My first prompt, "A Childhood Dish," was about home cooking and nostalgic memories. I first thought of Mama's home cooking and how she implemented her Bronx and Jamaican background. Worried that I would grow up not liking traditional Caribbean food, she would introduce a few recipes to our “American” dinners. A staple in our dinner rotation would be her Jamaican grandmother, Ammy's sweet fried plantains. I would often reject these "different" or spicier foods and anything that made an outstanding smell in the middle school cafeteria. So these plantains were the only thing I would eat that wasn't “American”; it would please her that I loved them because that meant I loved her culture, so they became an easy favorite of mine.

During my preperation, I knew my mother had a copy of Ammy's original recipe, but I took the liberty to find my own. I was determined to a quick and simple recipe that also brought in traditional Caribbean roots, and stumbled upon Quin Liburd, of West Indian descent,  with her recipe labelled "Fried Sweet Plantains in 15 Minutes!"

I particularly love this recipe because of its simplicity. In my family, there isn't a set recipe to make these plantains. The seasonings and brown sugar were determined by Mama's mood, reflected in the final product. Sometimes turning out spicier than the regular sweeter batches. This same technique was definitely inherited by me, haha! In the kitchen, I had my recipe but followed my memory of what seasonings my mom advised me to double and which ones to be careful of their potency.

Upon starting the cooking process, cutting the plantains took me back to those nights with my mom when she would have me peel them, and she would take care of the rest. Those were some of my favorite memories, how that simple step made me feel so accomplished. I definitely felt that sense of accomplishment fulfilling a recipe that meant so much to her and illustrated my childhood immersed in her culture.

The end product was amazingly soft but golden brown on the outside; it definitely exceeded my expectations. When I left them for everyone to try, I was repaid with praise. Mrs. Herzog exclaimed how they were perfectly crispy but still soft and sweet. This piece of praise was especially important to me because getting that caramelization and crispiness was one of my biggest issues. Before knowing about the air fryers, my original plan was to pan fry them, but the fryer was perfect for cooking them faster, more evenly, and caramelizing them perfectly in the process. As I transferred them to a container to serve and take home, I snagged a few of the little misfits stuck at the bottom of the fryer basket. The wave of nostalgia that overcame me on the first bite overpowered the pain of my burnt fingers grabbing the greasy, indulgent, sticky plantain bits. The coarse salt sprinkled on top added a great bite to cut the sweetness.