Sweet cream infused with mashed papayas and topped with fried plantains invokes West Indies flavors in this dessert. Inspired by my young friend, Brooke, to create desserts using fruit and honey, this dish incorporates papayas on two levels; once in the custard cream and again in the honey cream sauce.
The plantain peels need to be black before the fruit inside is sweet enough to top a dessert so let them sit on the counter until fully ripened. Use a heavy bottomed sauté pan to fry the plantain, such as Calphalon. It needs to withstand the high heat required to quickly fry the plantain slices to keep them from becoming soggy. With the papaya, find the ripest one in the market but use within a few days before it goes soft. Try using freshly grated nutmeg rather than ground. The difference in intensity and sweetness is extraordinary!
2 fully ripe plantains
2 T unsalted butter
1 t olive oil
3 c chopped papaya
¼ c heavy whipping cream
¼ c honey
1/8 t nutmeg
¼ c sugar
1 t corn starch
1 c whole milk
2 egg yolks, room temperature, beaten
½ t vanilla
1 c heavy whipping cream
1 T powdered sugar
1/8 t nutmeg
¼ c unsweetened coconut, toasted