Recipe Manuscript

Bananes

Name: Bananes
Prep time: PTPT7M
Cook time: PTPT8M
Yield: 4
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 4 ripe bananas (about 800 g); 100 g granulated sugar; 30 g unsalted butter (fresh butter preferred); Optional for syrup version: 250 ml water + 200 g sugar; Optional: substitute unsalted butter with ghee or plant-based margarine if necessary

1903

From the treasured pages of Cooking in old Créole days. La cuisine créole à l'usage des petits ménages

Written by Célestine Eustis

Early Modern Kitchen (1900 - 1930)American Beginner Dessert Snack

Original Recipe • 1903

Original Manuscript(circa Early Modern Kitchen, 1900 - 1930)

As inscribed by the original author's hand, transcribed with care by Lost Kitchen Scrolls

Bananes

"Epluchez et tranchez des bananes, roulez-les dans du sucre et faites frire dans du beurre frais. Ou cuites entières dans du sirop de bâtrie, comme une confiture ou bien dans leur peau au four."

Note on the Original Text

The recipe is succinct and assumes the cook has a practical knowledge of basic techniques—like peeling and frying. Measurements are not specified, relying on intuition and experience, characteristic of early 20th-century Creole recipes written for home cooks who seldom used precise scales. Terms like 'du beurre frais' (fresh butter) and references to cooking bananas whole 'dans leur peau au four' reflect both the French linguistic influence and a flexible approach to method. Modern recipes benefit from clarified instructions and metric quantities, but the spirit of improvisation remains true to the original.

Modern Kitchen Interpretation

Recipe's Origin

Cooking in old Créole days. La cuisine créole à l'usage des petits ménages - Click to view recipe in book

Title

Cooking in old Créole days. La cuisine créole à l'usage des petits ménages (1903)

You can also click the book image above to peruse the original tome

Writer

Célestine Eustis

Era

1903

Publisher

R.H. Russell

Background

Take a delicious journey back in time with this charming bilingual collection of Creole and American recipes, crafted for cozy households. Célestine Eustis blends French flair with Southern soul, guiding both the novice and seasoned gourmand through the distinct flavors and delightful traditions of old Creole kitchens.

Kindly made available by

Internet Archive

Historical Background of the Recipe

Learn about old traditions

This recipe hails from the vibrant heart of Creole cookery as practiced in early 20th-century Louisiana. Penned by Célestine Eustis and published in 1903, 'Cooking in old Créole days' combined French culinary sensibilities with Caribbean inspiration, reflecting the melting pot of flavors found in the Creole kitchen. Bananas, introduced to Louisiana through trade and colonization, were celebrated for their sweetness and availability. Their preparation in sugar and butter echoes the practical, resourceful approach of small households—'les petits ménages'—while the instructions offer both simple home-fried and more luxurious syrup-preserved versions.

Culinary Tools when the Recipe was Crafted

Tools and techniques from kitchens of old

Frying was done in heavy iron or copper pans, set over a wood or coal stove. Butter would come from small crocks, always fresh for best flavor. Cooks used simple table knives for peeling and slicing, wooden spoons for turning the fruit, and earthenware baking dishes or sheet pans for oven preparations. Preserving bananas in syrup would require a large pot or preserving pan, and jars or crocks for storage.

Modern Kitchen Adaptation

Ingredients and techniques for today's cooks

ounces, cups, Fahrenheit

Prep Time

7 mins

Cook Time

8 mins

Servings

Ingredients

4 ripe bananas (about 1.75 lb)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 ounce unsalted butter (fresh butter preferred)
Optional for syrup version: 1 cup water + 1 cup sugar
Optional: substitute unsalted butter with ghee or plant-based margarine if necessary

Instructions

Peel and slice ripe bananas.
Roll the banana slices in granulated sugar, coating them evenly.
In a frying pan, heat about 1 ounce of unsalted butter over medium heat.
Add the sugared banana slices and fry them gently until golden brown on both sides, about 2-3 minutes per side.
Alternatively, you may cook the whole bananas (peeled) in a simple syrup made from equal parts water and sugar, simmering until the fruit is tender and glossy, much like a preserve.
For another variation, bake unpeeled bananas in a preheated 350°F oven for 15-20 minutes, until the skins are blackened and the interior soft and sweet.

Estimated Calories

215 per serving

Cooking Estimates

You will spend a few minutes slicing and sugaring the bananas, then cook them for a short time in a pan until golden. Each serving has about 215 calories, and the recipe makes 4 servings.