These crispy, sugary Filipino-style plantain egg rolls are a delightful dessert. With a warm, soft plantain filling encased in a crunchy shell, they’re irresistible. They’re easy to prepare in advance and can be frozen for later frying without thawing.
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 4 minutes
Total Time: 24 minutes
Servings: 20 rolls
Ingredients
• One cup white sugar
• One-quarter cup water
• Twenty spring roll wrappers
• Five plantains, peeled and quartered
• One-third cup brown sugar
• One and one-half cups vegetable oil
Method
• Place sugar and water in separate bowls. Separate and stack spring roll wrappers.
• Peel plantains and cut each into four lengthwise pieces.
• On a clean surface, place one wrapper with a corner facing you. Coat a plantain piece in sugar and place it one inch from the corner nearest you.
• Fold the corner over the plantain and roll halfway. Fold in side corners and continue rolling. Moisten the top corner with water to seal. Repeat for remaining wrappers.
• Heat oil in a deep-fryer or large saucepan to 350°F (175°C).
• Fry egg rolls in a single layer for 2-3 minutes until golden brown on the bottom.
• Flip, sprinkle with brown sugar, and fry for another 2-3 minutes.
• Transfer to a plate and serve warm.
Jamaican plantain tarts
These authentic Jamaican tarts feature a rich plantain filling encased in flaky pastry. They’re best served chilled with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for a delightful tropical dessert.
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Additional Time: 6 hours
Total Time: 7 hours 5 minutes
Servings: 25 tarts
Ingredients
Pastry
• Two cups all-purpose flour
• One teaspoon salt
• One-quarter cup cold butter, cut into half-inch pieces
• Three tablespoons chilled shortening, diced
• One egg, beaten
• One tablespoon ice-cold water
Filling
• Three very ripe plantain
• One-quarter cup white sugar
• One teaspoon vanilla extract
• One teaspoon grated nutmeg
• Two drops red food coloring (optional)
• One egg white, beaten
• White sugar for decoration
Method
• For the pastry, combine flour and salt in a bowl. Rub in butter and shortening until sandy in texture.
• Mix egg and water, stir into flour mixture to form dough. Knead briefly, wrap, and chill for 3 hours.
• For the filling, peel and cut plantains into thirds. Steam in a saucepan until tender, about 5-10 minutes.
• Mash plantains with sugar, vanilla, nutmeg, and food coloring if using. Set aside to cool.
• Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
• Roll dough to quarter-inch thickness. Cut into 4-5 inch circles.
• Place plantain filling in the center of each circle, fold in half to form a half-moon shape.
• Place tarts on a baking sheet, brush with beaten egg white, and sprinkle with sugar.
• Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown. Cool to room temperature before serving.
