Recipe: Banana Bread

A friend and my boyfriend’s relatives are coming into town over the same weekend? Guess this calls for freshly baked banana bread! This time around I attempted two twists on the classic crowd-pleaser.

 Ingredients
– flour  – baking powder  – salt  – baking soda  – very ripe bananas  – lemon juice  – shortening  – sugar  – eggs  – milk

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a small mixing bowl, mash the bananas (4-5 small bananas/3 medium bananas) with a fork – you will want about 2 cups total. Add 2 tablespoons lemon juice and mix.

Cream 3/4 cup shortening with 1 1/2 cups sugar at medium speed (I use my KitchenAid). Add 3 eggs and beat thoroughly until very light and fluffy – these two steps should take about 4 minutes total.

Add 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 3 teaspoons baking powder, and 3 1/2 cups flour (I do 1 1/2 cups whole wheat, 2 cups white) slowly, alternating with 3/4 cup milk, and scraping the sides of the bowl during the additions. I would not recommend dumping it in all at once – you can sift the dry ingredients together first, but if space is an issue, just add a few dry ingredients at a time.

Fold in the banana-lemon juice mixture. Pour into two greased loaf pans, and bake for about an hour or until toothpicks inserted into the middle of each loaf come out clean. Allow them to cool 10 minutes in the pans before popping them out and leaving them to completely cool on the counter.

The Twists
I didn’t want to make the average banana bread, so I experimented with two different approaches. For the first loaf, I toasted about 3 tablespoons worth of sesame seeds lightly, folding 3/4 of the batch and a little drizzle of sesame oil into the banana bread mixture in one pan. The final flourish was the remaining sesame seeds on top signaling to all that this was the seeded version, inspired by an incredible sesame banana bread tasted at El Ray the weekend before.

I folded semi-sweet chocolate chips, left over from a past baking adventure, into the other pan, popping one or two morsel into my mouth in the name of quality assurance.

The sesame seeds contributed to a slight sesame flavor, but nothing compared to the essence of the bread I had attempted to emulate. More sesame – perhaps a combination of oil and different varieties of seeds – may do the trick next time. The chocolate chips, on the other hand, did not disappoint, melting nicely into the bread and providing a sweet, gooey surprise distributed throughout the loaf.

Served warm (nearly) right out of the pan or cool from the refrigerator, it is perfect for breakfast, brunch, afternoon tea or a snack in-between!

Until next time,
SugarSource

Unexpected Find: S’mores Cookie

Though bakeries are the default when exploring new sweets options, there are some establishments that manage to surprise with delicious desserts. The s-mores cookies at Little Muenster is a primary example.

S’mores Cookie

This small restaurant on the Lower East Side is focused on delivering “super fancy” grilled cheese sandwiches, blending artisanal cheeses with unexpected ingredients like leek confit and pancetta. On a blustery cold day, a friend and I stopped in for the signature items – a grilled cheese accompanied with a bowl of tomato soup – and stumbled upon an additional wonder – the s’mores cookie. The host/waitress notified us that there was a fresh batch coming out of the oven shortly, and we waited in anticipation.

Out of the back of the small venue emerged three hockey puck-sized treats, the marshmallow appearing gooey and freshly roasted. We audibly gasped as they were delivered to the table, steaming hot and smelling of cookie dough. We broke into them, and discovered the melted chocolate distributed through the cookie, the stickiness of the melted marshmallow, the chewiness of the cookie itself. Though a graham cracker flavor was not particularly present, it did not deter us from devouring the treats in their entirety. For this establishment go for the namesake, but stay for the dessert.

Until next time,
SugarSource

 

Best of Breakfast Sweets – Manhattan

Raspberry almond croissant, Mille Feuille

While breakfast may be the most important meal of the day, there is something to be said for starting off on the right (sweet) foot.

Croissants. The raspberry croissant at Mille Feuille in Greenwich Village is a step above the rest. As you sink your teeth into the pastry, you first taste a tart raspberry powder that sticks to your lips. After the initial tangy shock, you break into the flaky, buttery croissant and reach the filling – simple, marvelous raspberry jam, completing the experience. It will be gone before you know it, but try to savor it as much as possible.

Scones. From the seasonal caramel-drenched pumpkin scone to the classic buttermilk, Alice’s Tea Cup is known for scones for a reason. These baked goods are quite sizable, with a slightly crunchy outside, soft inside and mellow buttery base. Paired with one of their egg dishes, eaten with the traditional clotted cream and jam, or enjoyed on their own, they are worth a visit to one of Alice’s locations.

Pancakes. Prepare for a wait at Clinton St Baking Co – the classic pancakes at this brunch and dinner establishment on the Lower East Side are scrumptious. Well-balanced and not to sweet, with traditional additions such as blueberries and bananas you can’t go wrong with your selection.  This hopping spot also celebrates Pancake Month by having special flavors throughout February including German chocolate cake and Japanese pumpkin (I have already marked my calendar for 2014). Alternatively the lemon ricotta pancakes at Maialino at the Gramercy Hotel are phenomenal. Light and fluffy, the lemon zest provides an almost magical boost to take the pancakes to another level. Served with a mixed berry compote, the flapjacks disappeared much too quickly for my liking, and left me eager to return.

Doughnuts. The Doughnut Plant stole my heart with their peanut butter and jelly confection. A peanut butter glaze studded with roasted peanuts coats the entire square-shaped doughnut, which is filled with the house-made jam of the moment (I had grape). It is hard to figure out the engineering behind this marvel – how do they get the jam all the way around the square doughnut? – but I was primarily focused on savoring every last bite.

Other pastries have appeared recently on the scene, such as cronuts. First coined at Dominique Ansel bakery (where I much prefer the little egg sandwich and cannele), the craze spread throughout the city, even hitting chains like Crumbs and Dunkin Donuts. In the breakfast pastry world, who knows what will follow this latest twist…

Until next time,

SugarSource