I like to think of this as a Mexican banana split, which isn’t as crazy as it sounds when you realize how important and prevalent ice cream is in Mexico. Quick, easy, and irresistible—you will have this dessert on the table faster than anyone can eat it, which is quite a statement considering how unbelievably mouth-watering it is.

　　

Ingredients

serves 6

　　1/2 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed

　　4 tablespoons unsalted butter

　　3 bananas, peeled and halved lengthwise

　　1/4 cup chopped pecans

　　1 pint vanilla ice cream

　　

Make the Caramel

Step 1

Place a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and add the brown sugar and butter. Allow both to melt and mix well using a heatproof silicone spatula.

　　

Fry the Bananas

Step 2

When the caramel is hot and bubbly, add the bananas, cut side down, along with the pecans. Allow the bananas to cook for about 3 minutes before turning them over. The cut side should have a deep golden brown color and a slightly crispy texture. (Depending on the ripeness of the banana, they may break. Don’t worry about this; they will still be delicious.)

　　

Step 3

Cook for another 2 minutes, using a spoon to drizzle the caramel sauce over the bananas to keep infusing them with caramel flavor.

　　

Serve

Step 4

Place the bananas on a serving dish or platter, top with scoops of ice cream, and drizzle the caramel sauce and nuts all over it.

　　

COOKING NOTES

Step 5

ADVANCE PREPARATION

　　

Step 6

The bananas are best served just after they are made. They will lose their crispy caramelized texture as they sit but will still retain their flavor so long as they are not refrigerated.

　　

Step 7

If you must make them in advance, the bananas can be held in a warm oven for a few hours.

　　Reprinted with permission from Simply Mexican by Lourdes Castro, © April 2009 Ten Speed Press. Buy the full book at Amazon or Bookshop.