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Grilled Ripe Plantains (Plátanos Maduros a la Parrilla)

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Grilled Ripe Plantains (<em>Plátanos Maduros a la Parrilla</em>)Tara Donne

Editor's note: Chef, nutritionist, and cooking teacher Lourdes Castro shared this recipe from her cookbook, Latin Grilling. It's part of a festive Cuban party menu she created for Epicurious.

Plantains, ripe or unripe, are a staple of Cuban cooking. And while everyone loves the ripe ones (maduros), no one ever wants to make them. Typically deep-fried, they are a mess to make and never seem to come out with that candylike coating you get at good restaurants. This recipe solves the problem: simply grilling very ripe plantains and basting them with a butter-sugar glaze is all it takes to re-create the good stuff. These are a must at all my family cookouts.

Cooking notes

Advance preparation
You can prepare the butter glaze a few hours in advance. It will thicken when cool and will need to be reheated.

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