Fried Plantains

A three-line recipe that depends almost entirely on one thing the original never mentions: the ripeness of the fruit. Get that right and the rest follows.

• Buy them blackPlantains for frying and sugaring must be fully ripe — skins mostly black, flesh soft and yielding. A yellow or green plantain is starchy and bland and will fry to a dry chip rather than a sweet, custardy slice.
• PeelingPlantain skin does not slip off like a banana's. Cut the ends, score the peel lengthwise through to the flesh along two or three ridges, then lever it away with your thumb.
• Slice thicknessDiagonal slices about half an inch thick brown well without collapsing. Thinner rounds cook faster but turn leathery as they cool.
• "Very hot butter"Butter at true frying heat will brown its milk solids and, with sugar already on the fruit, scorch quickly. Medium heat in clarified butter, or butter cut with a neutral oil, gives the same flavour with more control. Two to three minutes a side until deep amber.
• When to add the sugarSugaring before frying, as written, gives a caramelised crust but also a pan that burns fast. If your first batch darkens too quickly, fry the slices plain and sugar them only on the plate.
• QuantityOne large plantain serves one or two. Fry in a single layer with space between the pieces; crowded slices steam and refuse to colour.
• ServingIn this book the dish sits among "fancy dishes" — a sweet garnish or savoury side. It goes equally with roast pork, with rice and beans, or alone with a spoonful of cream.