Banana Spring Rolls with Salted Caramel

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

Crisp-fried spring rolls stuffed with cinnamon-sugared banana batons, drizzled with a five-minute brown butter caramel and served with a quick coconut-pineapple ice cream. It's the mall-Chinese-restaurant dessert everyone secretly orders, made in about half an hour with store-bought wrappers and an inch of oil in a skillet.

Ingredients

• 1 pint vanilla or coconut ice cream
• 1/2 cup canned crushed pineapple, well drained
• 1/3 cup sweetened shredded coconut, toasted

• 3 firm-ripe bananas (yellow with no brown spots)
• 8 spring roll wrappers, 8-inch, thawed
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 1/2 tablespoons water
• 2 cups neutral oil, for frying

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon flaky sea salt

Instructions

1. Make the ice cream first so it can refreeze: toast the shredded coconut in a dry skillet over medium heat, stirring constantly, for 3 to 4 minutes until golden, then dump onto a plate to cool. Let the ice cream sit at room temperature 10 minutes until scoopable but not melted, then scrape it into a chilled bowl and fold in the drained pineapple and half of the toasted coconut with a sturdy spoon (do not stir it smooth — a few streaks are good). Cover and freeze at least 30 minutes while you work. Reserve the remaining coconut for garnish.
2. Make the caramel: melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat, then whisk in the brown sugar and cream. Bring to a simmer and cook, whisking, for 3 to 4 minutes until glossy and slightly thickened. Off the heat, stir in the vanilla and 1/4 teaspoon of the flaky salt. Set aside; it will thicken as it cools.
3. Stir the cornstarch and water together in a small bowl to make a slurry — this is your wrapper glue. In a second small bowl, mix the granulated sugar and cinnamon.
4. Peel the bananas and cut each one in half crosswise, then lengthwise, giving you 12 batons (you'll use 8 to 12 depending on size). Roll each baton in the cinnamon sugar to coat lightly.
5. Lay one spring roll wrapper on a work surface in a diamond orientation. Place a banana baton (or 1 1/2 batons end to end, if your bananas are short) about 2 inches up from the bottom corner. Fold the bottom corner up over the banana, fold in both sides snugly, and roll up tightly, brushing the top corner with cornstarch slurry to seal. Press out air as you roll — trapped steam bursts rolls in the oil. Repeat with the remaining wrappers, keeping the finished rolls under a clean towel.
6. Pour 1 inch of oil into a 10-inch heavy skillet or Dutch oven and heat over medium-high to 350°F (a wrapper scrap should sizzle immediately and float). Set a wire rack over a baking sheet nearby.
7. Fry the rolls seam-side down, 4 at a time, for 2 to 3 minutes total, turning once, until deep golden and blistered. Keep the oil between 340°F and 360°F, adjusting the burner between batches. Transfer to the rack — not paper towels — so they stay crisp. Let cool 2 minutes.
8. Cut each roll in half on a sharp diagonal. Fan them onto plates, scoop the coconut-pineapple ice cream alongside, spoon over the warm caramel, and finish with the reserved toasted coconut and a pinch of flaky salt. Serve immediately, while the wrappers still crackle.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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