Crostini with Caramelized Plantain Butter Recipe

Plantains are an underutilized ingredient here in the States but they are turning up more and more at grocery stores. Here is one fun way to use them. The pressure cooking of the plantains caramelizes them, ratcheting up the sweetness and adding more depth of flavor. Once they've been cooked, you simply puree them with dark rum and place them on crostini for a great snack.

This recipe can also be converted into a soup with the addition of water, orange juice, cream, or chicken stock during the pureeing stage. Just keep adding liquid until the soup is the consistency you want.

For even more plantain flavor, you can make plantain chips (see for inspiration) and use that as the base instead of basic crostini.

Also, if you are just getting started experimenting with molecular gastronomy and modernist cuisine then I highly recommend one of these molecular gastronomy kits. They have everything you need to do many different dishes.