PLANTAIN-TION AND POPSICLE TEA

At the Essex Market in the Lower East Side, at Delancey, banana plantains are sold 2 for 1. (That place is a "plantation" - I love it!) Also at the same mishmash of specialty foods store are dried sorrels (in common parlance, hibiscus flowers tea) for only 3 bucks a bag. Thus constitute my summer siesta snack: grilled plantains with agave syrup and fresh ricotta, and my homemade popsicle-in-a-glass punch tea. The "cherryness" of this icy treat (both its achieved color and taste) is largely due to the bleeding of the hibiscus and a few essential components I added in the process, like some whole cloves, some sour kamias (from my previous blog; the fruit also known as bilimbi, or cucumber tree, or again, belonging to the family of tree sorrels) altogether cold infused with cut-up coins of limes and fresh whole sprigs of peppermint herbs, with sugar and agave syrup to taste (the cherry), left in the fridge overnight in a punch bowl. Because I have stocks of ice in glasses in the freezer, making my popsicle tea is ready the next day. Get the ripest plantains from the market, and using your panini machine, simply butter the bananas and press until charred marked stripes and the fruit almost honeying soft. Transfer to a plate and drizzle some agave syrup, and on the side some "shaving cream" Alleva Dairy's ricotta, whose store is just a few blocks away from Essex in Little Italy. I mentioned siesta, right? Well, it's that time.