These Grilled Plantains Taste Like Banana Crème Brûlée

The only thing better than dessert (and dessert is great, right?) is a dessert that makes itself, the kind that’s ready and waiting for you just as you finish eating dinner. And that’s the story with plátanos horneados con crema y queso, a Mexican treat consisting of baked (or grilled) bananas (or plantains), smothered in tangy crema and topped with crumbled queso fresco.

Unlike most baking projects, you don’t need to be stressed about measuring and precision to make this dessert. There’s no need for a scale or stand mixer. The magic’s in the ingredients themselves, and their transformation given a blast of heat. It’s all about “getting the bananas’ sugar to caramelize through cooking, then serving it with the dairy to contrast that deep flavor,” says Gonzalo Gout, co-author of Tu Casa Mi Casa: Mexican Recipes for the Home Cook.

You’ll leave the bananas or plantains in their peels and place them on a baking sheet. (You can figure one per person… or maybe two.) Put them in a 400° oven until their flesh is super-tender and their peels begin to split. After about 40 minutes (and a few flips while cooking), the bananas will be ready to go.

The warm fruit becomes rich and creamy, taking on a soft, chewy texture and intense caramel flavor. The crema and fresh cheese topping adds brightness and acidity: a delicious counterpoint to the fragrant fruit.

Barbecuing for dinner? Gout argues that taking the fruit to the grill makes them taste even better. Once you’re done grilling the savory course and about to head to the table, stick the bananas on the grates over a spot that doesn’t have fire, just embers.

“They’ll be done by the time you are ready for dessert,” Gout says. “Have the cream and cheese ready, slice them open, and pop them in the center of the table.”

Each person can drizzle their own baked plantain with crema and sprinkle on the cheese, adding the extra touch of richness and salt that amplifies the flavor of the fruit.

The recipe calls for heirloom bananas, because they have a more complex flavor to begin with, but Gout assured me that any banana or plantain will work. “Just make sure to use the ripest ones you can find, even if they’re blackened. You want to develop that sugar,” he says.

I took his advice, making the recipe with both super-ripe bananas and plantains—and while they yield different results, they’re both equally delicious. The plantains feel more hearty, with chewier texture and more caramely flavor than the bananas. “Plantains have so much more starch than bananas, so when you use aged plantains, that starch turns into sugar,” Gout explains.

Whether you choose bananas or plantains, “Don´t be afraid of charring them,” he notes. “The ‘burnt’ parts will have the texture of a crème brûlée.”

Plátanos Horneados con Crema y Queso (Baked Banana With Crema and Cheese)

Originally Appeared on Epicurious