios (unsalted, not roasted, shelled)
- 0.5 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 0.5 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp ground nutmeg (optional)
- 2 tsp sea salt flakes
- 7.4 oz granulated sugar
- 6.3 oz golden syrup
- 1 oz salted butter
- 0.9 fl oz water
- 4.6 oz pistachios (unsalted, not roasted, shelled)
- 0.5 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 0.5 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp ground nutmeg (optional)
- 2 tsp sea salt flakes
- 7.4 oz granulated sugar
- 6.3 oz golden syrup
- 1 oz salted butter
- 0.1 cup water
- 4.6 oz pistachios (unsalted, not roasted, shelled)
- 0.5 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 0.5 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp ground nutmeg (optional)
- 2 tsp sea salt flakes
Details
- Cuisine: British-Nigerian
- Recipe Type: Plantain
- Difficulty: Medium
- Preparation Time: 20 mins
- Cooking Time: 50 mins
- Serves: 4
Step-by-step
For the pistachio ice cream:
- Finely grind the pistachios and the reserved 70g/2.5oz sugar in a blender or spice grinder, taking care not to over-grind into a paste.
- Combine the egg yolks with the remaining granulated sugar in a bowl and whisk until they are fully combined and pale yellow in colour.
- Separately, place the milk, double cream and ground pistachio mix into a large saucepan and bring to boil. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract and almond extract (if using).
- Gradually pour the hot milk mixture over the eggs, whisking continuously to prevent the eggs from scrambling.
- Return the custard mixture back to the saucepan and simmer on a low heat, whisking until the custard thickens and coats the back of a spoon – roughly 10 mins. Place mix in the fridge until cold, about 1 hour.
- If using an ice cream maker, process the mix accordingly and freeze in an airtight container, placing clingfilm over the mixture before covering. Or place the mix in an airtight container as previously instructed, and freeze until firm (about 3 hours), stirring every hour in order to break up any ice crystals that may form. This will give your ice cream that creamy texture.
For the salted pistachio brittle:
- Measure out all the ingredients as this component moves very quickly. Butter a rimmed baking sheet generously or line a baking sheet with lightly oiled parchment paper.
- In a medium saucepan, combine the granulated sugar, golden syrup, butter and water, and cook the mixture over medium heat, stirring frequently. Attach a candy thermometer so it is in the liquid, but try to avoid it touching the bottom or sides of the saucepan. Continue stirring the mixture until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture reaches 138°C/280°F (about 12–14 minutes).
- Add the pistachios (the temperature will go down temporarily) and continue cooking, stirring constantly, until the mixture returns to 138°C/280°F.
- Immediately remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the bicarbonate of soda, ground nutmeg and vanilla (the mixture will start to bubble but continue to stir vigorously).
- Pour the mixture out onto the buttered baking sheet or oiled parchment and spread quickly to desired thickness and sprinkle with sea salt flakes. The brittle will set and harden in approximately 20 minutes.
For the roasted plantain:
- Preheat your oven to 200°C/180°C fan/392°F/gas mark 6. Line a baking sheet with foil and set aside.
- Rinse and dry your plantain. With a sharp knife, cut both ends off of the plantain and carefully cut a shallow line down the long seam of the plantain, taking care not to pierce the flesh of the plantain. Peel and discard skin.
- Coat each plantain with the oil and a sprinkling of sea salt flakes and place on the tray.
- Bake the plantain for 15–20 mins in total, check and turn over halfway, until the plantain is golden brown on all sides and tender. Now is a good time to remove the ice cream from the freezer to soften for 5–10 mins before serving.
- To serve, split the roasted plantain in half using a knife and place on a plate, then break up pieces of your salted pistachio brittle over it. Scoop a generous portion of the pistachio ice cream and dollop over the warm caramelised plantain. Add more broken pieces of brittle and any spare pistachios you may have lying around, add a final sprinkle of sea salt flakes and devour!
This recipe is by Yvonne Maxwell for Community Comfort, a cookbook published by Tezeta Press, £10.
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