Grilled Bananas with Greendale Honey Rum Caramel Sauce
The classic pairing of bananas and rum, grilled to sweet perfection and topped with a decadent honey-rum sauce – don’t forget the ice cream! Please note that the prep time will be longer if you’re waiting for a charcoal BBQ to come up to cooking temperature. Serves 4.
Method
Light your barbecue, lightly oil the grill plate, then allow it to reach cooking temperature (or preheat your oven grill to high). Make the honey rum caramel sauce; put the caster sugar and water into a heavy saucepan over a high heat for about a minute, until the sugar is dissolved. Continue to cook for another 5 minutes or until the mixture thickens and turns a deep golden brown – it’s important not to stir at this stage, though swirling the pan occasionally is fine. Take the pan off the heat and carefully add the cream (the mixture may spatter). Put the pan back on a medium-low heat and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes or until the sauce is thick and creamy. Remove from the heat and stir in the rum, vanilla and butter. Set aside, ready to be reheated if necessary.
Leaving the bananas in their skins, slice each in half length-wise. Next, place each pair of banana halves in the middle of a large piece of foil, and drizzle each half evenly with ½ tbsp honey and ½ tbsp of light brown sugar (if grilling in the oven, omit the foil and just place the banana halves on a baking tray – they will take less time to cook, so keep a careful eye on them). Bring the foil up around the sides of the banana halves and scrunch together at the top, to make four ‘parcels’, then place them on the hottest part of the grill and cook for 5-10 minutes – they’re ready when the bananas are caramelised around the edges and the fruit is beginning to lift away from the peel.
Carefully transfer the grilled banana parcels/halves of banana to a large plate and have four serving bowls ready. Unwrap the foil (if using the barbecue) and use a dessert spoon or small spatula to remove the bananas from their skins, putting two halves of banana in each bowl – don’t worry if it looks messy, it will still taste amazing! Top each bowl of banana with a generous scoop or two of ice cream, then drizzle with the honey rum caramel sauce (warmed through if necessary) and sprinkle with the chopped peanuts, if using. Serve immediately.
