Barefoot Chic: There's ALWAYS Money in the Banana Stand**

Last week, we dusted off the grill, polished the silver, and entertained at home for the first time since our arrival in Colombo nearly four months ago. And because I was so excited to finally have adults in my house to talk to, I went overboard and did it on two different nights.

As you drive the windy roads here, each town has a specialty item they are known for: the basket weaving town, the ceramic pot town, the cashew nut town. Talk about locally grown items: I bought the pineapple, bananas, mangos and avocados straight from the source in their respective towns. So fresh, so tasty--with that third world bleached kind of charm.

This is the avocado town

Not to praise myself too highly, but my culinary skills have really grown exponentially over the last three years. The menu and food were DIVINE, and I made everything, but the chips, myself!

Appetizers:
Grilled garlic bread
Guacamole and tortilla chips

Salad:
Blue cheese, walnuts, and apples...a real treat because you just can't find that stuff here!

Main dish:
Singapore chicken and pineapple skewers
Salt and pepper shrimp with mango and chilli relish (like a dipping sauce)
Grilled veggies

And then it was time for dessert. It was DELISH! So much so, even the skinny girls were having seconds and thirds! If you are grilling again this summer, you MUST try this recipe. It is so easy, and relatively quick too!

Grilled Bananas with Coconut Milk Caramel Sauce
(courtesy Steven Raichlen's BBQ Bible)

If you can find them, use the small “finger” size bananas for better flavor.

For the Coconut Caramel Sauce:
2/3 cup palm sugar (or firmly packed light brown sugar)
2 cups Coconut Milk (powder works great!)
1 cinnamon stick
1 stalk lemongrass, trimmed and lightly flattened with a cleaver (optional)
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon water

Prepare the sauce, well in advance. It needs to cool before serving.
1. Place the sugar in a deep, non-stick, saucepan, and melt it over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. It will take 2-3 minutes to melt.
2. Continue to melt the sugar until it begins to caramelize (turn brown) 3-5 minutes. It should not get as brown as dark chocolate (this will mean it has burned and it will taste bitter).
3. Immediately remove the pan from the heat and stir in the coconut milk.
4. Return the pan to the heat and bring the coconut milk to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar.
5. Stir in the cinnamon and lemongrass.
6. Reduce the heat and simmer the mixture, uncovered, until thick, about 10 minutes, stirring from time to time to prevent scorching.
7. Dissolve the cornstarch in the water and stir it into the sauce, simmer for one minute. The sauce will thicken even more.
8. Remove the pan from the heat and transfer sauce to a bowl. Let cool to room temperature.
9. Remove the cinnamon stick and lemongrass with tongs, cover and refrigerate the sauce until cold.

For the bananas:
About 2 finger bananas minimum for each person (they usually go back for more!)
1 cup coconut milk
1 cup sugar

Preheat the grill to high.
1. Place the coconut mil and sugar in separate shallow bowls at grill side.
2. When ready to cook, oil the grate.
3. Dip each banana (peeled) first in coconut milk, then in sugar, and place on the hot grate.
4. Grill until nicely browned all over, 6-8 minutes.

To serve: arrange the bananas on plates or bowls and spoon the sauce on top. I like to serve with ice cream and toppings, like toasted coconut, macadamia nuts, and cubed pineapples for a tropical banana split, but the bananas and sauce are delicious all on their own. Enjoy!