Caramelised plantain with hibiscus-flavoured sorbet
This recipe forms part of our Épicure feature in our October 2018 issue.
Alloco and bissap-inspired sorbet with caramelised plantain and plantain fritters
Ingredients
PLANTAIN FRITTERS
- 500g cake flour
- 150g white sugar
- 10g dried yeast
- 4g (1 tsp) salt
- 300ml warm water
- 5ml (1 tsp) vanilla essence
- 500g very ripe plantain, roasted and mashed
- oil, to deep-fry
- icing sugar, to dust
DEEP-FRIED PLANTAIN
- 300g very ripe plantain, peeled and sliced
HIBISCUS SORBET
- 250ml (1 cup) dried hibiscus flowers
- 1L water
- 300g white sugar
- 3 (6g) gelatine leaves
Instructions
For the plantain fritters, place the cake flour, 150g white sugar, dried yeast and salt in a large bowl. Add the 300ml warm water and vanilla essence, and mix well. Fold in the 500g mashed plantain. Set aside to rest in a warm draught-free space, about 25 minutes.
In a deep fat fryer or large, deep pot, heat the oil to 180˚C. Use a sugar thermometer to check the temperature of the oil if using a pot. Using a tablespoon, drop dollops of the batter into the oil. Deep-fry until the fritters are golden brown. Using a slotted spoon, remove from the deep fryer or pot and place on paper towel to absorb excess oil. Dust with the icing sugar. Set aside.
For the deep-fried plantain, place the 300g sliced plantain in the deep fat fryer or large deep pot used to deep-fry the fritters. Deep-fry the plantain slices until golden brown. Using a slotted spoon, remove from the deep fryer or pot and place on paper towel to absorb excess oil. Set aside.
For the hibiscus sorbet, place the hibiscus flowers, 1L water and 300g white sugar in a large saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat until the sugar has dissolved, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat.
Soak the gelatine leaves in a bowl of cold water until soft, about 1 minute. Squeeze the excess water from the softened gelatine leaves and add them to the hibiscus-infused water. Stir until well combined.
Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve. Place the mixture in the fridge to chill, about 1 hour, before churning in an ice cream maker, according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Transfer to a freezer-proof container and freeze to firm up, about 4 hours.
Serve the plantain fritters with the deep-fried plantain and hibiscus-flavoured sorbet alongside.