Gimme S’More! White-Hot Banana

While your entree is grilling merrily away, wrap these treats to cook while you eat dinner.

Ingredients

4 ripe bananas¹
1 6 oz package white chocolate chips²
1/4 cup butter, soft
1/4 cup well-packed light brown sugar
2 tbsp rum³
graham crackers
hot barbecue
4 square pieces of foil, approximately 12″ by 12″

Directions
To prepare s’mores, lay the foil sheets flat on your work surface. Trim ends of banana so a small amount of fruit is exposed at each end. Carefully make a slit lengthwise down the inside curve of the fruit, and push ends in gently. This will open the “pocket.” Mix butter, brown sugar, and rum together; sprinkle white chocolate chips into the banana’s pocket and spread the butter-sugar mixture over the top. Wrap the banana in the foil and set aside until you are ready to grill.⁴

When you are ready to sit down, place a couple of racks, bricks, or oven stones onto your grill in a way that allows the bananas to cook with the cut side up. Let the bananas grill for 15-20 minutes over indirect heat (the opposite side of the grill from the coals), with the lid closed.⁵

Carefully remove bananas to a platter to rest for two to three minutes. Gently unwrap bananas. The peel will stick to the foil, leaving the soft, rum-brown sugar and white chocolate banana ready to spread onto the graham crackers.

Head to the table with a Gimme S’More! White-Hot Banana and a few friends for a great summer night treat!

Serves 4

Salvador Molly’s Tips:

1. You want the bananas to be completely yellow, with the beginning of small brown “freckles” on the skin.
2. Ghirardelli works well, but if you would like to go crazy, pick up white chocolate Toblerone bar and chop it into small bits!
3. We prefer Appleton Rum for this recipe, not Silver or White.
4. The bananas can be prepared 4-5 hours ahead of time and refrigerated until ready to grill. They also can be frozen and stashed in a cooler for camping or fishing trips. By the first night out, the bananas are perfect for cooking on the coals of a dying fire and a terrific treat for tired campers.
5. If your grill does not have a lid, do not despair. You can create a similar oven effect by inverting a heavy-gauge stainless steel bowl over the bananas; however, it will be hot. Tongs and pot holders are required to remove it.
6. If you are channeling Velvis this week, you can use milk chocolate chips and peanut butter (store brand, not all natural). For the Vegas-over-the-top version, go with Nutella and white chocolate Toblerone bits.