Fried Bananas

[Mama Mangia]

Fried Bananas

1/2 cup flour
2 Tbsp cornstarch
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup water
2 bananas
oil for frying

caramel coating
2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup warm water
1 Tbsp oil

Combine flour, cornstarch and baking powder. Add water and stir until smooth.
Peel bananas and cut into thirds. Place in batter and turn to coat. In a deep
pan pour oil to a depth of 1 1/2". Heat to 350 degrees. Place batter covered
bananas into the hot oil and cook until coating is golden brown, about 2
minutes. Remove and drain on paper towels.
Spray a cooking tray or plate with cooking spray. Fill a serving bowl with ice
and cover with water.

For caramel topping: Place sugar, water and oil in a large skillet, stir to
blend. Place pan over high heat. When mixture begins to bubble, shake pan
continuously to prevent burning (DO NOT STIR - I just sort of rock the pan back and forth on the burner). Continue until syrup just turns a pale straw color, approximately 9 minutes. Immediately remove from heat. Syrup continues to cook and will turn golden in a few seconds. Drop fruit into syrup and swirl to coat evenly (you need to work pretty fast at this point, and get the fruit in and out of the caramel, cause it's starting to cool and set up). Place fruit on greased plate so pieces do not touch. Dip each piece in ice water so coating hardens and fruit cools (this sounds odd, but it's what cracks the caramel. Don't worry, it doesn't get soggy).