Bananas Stuffed with Rum Butter Cream
(Figues Bananes Fourrees — Haiti)

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons seedless black raisins
• 2 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon dark rum
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
• 3 large ripe bananas
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/4 cup coarsely ground peanuts, walnuts, almonds or pecans
• 12 glace cherries (candied cherries - optional)

Instructions

1. Soak raisins in the 2 tablespoons rum in a small bowl. Cream butter and confectioners' sugar with an electric mixer in a small bowl. Beat in the remaining 1 teaspoon rum.
2. Peel bananas and cut them in half crosswise and then lengthwise. Sprinkle with lemon juice. Arrange the bananas, flat side up, on a serving plate. If you are going to serve the bananas immediately, you do not have to sprinkle them with lemon juice.
3. Fill a small pastry bag, fitted with the tip of your choice, with the rum butter cream. Pipe the rum butter cream along the length of each banana (or just spoon about 2 teaspoons rum butter cream on top of each banana). Garnish each with the rum-soaked raisins and the nuts. The leftover rum from the raisins can be sprinkled on the bananas, if desired.
4. Put a cherry on top of each banana and serve at once, or refrigerate and serve within 8 hours.