One of my favorite things to eat here is called maduros. It is simply ripe plantains deep fried and it is sold at just about every fritanga, or street vendor. A perfect maduros is deeply caramelized on the outside to the point of chewiness and is soft and hot inside. It must be straight out of the frier because after a little sitting they harden. When I came across a bunch of yellow plantains at the grocery store, I figured it was time to do my take on maduros- in the form of fritters. I first boiled the plantains, mashed them with an addition of chocolate cookies and cashews. The filling was a bit dense and one note, so I tried to lighten it and add some tartness with yogurt. I made a beer batter with mesquite and honey to fry the fritters in. Mesquite has kind of a smokey- chocolatey taste and mixed incredibly well with the beer. For a sauce, I juiced a pineapple and mixed it with yogurt for some tang and freshness. 
I really loved this dish, as it was crispy and all the flavors worked very well. However, it may not have been the best representation of maduros as it didn't have the best part: the caramelized plantain! If I was to do this again, I would pan-fry or even roast the plantains to caramelize them before being battered and fried.
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