Yes, we have many bananas

Americans have long enjoyed bananas as a part of favorites such as the banana split, bananas Foster and the household staple of banana bread. Today chefs are turning out novel variations of some of the traditional dishes and creating innovative sweet and savory dishes made with bananas, both green and starchy and ripe and sweet, and their kissing cousin, the plantain.

Here is a sampling of dishes made with this versatile fruit that carries a welcome hint of tropical warmth and sunshine with it.

David Burke's Primehouse: Rick Gresh remembers eating banana splits after playing hockey when he was growing up. So when he was looking for a new way to use the Himalayan pink salt that he cooks with and that lines the walls of the room where beef is aged, he created a banana split sundae for a sophisticated palate. He puts chocolate ice cream and cinnamon caramel sauce on top of a slab of the frozen salt, and a server smashes and folds the ingredients together tableside The resulting caramel chocolate ice cream, which has picked up some saltiness from the frozen slab, is placed on roasted pineapple and served with brandied cherries, spiced pecans and caramelized bananas, and topped with whipped cream. The James Chicago Hotel, 616 N. Rush St.; 312-660-6000

Acadia: Ryan McCaskey remembers that his grandparents always had bananas, coffeecake and coffee on their kitchen counter. As an homage to his childhood memories, he created a dessert of banana coffeecake and passion fruit toffee that share the plate with caramelized bananas, a coffee chip and a cardamom-flavored meringue. "I select the bananas when they are two-thirds ripe, but not underripe when they are too starchy, and not overripe and mushy," McCaskey explains. "The passion fruit toffee is a little tart and acidic, so I thought that it would pair well and contrast with the creamy, sweet caramelized bananas, and the cardamom meringue adds a floral spice note and a little textural element." 1639 S. Wabash Ave.; 312-360-9500

Sola: Carol Wallack developed a savory version of banana bread to complement an appetizer of smoked pork butt which is her version of Hawaiian kalua pork. For the bread she uses bananas that are overripe and almost completely brown. "The riper they are the sweeter they are," she explains, "but I cut back on the sugar and add sour cream and cilantro so the banana bread is more on the savory side." A slice of the bread is topped with the pork and a tomato-based barbecue sauce flavored with the sweetness of pineapple, the heat of chilies and a hint of bourbon and garnished with crispy shallots battered with a kick of Japanese togarashi and some micro greens. 3868 N. Lincoln Ave.; 773-327-3868

Bridge Bar Chicago: Bananas have always been the fruit of choice for Kevin Schulz, who grew up listening to Elvis Presley; so it was only natural that he would create his version of the king of rock 'n' roll's fried peanut butter and banana sandwich. He combines bananas with the chocolate/hazelnut spread Nutella and brie cheese on toasted sourdough bread. "The brie has the right amount of creaminess and sharpness and adds a savory element, but the banana flavor is pretty predominant," says Schulz. He serves it with a vanilla milk phosphate, which reminds him of the childhood pairing of a pb&j sandwich with a glass of ice-cold milk. 315 N. LaSalle St.; 312-822-0100

Sepia: Cindy Schuman wanted to make a strudel for the winter months when local fruits weren't available, so she created one with tropical bananas. She enhances the slices of the exotic fruit with Nutella and serves the strudel with candied hazelnuts and caramelized bananas. Schuman says, "The hazelnuts add crunch, and with the bruleed bananas on the plate, you have double banana-ness." 123 N. Jefferson St.; 312-441-1920

Mercat a la Planxa: Cory Morris creates a sweet version of a Spanish croquette. His vision pairs small spheres of fried milk chocolate with a dollop of bruleed marshmallow flavored with a puree of overripe bananas that have been dried out and caramelized in the oven. Six of these mini-morsels are plated with a drizzle of savory rosemary-infused caramel and a hint of light, fruity olive oil. "You want to get all of the ingredients in the spoon to have one perfect bite," says Morris. 638 S. Michigan Ave.; 312-765-0524

Pure Kitchen Catering: Steven Hubbell took inspiration from his experience in the kitchens of contemporary Indian restaurants to create a crispy green banana fritter for a savory appetizer. "The green banana almost takes on the flavor of a baked potato, but it still has a little bit of sweetness," Hubbell explains. He serves the fritter with tomato mace gravy, black truffle ginger salad, coffee gel and tiny peppermint leaves. "You eat the dish by mixing and matching the different components with a little bit of the fritter so it's like eating different dishes with ingredients that still marry well together," says Hubbell. 312-224-8277; purekitchencatering.com

Mercadito Chicago: Patricio Sandoval remembers eating savory dishes and desserts made with plantains growing up in Mexico and used his memories as a springboard for contemporary ones. He is quick to point out that plantains are usually not eaten raw and that he uses ripe ones because overripe ones are too mealy, have a very strong flavor and turn to mush when fried. He serves crispy fried plantains with a jalapeno-ginger sauce that is spicy and tart and some crema fresca for a creamy touch. Fried plantain chips add a crunchy texture and a touch of sweetness to a mahi-mahi ceviche. Sandoval also uses plantains in the mole poblano and the salsa of his chicken tacos to counterbalance the spicy ingredients and tops them off with crispy plantains for a touch of texture. 108 W. Kinzie St.; 312-329-9555

The Bristol: Mixologist Debbi Peek won a competition in New Orleans last July with a riff on the pina colada, the official drink of Puerto Rico. She makes another version of that winning drink that combines smoked rum with creme de banana liqueur, coconut milk and caramelized pineapple. "I prefer to use fresh ingredients in my cocktails but will go for a liqueur when the fresh ingredient will change the texture and sometimes change the flavor if it is not ripe enough or too ripe," says Peek. The rim of the glass is dipped with honey and then toasted coconut. Peek calls the cocktail No Passport Required, a phrase found often on tourist websites for Puerto Rico, where mainlanders are free to visit without the official document. 2152 N. Damen Ave.; 773-862-5555