The Sweet Spot is a weekly Bites feature where sugar addict Megan Seling reviews some of the best, worst and weirdest sweet treats sold here in Nashville. It appears Tuesdays.
What it is: Fried Plantains with Sweet Cream
Where I found it: Mas Tacos, $3
What it tastes like: Don't give me fruit for dessert. Ever. Don't hand me an apple or a bowl of sliced peaches in cream, because I will not fall for it. While fruit is delicious, fruit is not dessert. Today, though, I was reminded that there is one exception to my otherwise steadfast rule and that is the fried plantains at Mas Tacos. Unlike bananas or berries or pineapples, plantains don't need to be drowning in cream, baked into a pie or boiled down into a rich sauce in order to become a sweet, suitable end-of-meal dish — plantains just need some butter or oil and a fork. Mas Tacos does plantains right.
Unlike every time I try to make plantains at home (OK, the one time I tried to make fried plantains at home), Mas Tacos fry their plantains just past the point of when you think you'd need to pull the fruit off the heat, just as outer layer has started to blacken. It's in that moment, those critical extra few seconds, that the really good, deep caramelization happens. The fruit's edges become a little chewy, to the point where some sugary bits might get stuck in your molars, and there is a subtle and sweet charred flavor. The inside of the fruit is bright yellow and very buttery — I don't know why I bothered getting tacos. They just took up stomach space that could've otherwise been filled with more plantains.
Before serving, Mas Tacos drizzles a little bit of sweetened condensed milk over the fruit, but it's not necessary. Unlike every other fruit in the world (looking at you, mangos), fried plantains require no other flourish.
