Go Bananas!

Bananas, you've got them in your kitchen either in your fruit bowl or on a banana hook and half the time you don't end up eating them so where do they go?, in the garbage.  Instead of putting those bananas in the garbage, yea I know they're probably black and nasty and maybe attracting some friends, but instead, put them in a freezer bag and put those suckers in the freezer.  Why would I do that? Well, for smoothies or for bread.  Yep, the classic banana bread.  Great for breakfast on-the-go or a snack with peanut butter spread on top for extra protein or just plain toasted with a slather of butter.  Reading this, you're probably wondering when the last time you had banana bread was.  It's probably a food you had many times as a kid but it's a forgotten favorite in my book.  The great thing about banana bread is that you can add so many bonus flavors to it if the "banana" flavor isn't your favorite.
Today, I looked at the half-rotten bananas sitting on my counter, and now living in Florida, thought "Oh great, those will be attracting fruit-flies any day now."  So instead of throwing them away, which is what I would end up doing half the time and the other half of the time the poor things sit in my freezer for months on end,  I baked some banana bread.  But not any old fashion banana bread, a dressed-up version.

Chocolate Walnut Banana Bread

I took the recipe from America's Test Kitchen Baking Cookbook and tweaked it.  I didn't have any plain yogurt so instead I used a mix of heavy cream & sour cream.  And I replaced 1/4 cup of flour with cocoa powder.  Here is the recipe:

Equipment: 2 mixing bowls, pam for baking, loaf pan (I used my meatloaf pan, took the drip dish out), baking sheet, a whisk, a fork, and a spatula.

Ingredients:

3 ripe bananas, peeled

1 3/4 cup all purpose flour

1/4 cup good quality cocoa powder

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 tsp. baking soda

pinch of salt

6 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted & cooled

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 cup plain yogurt OR a mix of heavy cream + sour cream = 1/4 cup

1 cup chopped walnuts, toasted

Steps:

1. Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position & heat the oven to 350 degrees.  Spray your loaf pan with the Pam for Baking.

2. Spread the walnuts on a baking sheet and toast in the oven until fragrant, 5 - 10 mins.  Set aside to cool.

3. In the first bowl whisk flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda, salt and walnuts together in a bowl.

4. In the second bowl (a larger size), mash the bananas with a fork then add the eggs, yogurt or heavy/sour cream mix, vanilla extract, and butter. Carefully whisk together.

5. Fold in the dry ingredients to the banana mix until fully incorporated but still chunky, no flour clumps.

6. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 50 mins. Use a chop-stick or wooden skewer the check doneness - if it comes out clean, it's done.
7. Rest on a baking sheet for about 10 mins, then using a hand towel or oven-mits dump out the loaf.  Let cool to room temp. or if you're too excited about how awesome this bread just made your kitchen and house smell, cut off the cut and dive right in.  Delicious!
* Hope you enjoy this new twist.  The chocolate flavor from the cocoa powder is not over powering and still lets the banana flavor come through.  You can always use different nuts or chocolate chips instead of cocoa powder.  Dried fruit also makes a compliment. *

Fruits of Our Labor

Summer, the best time to enjoy fruit.  Not only is it "in season", but it also just tastes better, looks better, and who doesn't love a watermelon with their bbq cook out? I know I do.
A great summer dessert, besides just a big bowl of your favorite fruits sprinkled with some sugar, mint and a little lemon vodka, are crisps.  Crisps are a great summer dessert because you can really use anything; well also most anything, I wouldn't use melon... the idea of cooked melon doesn't sound pleasant.  The other night, I made Georgia peach and blueberry crisps with a lavender sugar oat topping.  The one bonus of living alone is that you can make a bunch of something and freeze the extras.  Because I made my crisps in individual size, but of course you can make crisps for a crowd easily in a large ceramic dish or glass pyrex, I can now have the extras whenever I want a fruit dessert!  Besides being one of the the simplest desserts to make, crisps enhance the flavor of the fruit and a big dollop of ice cream on top never hurt anyone.
Here are a list of fruits that are great for crisps:
Peach - white or yellow
Blueberry
Raspberry
Strawberry
Blackberry
Apple - whatever apples you like to use when you make apple pie
Cranberry
Pear
Pineapple
Mango
Banana
Plum
Nectarine
Cherry
I am sure there a few more fruits but these are a good start.  For crisps, I think it's best if you choose 2 or more fruits, otherwise if it's just 1 fruit - it's like a pie minus the pastry crust and you want a CRISP!
Ok so now that you've chosen your fruit (like yellow Georgia peaches and Blueberries) you can start mixing together the other ingredients for the filling.  Depending on the fruit, please peal is necessary -either use lemon or lime juice & zest, granulated sugar, vanilla extract, a pinch of salt, all-purpose flour (the flour mixes with the fruit juices and creates a thick sauce inside the crisp) and optional - a spice like cinnamon.  Mix all these ingredients together in 1 bowl.
In a second bowl, mix together lightly pulsed oats, flour, granulated or light brown sugar, spice (in my peach & blueberry, I used a fancy lavender sugar) again like cinnamon, a pinch of salt, and butter (the butter shouldn't be refrigerator cold but not room temp either). Combine these ingredients until the butter has clumped with the flour, oats, and sugar.
Spray with Pam for Baking or butter the inside of baking ceramic bowls or a glass pyrex for a big crowd.  Place on a baking sheet for just in case purpose of over spills.  Put the fruit 3/4 up the pan and top with crumble.  Bake in a 350 - 375 degree oven until lightly brown and fruit is bubbly and hot; + / - 25 mins.
Enjoy your crisp with some old fashion vanilla ice cream or your favorite flavor.  If cooking individuals and there are extras, let cook completely to room temp before wrapping with both clear plastic and aluminum foil, label, and put in the freezer.  When you want to eat it again, reheat either in the oven - take the plastic off but leave the foil on, or in the microwave (please take off both plastic & foil, you don't want a fruit bomb) and enjoy again!
Think of it this way, not only are you using up the fruit in your house and in season, but you're also eating a healthy dessert.  And if you're like me, you can't resist some sweets at the end of a meal.