This recipe shines for its simplicity. However, in order for it to be spectacular, the quality of the three ingredients really matters. Try to find heirloom bananas at a specialty or Caribbean store. The crema and cheese should also be from a good source. Or if you have good milk, you can replace the queso fresco with a homemade ricotta-style cheese called Requesón. If you are grilling, this is also a great dish to make on the grill. Place the unpeeled bananas on the cooler side of the grill and let them get black (for about 30 minutes). Regardless, enjoy the bananas while they are still hot.

　　

Ingredients

6 heirloom bananas or small plantains, ripe but not black, unpeeled

　　1 cup (230 g) crema or crème fraîche

　　1 cup (120 g) crumbled queso fresco

　　

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

　　

Step 2

Place the whole bananas or plantains on a baking sheet and bake, turning them every 10 minutes, until the peel starts to split and the inside is tender when tested with a skewer, about 40 minutes. Remove from the oven but keep on the baking sheet. Carefully slice the peel lengthwise to just reveal the flesh and drizzle with some crema and sprinkle with cheese. Transfer to plates to serve individually, on a platter, or directly on the baking sheet on the table. Either way, people should carve out their own banana. Serve the remaining crema and cheese in bowls on the side, in case anyone wants more.

　　Reprinted with permission from Tu Casa Mi Casa: Mexican Recipes for the Home Cook by Enrique Olvera, Peter Meehan, Daniela Soto-Innes, onzalo Goût, and Luis Arellano copyright © 2019. Published by Phaidon Press.Buy the full book from Amazon.