BANANA AND CHERRY SANDWICH

Ingredients

• 3 whole bananas (Ripe bananas work best — the riper they are, the sweeter and easier to mash.)
• 0.5 cup maraschino cherries (Drain well before chopping. Reserve a few whole cherries for garnish.)
• 1 tablespoon powdered sugar (Also called icing sugar or confectioners' sugar. Sift if lumpy.)
• 1 tablespoon (approx.) thick cream (Use just enough to bring the filling together — add a little at a time. Heavy cream or double cream works well.)
• 8 thin slices white bread (Slice thinly if using a whole loaf. A soft sandwich loaf is ideal.)
• 2 tablespoons (approx.) butter (Softened at room temperature so it spreads easily without tearing the bread.)
• 4 whole maraschino cherry (One per sandwich for garnish. Pat dry with a paper towel before placing on top.)

Instructions

1. 1Peel all three bananas and place them in a medium mixing bowl. Use a fork or potato masher to mash them thoroughly until no large lumps remain and the texture is smooth and even. The riper the bananas, the easier and quicker this will be.
2. 2Drain the maraschino cherries from their jar and spread them on a paper towel to remove excess liquid. Then place them on a chopping board and roughly chop them into small pieces. You need one-half cup of chopped cherries in total. Removing excess liquid prevents the filling from becoming too wet.
3. 3Add the one-half cup of chopped maraschino cherries and one tablespoon of powdered sugar directly into the bowl with the mashed banana. If your powdered sugar is lumpy, sift it in to avoid clumps in the filling. Stir briefly to distribute.
4. 4Add a small amount of thick cream — start with about one teaspoon — and stir it into the mixture. The goal is a spreadable but not runny consistency. Add a little more cream if needed, a few drops at a time, until the filling holds together and spreads easily.
5. 5Stir the banana, cherry, sugar, and cream mixture together until everything is evenly combined and the filling is smooth and uniform in colour and texture. Taste and ensure the sweetness is to your liking — the sugar is already measured, so this is just a final check before assembling.
6. 6Ensure your butter is soft and at room temperature. Using a butter knife or palette knife, spread a thin, even layer of softened butter across one side of each slice of white bread. Soft butter spreads without tearing the bread. You will need 8 thin slices in total to make 4 sandwiches.
7. 7Lay four slices of buttered bread butter-side up on a clean work surface. Spoon an even portion of the banana and cherry filling onto each slice and spread it out to the edges using the back of the spoon or a knife. Place the remaining four buttered slices on top, butter-side down, pressing gently to seal. If desired, trim the crusts and cut each sandwich in half diagonally for a neater presentation.
8. 8Place each finished sandwich on a serving plate. Top each sandwich with one whole maraschino cherry in the centre as a garnish — pat it dry first with a paper towel so it does not bleed colour onto the bread. Serve immediately for the best texture, as the filling may soften the bread if left to sit.