Try A Sweeter Take On Tajadas With A Few Simple Ingredients

Tajadas, or maduros, are fried sliced ripe plantains, and a common addition to breakfast, lunch, and dinner all across Latin America and the Caribbean. Ripe plantains, like ripe bananas, are especially sweet, and frying them caramelizes their sugars for a rich sugary side dish. Despite their sweetness, tajadas are typically served as an accompaniment to savory dishes, adorned with shredded cheese or served with savory dipping sauces. However, we consulted Colombian-born chef Ronaldo Linares on how to transform tajadas into a dessert course.

You'll still execute the classic deep-fried recipe for these simple coin-shaped sweet plantains, but instead of sprinkling them with salt, as is traditional, Linares opts for a more elaborate sweet coating. He says, "I would take some Irish butter and add it to a pan, melt it on low heat, add brown sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon, and dissolve, creating something like a caramel. Add the tajadas and serve with some ice cream."

A caramel sauce will bring a sticky layer to contrast the tender, pillowy pulp of the plantain. The vanilla and cinnamon combination offers an aromatic, spiced complement that will really enhance all that caramelized sweetness. Ice cream is the cold creamy contrast that will always take a warm dessert to decadent heights. After all, à la mode is the preferred way to eat any kind of fruity dessert, from apple pie to banana splits.

Ronaldo Linares' suggestion for tajadas in caramel sauce with ice cream comes quite close to the famous, theatrical New Orleans specialty, bananas Foster. So go ahead and make it a tajadas Foster by spiking the caramel sauce with dark rum and banana liqueur. For another New Orleans-inspired twist, you could add tajadas Foster to this recipe for bananas Foster king cake. You could also top this coconut macadamia french toast recipe with tajadas Foster (or simply sweet tajadas) for an indulgent brunch.

Chop tajadas up into chunks and add them to bread pudding with a buttery brown sugar and vanilla sauce. Or use tajadas as the sugary, starchy base instead of bananas in a banana upside down cake, drizzling coconut glaze over it for a little tropical flair. Swap banana slices with tajadas in a classic banana pudding featuring trifle-style layers of vanilla custard, whipped cream, and vanilla wafers.

If you want to keep things super simple, just use store-bought condiments and toppings to transform tajadas into an ice cream sundae. Vanilla ice cream is the classic choice for a sundae, but salted caramel, chocolate, coconut, and strawberry cheesecake ice creams would all pair well with tajadas. Top your concoction with drizzles of sweetened condensed milk, caramel sauce, and chocolate sauce, dollops of berry compote, and a sprinkling of chopped peanuts, and shredded coconut.