Plantains look like bananas, yet are less sweet and have a firmer texture than their fruit-bowl counterpart. This makes them the perfect item to fry and layer with cheese and sweet clove syrup for this delicious napoleon-style dessert.

Plantain Napoleon

Syrup:
1 cup SPLENDA® Brown Sugar Blend
1 cup water
6 whole cloves

Napoleon:
4 plantains, fully ripe (dark black skin)
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons water
2 teaspoons SPLENDA® Brown Sugar Blend

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
2. Prepare syrup. Combine SPLENDA® Brown Sugar Blend, water and the cloves in a heavy saucepan. Cook over high heat 10 to 12 minutes, allowing mixture to reduce and thicken. Remove cloves and set aside to cool.
3. Peel plantains and cut in 1/4-inch slices.
4. Heat olive oil over medium high heat. Fry plantains on medium high heat until golden brown. Remove from oil and place fried plantains on paper towel to remove any excess fat.
   Spray an 8x8-inch baking dish with nonstick spray.
5. Place one layer of fried plantain slices on the bottom of the baking dish. Cover the plantains with half of the mozzarella and parmesan cheeses. Pour 1 cup of the sugar syrup on top of cheese. Place remaining plantain slices over the previous layer of plantains and cheese. Cover the new layer of plantains with the rest of the mozzarella and Parmesan cheese.
6. Mix eggs, water, and SPLENDA® Brown Sugar Blend together in a small bowl. Pour evenly over the top of the plantains.
7. Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until golden brown.

Makes 9 servings. Serving Size: 1 (2 1/2 x 2 1/2 inch) square.
Preparation Time: 30 Minutes
Total Time: 1 Hour 15 Minutes

Nutritional Information Per Serving (1/9 of recipe): Calories 320 | Calories from Fat 70 | Fat 8g (sat 3.5g) | Cholesterol 60mg | Sodium 190mg | Carbohydrates 49g | Fiber 2g | Sugars 28g | Protein 9g

Recipe and photograph courtesy of Splenda, Inc. Splenda® is a no-calorie sweetener made from sugar that is suitable for diabetics. For more information regarding this product, please call 1-800-777-5363 or visit their website at www.splenda.com.