Sweet plantains, or ripe plantains, are close cousins of the banana. They're sweet, a bit starchy and have a mild earthy taste that pairs very well with cinnamon. In many ways, they remind me of sweet potatos; it's surprising how hearty and comforting these tropical fruit can be.
My thoughts immediately turned towards a purée or casserole but, as I mentioned before, I wanted a challenge. And so, with some insight from the Julia Child and Jaques Pepin cookbook "Julia and Jacques Cooking at Home", I decided to attempt the next best thing: soufflé!
I began by boiling two large ripe plantains with salt and a stick of cinnamon. Once done, I removed the plantains from the water and mashed them, later pressing them through a mesh strainer as I never bothered to buy a potato ricer -- despite Williams Sonoma's strong advertising. (As a result, I now have a blister caused by the metal spoon used to press the plantains. Word of the [newly] wise: if you opt for this approach, use a spoon with a ROUNDED handle.)
A bechamel sauce followed, to which I added 7 egg yolks.
The next step was to the beat the egg whites into stiff peaks. (I further tried myself by doing this with a whisk instead of an electric mixer. I have given this method a shot before only to have my efforts thwarted by a rouge glop of egg yolk; this time, however, I was succesful.)
Afterwards, all of the ingredients would slowly be folded into the sauce: the plantains, a heaping spoonful of the egg whites, some shredded cheese and, finally, the rest of the whites. The mixture was then carefully ladled into a previously greased ceramic mold that had also been coated with grated parmesan cheese. I placed it in the oven at medium temperature and waited...
... and waited...
The Results
Mercifully, the soufflé rose, though I realized I had chosen too deep of a mold (Purely from an aesthetic standpoint, noting this is half of the recipe's appeal.)
I performed the finishing touches by sprinkling the soufflé with shredded cheese and then rushed to take a picture before it deflated which, I'm happy to say, did not occur right away.
In terms of texture, it was light though uneven on account of the plantains' fiber-y composition.
The taste wasn't bad at all, on the contrary, it was quite good. The plantains' flavor was subtle but lingering, and the cheese did what cheese is supposed to do in these instances: add depth and bind the components.
Would I make it again? Yes, but with some modifications. Firstly, I would use riper plantains to intensify their flavor in the soufflé and perhaps even give them a whirl in the processor with some milk or butter to make the texture smoother. Secondly, I would use one less yolk. (No, the taste wasn't egg-y. Truth is, light as it was, the soufflé could've been lighter still.) And lastly, I would have turned the heat up by 25 degrees so as to create a golden top without darkening the edges as much as I did.
How ever many the lessons learned, I still consider tonight's dinner succesful. I produced my very first soufflé and even managed to do so with an somewhat exotic main ingredient. After all, what's cooking more than a little (artful) experimentation?
