This is one of my favorite desserts. It is very sweet, and it satisfies my craving for sweets in the winter time. Brazilians DO love sweets. I also love the consistency of the not-so-ripe fried bananas at the bottom. I buy them when they are just turning yellow. Not green, but not ripe either.
4-5 bananas
6 egg yolks and whites separated
1 cup sugar
1 stick unsalted butter or margarine, melted
vegetable oil (I like Canola)
12 Tbsp of sugar (for the meringue)
Preheat oven to 300░ F. Peel and halve the bananas. Fry them in a little Canola oil and arrange them at the bottom of a round pyrex bowl. Mix the egg yolks with 1 cup of sugar, add melted butter and mix well. Pour over the bananas. To make the meringue, beat the egg whites until stiff. Slowly add 12 Tbsp of sugar. Turn mixture (but do not beat) for 15 minutes. Pour meringue over the bananas, or use a piping bag to squeeze it decoratively over the bananas. Cook in oven for 30 minutes. Serve warm. If you make it in the summer, serve it cool.
Here's a beautiful Brazilian banana bunch! (The alliteration is on purpose!)
Photo courtesy of Dr. Hilton da Silva.