This riff on a Bahama Mama lights up your dessert menu

By Jim Bailey
theyankeechef.blogspot.com

ABahama Mama beverage is a great convergence of tropical fruit juices, coconut rum and grenadine.

To turn this into a dessert, I have substituted the grenadine with pomegranate juice, which grenadine originally was derived from, for a delightful fruity/tart flavor. I can’t think of one simple dessert such as this that incorporates so much of the tropics.

1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup coconut flakes
3 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3 bananas
1/2 cup frozen tangerine orange juice, thawed
1/2 cup pineapple juice
1/2 cup pomegranate juice *
1/2 cup frozen lemonade, thawed
1/2 teaspoon Chinese 5-spice powder
4 thick slices lemon cake, cubed

Preheat oven to 275-degrees F. In a small bowl, blend oats, flour, coconut, butter and cinnamon, mixing until moistened throughout. Spread out on a cookie pan and bake for about 10-12 minutes, or until browned and crisp. Remove from oven and set aside.

Meanwhile, peel and slice bananas on the bias; set aside. In a large saucepan, add all juices, lemonade and Chinese 5-spice powder. Stir well and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Continue cooking until reduced and thickened, stirring once in a while. This will only take about 5 minutes. When thick and syrupy, add banana slices, gently stir to combine and cook an additional 4 to 5 minutes, or until bananas are heated through; remove from heat.

To assemble, evenly divide cake cubes among 4 serving bowls. Top with equal amounts of banana topping and sprinkle oat mixture over the top. Serve warm.

* If desired, use 3/4 cup pineapple juice instead of 1/2-cup and add 1/4 cup grenadine in place of pomegranate juice.