I ran across this recipe and thought “how odd”. I’m not particularly fond of bananas but the kids are, and considering the fact that bananas have a “perfectly ripe” stage that lasts for 3.5 minutes (just a little longer than the “perfectly ripe” stage of avocados of 2.5 seconds) I’m always looking for ways to use up the bananas that I put in my freezer when they’re brown. Plus I was intrigued.
Ok. This looks like a nasty mess. This is what the bananas look like after they’re thawed out. Keep the liquid.
Add the water and the sugar to a large heat safe bowl, and put food service wrap on top of it. Poke about 10 holes (I just used a fork) in the top. You want to use a microwave-safe food service wrap. Start heating the sugar water in the microwave on high for 10 minutes.
Start heating the bananas over medium heat.
Add a teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, 1 tablespoon vanilla, lime juice, salt, and 4 tablespoons Myers’s dark rum to the bananas.
Mash and continue cooking the bananas. I like to leave some chunks.
After the 10 minutes in the microwave, it should look like the first picture. Then microwave for 2 minutes at a time until it looks like the final picture.
When your bananas are starting to look slightly translucent and a little redder, they’re done.
Add the caramelized sugar. It will bubble like a mother! So be sure your pan is big enough.
Add to Ball jars. Using this funnel is very helpful!
Fill jars. I *love* these reusable lids for things that don’t have to be water-bath canned.
In all honesty, in spite of being skeptical about this recipe (I sometimes make things just because the recipe is WEIRD) this stuff is AMAZING. It is so good on toast, on biscuits, in a peanut butter sandwich, on French toast. I keep making it over and over, and I love it.
Banana Jam
Ingredients
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- ½ cup water
- 5 medium ripe or overripe bananas
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 4 tablespoons Myers’s Dark Rum
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
Instructions
- Add sugar and water to a large heat-safe glass bowl, and cover with microwave-safe food service wrap. Poke about 10 holes in the food service wrap. Microwave on high for 10 minutes. Add bananas to a large pan and heat on medium. Add remaining ingredients to pan and cook. Mash, but leave some chunks. After the 10 minutes in the microwave, cook for 2 minutes at a time until sugar is a pretty caramel color. Bananas are done when they are slightly translucent and reddish. Add caramelized sugar to the pan, and cook for several minutes. Keep in a glass jar for several weeks (although ours is usually gone in several days)
Adapted from The Cooking Channel and thecafesucrefarine.com
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