A few weeks back, I had an overflowing bowl of very brown bananas and decided some baking was in order. This banana muffin has been my "go to" banana muffin for over a decade, they are simply that good.
Over the years, I have shaken things up with whole grain flours, toasted nuts and even mini chocolate chips, but ultimately, I always go back to the basic, unadulterated recipe, just the right size, tender yet dense and so much banana flavor. Yum!
These muffins are also Lollie’s self proclaimed "favorite" as in "these are really good Mom?!" Lollie and I often battle it out in the kitchen because she tends to reside in the land of picky eaters (with King Marco at the helm) rather than in my world of "Just try it, you might like it!"
In Lollie’s defense, she has an exceptional palate and many boldly flavored foods are off-putting to her. Give the girl a flaky croissant or a giant noodle bowl (minus the hot sauce) and she is on the moon. With regard to these muffins however, we have total agreement. If only bedtime could be so easy…
When bananas are too brown to enjoy out of hand, freeze them for smoothies or for baked goods.
cooking spray
2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas
2/3 cup light brown sugar
1/3 cup butter, melted
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 Tbsp. pearl sugar or turbinado sugar (optional)
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Spray a 12-cup muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the mashed bananas, brown sugar, melted butter, egg and vanilla until smooth. Add the banana mixture to the dry ingredients. Mix until just blended and evenly moistened. Do not overmix.
Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups. If desired, sprinkle each muffin with 1/2 tsp. sugar. Bake until the tops are golden and an inserted toothpick comes out clean, 20 - 25 minutes. Cool on a wire rack before removing muffins from the tin.
We have found a new favorite "anytime" cake chez Shafroth. I still love the Aspen Apple Cake but this recipe takes apple cake to another level. I found the recipe on Cook’s Country. They called it "Blue Ribbon Apple Cake" but I think upside down is a better descriptor.
Not all the recipes on Cook’s Country are stellar but this one caught my eye and has now won my heart. The sliced apples on top are reminiscent of homemade applesauce and the light batter below is the perfect compliment.
Apple Preparation
4 Granny Smith apples, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch slices
(an apple peeler is perfect for this)
4 Tbsp. butter
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/8 tsp. salt
Heat a heavy pan (not cast iron) and add the butter. Once the butter stops foaming, add the brown sugar and cook until it turns a dark color, about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the apples and cook for about 5 to 7 minutes or until the apples are soft.
Meanwhile, prepare a 9-inch cake pan by buttering the sides and the bottom. I think a springform pan works best. Once the apple are cooked, spread into the bottom of the cake pan and allow to cool.
Cake Batter
1/2 cup sour cream (or creme fraiche), divided
1 large egg plus 1 yolk
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups flour, sifted
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 stick of butter, at room temerature and cut into small chunks
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Whisk together 1/4 cup of sour cream, egg and egg yolk and vanilla. Set aside. Place dry ingredients into a large bowl and blend well on low speed with an electric mixer, adding the remaining 1/4 cup of sour cream and softened butter.
Once that is well incorporated and the dry ingredients are moistened, increase the speed to medium and add the egg/sour cream mixture. Mix for about 1 minute. Pour over the apples and spread evenly.
Bake for 40 minutes. Test for doness with a toothpick. It should come out clean when inserted in the center of the cake. Allow cake to cool for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the pan and gently release the springform. Invert the cake onto a plate.
Allow the cake to rest inverted on the plate for about a minute. Give it a gentle tap and carefully remove the pan bottom. If some of the apple comes off, it is easily replaced. This cake is best served slightly warm, but I also loved it the next day for breakfast.
Some food in China is mostly about texture. This cake, referred to as Nian Gao, is made during the Lunar New Year celebrations and it is a textural marvel. I searched the web to find something to make for our New Year’s celebration and ended up combining a few techniques and ingredients from recipes I found on Chow.
I really enjoyed the texture: chewy, gummy, silky and soft, all at once. There are many variations and traditionally it is steamed. This baked version is very easy to make. Here is a picture of Nian Gao steamed in banana leaves
Nian Gao is made with glutinous or "sticky"rice flour. What separates this type of rice is that it was specifically developed by Asian farmers over the centuries for its higher content of amylose and amylopectin, two components of starch.
There is no dietary gluten in glutinous rice and it is used throughout Asia in numerous ways. It is more widely available here for gluten free diets. It is the primary ingredient in this dessert so do not substitute white rice flour. It will not work.
4 eggs at room temperature
2 cans light coconut milk
3 cups sweet rice flour
2 1/2 cups sugar (you can use a combination of brown and unrefined sugar)
1/2 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. toasted, shredded coconut (to use as garnish at the end)
Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 9x13-inch pan with butter or non-stick spray coating and line with parchment paper.
Beat the eggs. Add the sugar and beat well for a few minutes. Now alternate adding wet and dry ingredients into the egg/sugar mixture (do not add the shredded coconut). This batter is very runny. Pour into the prepared pan and bake in the center of the oven for 25 minutes. Sprinkle the coconut over the top and rotate the pan. Continue baking for another 25 minutes. Allow to cool for at least 30 minutes. Using the parchment paper as handles, lift the nian gao out of the pan and place on a cutting board. Cut into your desired shapes. You can chill it to serve or serve at room temperature.
For more info on Chinese New Year Celebrations, check out the video below:
I whipped up this pie for a pot luck party and I did not bring home any leftovers. Creamy, sweet with white chocolate and kissed with vanilla, this pie is a winner. Dorie Greenspan featured this recipe on her blog back in November and I filed it away to try. Canned sour cherries took the place of the bananas with much success, their tart bite offset by the dreamy filling.
4 oz. white chocolate (preferably imported), finely chopped
1/2 lb. cream cheese, at room temperature
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
1/3 cup sour cream
1/2 cup heavy cream, chilled
1 banana, thinly sliced (or 1 cup of drained canned cheeries)
1 (9-inch) ready-made chocolate cookie crust (or homemade)
1. Warm the chocolate in a bowl set over a pot of lightly simmering water. Remove from heat when only partially melted; stir to melt completely.
2. Beat the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla until smooth. Beat in the chocolate, then the sour cream. Whip the heavy cream until firm; gently fold into chocolate filling.
3. Put the banana slices on the crust, top with the filling, and chill at least 2 hours. If you’d like, sprinkle with grated dark chocolate before serving.
So about three weeks before Christmas, Marco slides up to me in the kitchen, starts kissing my neck and whispers in my ear "Is it time get out the slow cooker?" This is how romance works in our home, I know the drill. I get kisses, he gets dulce.
And everyday when he comes home from work during the Christmas season, he opens the fridge and helps himself to a spoonful of dulce. Come to think of it, he may need to seek counseling for dulce addiction.
Dulce de leche is Spanish milk caramel. Traditionally, it is made by slow cooking sweetened condensed milk until it becomes a thick caramel with divine hints of vanilla. It is oh so good. I have been making it for about 8 years and like to think I have quite perfected it.
We like dulce licked off a spoon, drizzled on ice cream and stirred into coffee. This slow cooker version requires very little effort on your part and other than the heavy cream, all of the ingredients are pantry items.
Get slow cooking flavoristas! What are you waiting for? Christmas? Nah, dulce de leche is the perfect sweet treat for Valentine’s Day.
1 2/3 cups sugar
3 1/4 cups whole milk
1/4 cup water
large pinch baking soda
pinch of salt (vanilla salt works well here if you happen to have some)
Whisk everything together in a slow cooker and let it cook on high, uncovered, for 12 - 14 hours until there is visible caramelization. There many be some large bits of caramelized sugar & milk. Use a spatula to scrape up the caramelized sugars. Then add:
3/4 cup room temperature heavy cream or light cream
1 tsp. vanilla bean paste (or 1 tsp. vanilla extract)
Using an immersion blender process until smooth and there are no visible clumps of caramel left. Be careful here as the caramel and the slow cooker are hot. It may require an extra set of hands to tilt the slow cooker. Continue to heat on high for 1 more hour.
Skim foam (aka nougat) and transfer remaining dulce to clean jars. Cool to room temperature and then refrigerate.
Proceed to swoon
Before skimming.
The finished product. Oh la la.
Nougat ready for sampling.
Today is the last day for voting! Flavorista made it into the finals for a Homie Award over at Apartment Therapy. When you have a free moment, please cast one more vote for us. Click here to vote.
Golden Delicious apples are great for this type of tart as they are soft and cook quickly. This is the perfect ending to a heavy meal.
Golden Delicious Apple Galette with Sweet Cookie Pie Crust
Sweet Cookie Crust 1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 lb. butter, at room temperature
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup flour
1/4 cake or pastry flour
pinch of salt
1/8 tsp baking powder
Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla and mix until incorporated. Sift the dry ingredients together and add. Mix until just combined. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill for at least 2 hours.
Before rolling out, remove from the refrigerator and allow to soften for 10 minutes at room temperature. Roll out the dough to your desired size. Place on a flat cookie sheet and place in the refrigerator while preparing the apples.
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
Apple Filling
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 cup sugar
2 lbs. Golden Delicious Apples, peeled cored and thinly sliced
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 Tbsp. honey
Combine the sugar and cinnamon and mix well. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and sprinkle 1 Tbsp. of the sugar mixture over it evenly. Arrange the apple slices on top of the dough in concentric circles leaving about 1-inch all around the edge.
Sprinkle with the remaining sugar mixture. Fold the border up over the apples. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes. Heat the honey and vanilla in the microwave and with a pastry brush, distribute the mixture over the apples. Allow to cool slightly before serving.
