Saturday, March 25, 2017

Banana Rum Shuttles

Hello, everybody! Mary Jane here and this is a repeat post. This cold has really kicked me to the curb. Everything has been on hold for a few weeks but I finally gave in and now I've got some powerful antibiotics on board. Here's to recovering quickly and SPEEDBO! 

So, this is a repeat of something  I first learned how to cook a few weeks before my 15th birthday (just a baby!) in France. La voila, Banana Rum Shuttles! Of course, over there they called them "tartes bananes" and they didn't have the little arrow-head end that looks like a loom shuttle. But the recipe I found that was the closest was this "shuttle" version and I thought it was really pretty so... I guess my tartes bananes sont "shuttles" now!
 So, you'll need:
3 bananas
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp cinnamon
3 tbs rum (or more, depending on what kind of day you've had)
puff pastry, frozen or home made (I've tried to make it many times... I just can't. So, I resolved to stop wasting time on the impossible and buy the frozen stuff.)
1 egg white for glaze
 Cut the bananas length-wise. No reason for this except it's easier to dip them in the rum.
 You can't see the rum, but it's there. Really.
 Mix the sugar, cloves, cinnamon. Roll the rum bananas in the sugar. Lick fingers after ever piece.
 You should end up with bananas coated with sugar and spices and rum. Taste test a few to make sure everything is going well at this point.
 Defrosted pastry. Looks bad. Will taste good.
 Put the banana mix on the puff pastry. Sample a few more pieces that fall off the side. Lick fingers again.
 Seal the sides with the fork, cut the ends at an angle and seal.
 Slice the top for vents. Chill in the fridge for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 425F. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Take them out, brsh with egg whites, and return to the oven for another 15 minutes.
                                      

 I served these on plates I picked up in Poland when I attended the Warsaw School of Economics after I graduated from college. It was a little odd to serve something from my years in France on plates I bought ten years later during a sojourn in a completely different country. Then my five year old picked one up and proclaimed it "delicioso" and just like his abuelita's empanadas.  I had to smile at the intersection (collision?) of all these cultures in a small Oregon town.
Wishing you joy in the journey, wherever you are and wherever you're going! Until next time!

8 comments:

  1. Ah, hope you feel better soon! Yucky old colds lingering into spring should be outlawed!

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  2. So sorry you're sick. :( And I love this post, I am a huge puff pastry fan (as we know) although I know some folks get nervous about processed food...

    Pretty much nothing makes me nervous and I love puff pastry!

    The plates... so lovely. I've never been off the continent and so my sojourns to foreign lands have all been fictional but I've always loved Polish pottery. When I published "More Than a Promise" last year, about a talented and widely acclaimed potter, Debby Giusti and Janet Dean both sent me pretty pieces to use. It was such a lovely surprise! I use Deb's mugs every single day, multiple times/day because we know I love my coffee... and Janet's I bring out for every occasion, because it's so quaint and beautiful. Thank you for reminding me of how special it is to have friends... and to use the pretty things on our shelves!

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    1. Ruthy, when I looked at this post from a few years ago, you mentioned this book. You said you were polishing it up and weren't sure if it would be indie or where it would end up. Look at it now!

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  3. Thanks for sharing this again, Virginia! I hope you're feeling better soon.

    I also hope you baked and ate those corners you cut off! ;)

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  4. I hope you feel better soon! I always resist and resist and then finally give in on the antibiotics - and then I promise myself I won't wait so long next time. But of course I do.

    Love the plate!

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    1. I haven't had any for about a decade, so my antibiotic resistance is very low, I hope!
      And yes, I waited and waited and waited... UGH. I should have gone in sooner!

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