delvious

Bananas are easy to find and available year-round, so everyone should have an awesome banana bread recipe up his sleeve.  While I’ve yet to find THE perfect recipe for a basic loaf, I can tell you this caramelized banana loaf cake is a great way to put bananas to use.





This is definitely not “just” banana bread.  This is a gorgeous self-saucing, upside-down banana cake scented with vanilla and cinnamon.

Recipe

Making caramel on the stove top seems intimidating, but all you have to do is heat water with sugar and keep an eye on its color.  When it turns amber, take it off the stove and swirl in the butter.  The butter will foam up as it melts, completing the beautiful process.





After briefly cooking the bananas in the caramel, you’ll arrange the slices neatly in the bottom of the loaf pan.  Stir together the batter and gently pour it on top of the caramelized bananas before baking it in the oven.





Some of the caramel will bubble up around the edges as it bakes, but this is just a preview of the lovely cake that appears once you’ve inverted it onto a serving plate.





My ice cream pairing (an art in itself for those of us who a la mode any and everything) was Ben & Jerry’s Late Night Snack.  This delvious new flavor of creamy vanilla bean ice cream with salted caramel swirls and chocolate covered potato chip clusters was the perfect accompaniment to this scrumptious dessert.

Caramelized Banana Loaf Cake

Adapted from Shutterbean and Rachael Ray Magazine

Prep time + Bake time = 20 min + 55 min

Serves 8

Ingredients

4 medium or 3 large ripe bananas

3/4 cup granulated sugar, divided

2 tbsp salted butter

1 large egg, plus 1 egg white

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil

Directions

1.  Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 325F.  Grease a 9×5 inch loaf pan.

2.  Peel the bananas and trim off both ends (reserve for later).  Cut the middle length of each banana such that it will fit crosswise in the pan.  Halve each of these pieces lengthwise for 6 to 8 total pieces.

3.  In a medium skillet, bring 1/4 cup sugar and 2 tablespoons of water to a boil over medium-high heat, without stirring.  Cook until the water has evaporated and the mixture starts turning amber in color.  Remove from the heat and add the butter, swirling with a fork until melted.

4.  Add the long banana pieces, cut side down, and cook over low heat for 1 minute.  Transfer the slices, cut side down, to the prepared loaf pan, arranging them crosswise.  Drizzle the remaining caramel on top.

5.  In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.

6.  In a large bowl, mash the extra banana pieces to equal 1 cup.  Mash in the remaining 1/2 cup sugar.  Whisk in the egg and the egg white as well as the vanilla, followed by the vegetable oil.

7.  Add the flour mixture to the banana mixture, stirring until just combined.  Pour the batter over the bananas in the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted comes out dry, about 50-55 minutes.

8.  Let cool on a rack for 10 minutes, and carefully invert the cake onto a platter to cool completely before serving.

7 Comments | In: Cake | tags: banana, caramel, cinnamon. | #

As much as I love my daily bowl of cinnamon toast crunch, I think I may have found a new favorite breakfast: polenta.  Topped with fruit and nuts, it’s a filling breakfast that even oatmeal haters will adore.

Recipe

Breakfast polenta is prepared just as you would prepare polenta that is destined for a savory dish, except for the addition of vanilla extract at the end.  Cooking it with a combination of milk and water increases richness; make it even more decadent by using whole milk or by replacing some of the water with milk.  Be sure to stir it frequently to maintain a smooth consistency and avoid burning the bottom.  The longer you let it simmer on the stove, the thicker the porridge will get.





Since I was stirring away at the stove anyway, I decided to get another burner going to make a cinnamon peach compote as a topping for my breakfast.  Compotes are a great way to use up overripe fruit, and frozen fruit will work well too.  Even though I chose a compote, you could put anything on top of this amazing polenta.  The next time I make this (which I can assure you will be soon, maybe tomorrow), I’m thinking I’ll sprinkle my polenta with some toasted pecans, maple syrup, plenty of brown sugar and some sliced peaches.  It’s also tempting to replace the vanilla with almond extract and top the bowl with a few fresh cherries sweetened with a drizzle of honey.  Let me know what other flavor combinations you come up with!





This recipe can easily be halved, but why would you do that when you can enjoy leftovers the next day?

Breakfast Polenta with Peach Compote

Polenta recipe adapted from Brown Eyed Baker

Prep time + Cook time = 5 minutes + 30 minutes

Serves 6

Polenta Ingredients

1 cup polenta (not instant)

3 cups water

2 cups milk (I used 2%)

3/4 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla extract

Peach Compote Ingredients

2 ripe peaches, chopped

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup water

1 tsp cinnamon

Pinch of nutmeg

Directions

1.  Stir together the polenta and one cup of water in a small bowl.

2.  Make the compote: Combine peaches, brown sugar, water, cinnamon and nutmeg in a small saucepan over medium high heat.  Bring to a boil, stirring frequently, and reduce heat to medium.  Simmer about 30 minutes, or until compote has broken down to the desired consistency.

3.  Make the polenta: Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan over medium heat, bring the milk and the remaining 2 cups of water to a simmer.  Slowly add the polenta and water mixture, whisking to prevent lumps.  Reduce heat to low and stir frequently.  Simmer about 30 minutes, or until polenta has thickened to the desired consistency.  Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract.

4.  Serve the polenta topped with the compote and any other toppings such as toasted walnuts, Greek yogurt and more brown sugar to taste.

2 Comments | In: Breakfast | tags: brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, peaches, polenta, porridge. | #

I’ve been on a rhubarb kick lately.  Rhubarb coffeecake and rhubarb cobbler have both graced my kitchen in the past week.  However, it’s this amazing Rhubarb Strawberry Cardamom Cobbler-Pie that I’ve chosen to share with you.  It is quite a mouthful for a recipe name, but (pun intended) the pie itself makes for a VERY delicious mouthful!  Go bake this hybrid of a dessert asap.

Recipe

Rhubarb’s red stalks are sour and crunchy when raw, but break down into a tangy compote when heated with sugar.  The natural sweetness of strawberries make them a classic partner for rhubarb.  To jazz up the filling a bit, I added a pinch of cardamom and a sprinkling of cinnamon.  I also reduced the sugar by a third because (1) my strawberries were pretty sweet but mainly (2) I ran out of white sugar after getting the first cup into the filling.

Although the kitchen was covered in flour and making two types of dough was ambitious, I was definitely rewarded for my hard work – this pie is awesome both visually and taste-wise.  It came out of the oven with bright red filling bubbling around the browned sugary biscuits and a golden crust.  The cardamom was a bit potent when I snuck a taste of the filling as it cooled, but it mellowed by the time I had a full slice a few hours later.  The all-butter pie crust may not be very flaky, but it tastes like a buttery croissant.  As with any cobbler, I love the soggy underside of the biscuits that have soaked up glorious rhubarb-strawberry juices.





Despite day-old crust, I was impressed with my slice on Day 2 because the flavors in the filling had time to mingle.  I’d recommend this pie slightly warmed or at room temperature (and it goes with out saying it should be topped with a scoop of ice cream), but since it’s pretty gooey it’s best to keep it refrigerated if you have any leftovers.

Rhubarb Strawberry Cardamom Cobbler-Pie

Adapted from Tracey’s Culinary Adventures via The Sweet Melissa Baking Book

Prep Time + Bake Time: 75 min + 75 min

Serves 8

Printable recipe

Pie Crust Ingredients

1 1/8 cups all-purpose flour

1 tbsp white sugar

1/8 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp kosher salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, very cold and cut into 1/2 inch cubes

6-8 tbsp ice water

Biscuit Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp kosher salt

2 tbsp white sugar

1/2 tsp freshly grated lemon zest

2 tbsp unsalted butter, very cold and cut into 1/4 inch cubes

1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp heavy cream, chilled

2 tbsp turbinado sugar

Filling Ingredients

2 cups fresh rhubarb, sliced into 1/2 inch cubes

2 cups fresh strawberries, cut into 1/4 inch slices

1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

1 cup white sugar

2 tbsp cornstarch

1/4 tsp cardamom

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

Directions

1.  Make the pie crust dough in a food processor:  Add the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt to a food processor and pulse to combine.  Add the butter cubes and pulse several times until butter is the size of large peas.  Add 6 tablespoons of ice water and pulse to combine.  The dough should just hold together when you squeeze it in your hand.  If it is too dry, add up to two more tablespoons of water as necessary.

2.  Rest the pie crust dough:  Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface.  Pat it together in one piece and flatten into a round disk.  Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

3.  Roll the pie crust dough:  Once the dough is chilled, return the unwrapped disk to a lightly floured surface.  Flouring the dough as necessary, roll it into a circle approximately 12 inches in diameter and 1/4 inch thick.  Transfer it to a 9 inch pie plate and crimp the edges as desired.  Cover, and return the dish to the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

4.  Make the biscuit dough in a food processor:  While the pie crust dough is refrigerating, add the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar and lemon zest to a food processor and pulse to combine.  Add the butter cubes and pulse until evenly distributed.  Add 1/2 cup heavy cream and pulse until the dough holds together.

5.  Prepare the biscuits: Turn the biscuit dough onto a lightly floured surface.  Pat together and press into a round shape that is 1/2 inch thick.  Using a 2 1/2 inch biscuit cutter, cut the dough into 7 biscuits (which will involve reshaping the scraps from the first round).  Place the biscuits on a baking sheet that has been lined with parchment paper and cover.  Refrigerate until ready to use.

6.  Preheat the oven: Place a rack in the bottom third of the oven and preheat to 350F.  Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.

7.  Make the filling: In a medium bowl, combine the rhubarb, strawberries, lemon juice, sugar, cornstarch and spices.  Mix gently.

8.  Assemble the cobbler-pie: Remove the pie crust and biscuits from the refrigerator.  Pour the fruit filling into the chilled, unbaked pie crust and place the biscuits evenly around the top of the filling.  Brush the biscuits with the remaining tablespoon of cream and sprinkle with the turbinado sugar.

9.  Bake the cobbler-pie: Place the pie on the foil lined baking sheet and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until the juices are bubbling and thick.  Check the underside of the biscuits to make sure it looks like a steamed dumpling rather than raw dough.  Remove the pie to a wire rack to cool to room temperature and enjoy!

Makeshift pie and biscuit kitchen equipment

This was definitely an intensive recipe, but don’t be alarmed if you lack some of the equipment.  I do have a food processor, but you can achieve the same result with a fork, your fingers and a bit of muscle.  Here are some equipment substitutes I did use, however:

• If you don’t have a rolling pin, try wrapping a wine bottle (or any other large round bottle) with some plastic wrap to roll out the dough.
• It’s probably even more unlikely you have a biscuit cutter, let alone a a 2 1/2 inch one.  Instead, use the rim of a wine glass to gently cut your biscuit dough.

No Comments | In: Fruit, Pie | tags: cardamom, cinnamon, cobbler, cornstarch, Pie, rhubarb, strawberry. | #

I took a few of these delvious cupcakes to the San Francisco National Food Bloggers’ Bake Sale weekend before last, where contributions from about 20 local food bloggers brought in $1,650 in donations for Share Our Strength (!!!).





The bake sale was held outside of Omnivore Books in San Francisco, which is perhaps the most awesome place ever.  An hour flew by as I thumbed through cookbooks on every imaginable topic including local cuisines (I wanted a mammoth New Orleans cookbook like no other) and vintage publications that looked well-loved by 1950s housewives.  I’m glad I had left my wallet in the car, or my credit card bill could have gotten ugly.





The highlight of the day was walking outside of the bookstore to see an adorable old man in a beret leaving the bake sale, carrying one of my cupcakes.  I really wanted to take a picture, but that might have been a little creepy so I refrained (barely).

Recipe

You’re probably wondering how I can ramble on about this bake sale when I clearly need to explain these tomato soup spice cupcakes. Contrary to what you might think, they were delicious.






Generous quantities of allspice, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg were baked into a Campbell’s tomato soup laced batter.  Since I made these cupcakes the night before the bake sale, I used oil in place of butter because I figured that would guarantee a nice moist cake in the morning.






The red-tinged cakes tasted somewhat like pumpkin bread or carrot cake.  The sweet but slightly tangy cream cheese frosting was the perfect compliment, and I highly recommend topping each with some toasted walnuts.  The tomato was barely detectable, if at all – I doubt anyone would have guessed there was a delvious mystery ingredient had I not disclosed it on the packaging.

Tomato Soup Spice Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Adapted from Mike’s Blog via Nancie McDermott’s Southern Cakes

Prep time + Bake time = 15 minutes + 20 minutes

Makes 20 cupcakes

Printable recipe

Cake Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/3 cups sugar

1 tbsp plus 1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp ground allspice

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp cloves

1/2 tsp nutmeg

One 10 3/4 oz can condensed Campbell’s Cream of Tomato soup

1/2 cup canola oil

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 cup water

Frosting Ingredients

One 8 0z block of cream cheese, room temperature

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature

3 cups powdered sugar

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Walnuts for garnish, toasted (optional)

Directions

1.  Preheat oven to 350F.  Place cupcake liners in cupcake pan.

2.  Add flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, allspice, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg to a large bowl.  Stir with a fork to combine well.

3.  Add tomato soup, oil, eggs and water to the bowl.  Using a whisk or mixer on low speed, beat the ingredients into a smooth batter.  Scrape down the sides with a spatula occasionally.

4.  Distribute the batter among the cupcake liners, filling each about 2/3 full.  Bake for 18-20 minutes, until the cakes are golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

5.  Cool in pan for 5 minutes, then move cupcakes to a wire rack to cool completely.

6.  Once the cupcakes are cooled, add the cream cheese and butter to a standing mixer (or a large bowl and use a hand mixer).  Beat until evenly combined.  Add powdered sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, beating after each addition.  Once desired consistency is reached, beat in vanilla extract.

7.  Frost cupcakes.  Garnish with toasted walnuts if desired.

2 Comments | In: Cake | tags: allspice, bake sale, cinnamon, cloves, cream cheese, nutmeg, Tomato soup. | #

Described as a phyllo wrapped mixture of “chicken chunks with almonds, chickpeas, raisin, cinnamon and spices” on their menu, the Chicken Cilicia at La Mediterranee on College Avenue in Berkeley is delectable.  I never really considered trying to replicate it at home; cinnamon and chicken don’t usually make it into the same pot at my house.  Furthermore, wrangling phyllo dough into any sort of discernible crust seemed daunting.


When I came across the recipe for this chicken and date pastilla, however, it reminded me enough of Chicken Cilicia that I had to make it for myself.

Recipe

Check out all the spices in that bowl – aromatic garlic, savory cumin and turmeric, fragrant ginger and cloves, sweet cinnamon, spicy chili flakes and a pinch of saffron to round it out.  I love dishes that have a visual indication of just how flavorful they will be.  The filling smelled amazing as it simmered on the stove and the eggs thickened the mixture such that it would hold up in the delicate crust.


As I was olive-oiling each layer into my springform pan, I began to embrace phyllo dough.  I cheated slightly with some premade from the freezer section, but I’ve heard it’s not worth the effort to attempt making it from scratch.  It was so easy to use, in fact, that my mind has since been spinning with ways to use up the rest of the box.  Baklava or spanokopita are obvious (and delicious) choices, but I’m holding out for some sort of delvious option.  Stay tuned.


Given my reservations about the recipe I was amazed that the pastilla came out not only in one piece, but perfectly golden brown.  Sprinkled with the powdered sugar and cinnamon, it is a great dish when you’re aiming to impress.  More importantly, it was tasty enough to be served at any Mediterranean restaurant.  Some said the dates and raisins made the dish a bit too sweet; if you’re looking to make the dish more savory, I would omit some of the dried fruit.

Chicken and Date Pastilla

Adapted from Closet Cooking

Prep time + Cook time: 45 min + 40 min

Serves 6

Printable recipe

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil
2 lbs skinless chicken breast
2 onions, sliced
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tbsp ground cumin
2 tsp ginger
1 tsp cloves
1 tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp chili flakes
1 tsp turmeric
1 pinch saffron
2 cups chicken stock
3 eggs
1 cup dates, pitted and coarsely chopped
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1/2 cup slivered toasted almonds
Salt and pepper, to taste
8 sheets phyllo dough
1/2 cup olive oil
Powdered sugar and cinnamon, to taste

Directions

1.  Heat the tablespoon of olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat.  Add the chicken and brown on all sides.  Remove from pan.

2.  Reduce heat to medium and add the onions.  Cook until tender (about 10 minutes).

3.  Add the garlic, cumin, ginger, cloves, cinnamon, chili flakes, turmeric and saffron.  Cook until fragrant (about 1 minute).

4.  Return the chicken to the pan and add the chicken stock.  Cover the pan and simmer until the chicken is cooked, stirring occasionally (about 30 minutes).  Remove chicken from pan to cool.

5.  Once the chicken has cooled, shred it.  Return it to the pan, and add the eggs, dates, raisins, cilantro and almonds as well.  Mix and season with salt and pepper.

6.  Preheat the oven to 375F.  Place a sheet of phyllo on your working surface and brush with olive oil.  Place a second sheet on top in the opposite direction, forming a plus sign, and brush with more olive oil.  Repeat until you have used all of the phyllo sheets and most of the 1/2 cup of olive oil.

7.  Transfer the layered phyllo into an 8 or 9 inch springform pan and fill with the chicken mixture.  Fold the overlapping phyllo over the top to form the pie.  Brush the top with the rest of the olive oil.

8.  Bake in the oven until golden brown (30 to 40 minutes).

9.  Allow to cool, and sprinkle some powdered sugar and cinnamon over the top.

Word of Warning for Springform Pans

This dish was the main course of a delvious dinner party with some high school friends I hadn’t seen in awhile.  Of course, the most logical thing to do is to set the fire alarm off (twice) in an apartment building that burned down in a fire three years ago.  To make matters worse, there was sort of domino effect of fire alarms setting off in the surrounding apartments.  Hence, I learned a valuable lesson: springform pans may say they’re leakproof, but mine certainly let some of that olive oil through its cracks to burn onto the bottom of the oven.  From now on, I’ll be wrapping the bottom in some aluminum foil or placing it on a baking sheet to avoid a repeat of that incident.

12 Comments | In: Chicken | tags: almonds, Chicken, cinnamon, dates, phyllo, raisins. | #

Sometimes I’ll come across a recipe that I just can’t get out of my head.  After reading a rave review from The Kitchn, Jaime Oliver’s recipe for Chicken in Milk became one of them for several reasons:

• Undertaking the daunting challenge of cooking a whole chicken for the first time ever to hopefully achieve a deliciously moist result;
• Putting my still-sort-of-new and beautiful Le Creuset dutch oven to good use; and
• (most importantly) Using curdled milk for sauce.

Delvious?  I had to find out.   Oliver tells us to trust him on this one, but it sort of sounds like he had gone off his rocker when he came up with the recipe.  All of us know that you’re not supposed to add both lemon and milk to your tea if you want to avoid the unappetizing curdling reaction your beverage.  Who wants their chicken covered in curds and whey?

Recipe

As it turns out, I do!  This chicken dish was aromatic and complexly flavored.  You must first brown the chicken in butter to get those all-important flavorful caramelized bits stuck on the bottom of the pot.  From there, you add the unique array of sauce components: fresh sage, whole garlic cloves, lemon zest…a pint of milk…and a cinnamon stick.  It looked beautiful although I remained skeptical.


After your chicken has disappeared into the oven , you will start to smell tantalizing things.  I basted the meat every half hour; it got harder and harder to refrain from sampling the sauce.  An hour and a half later, you have a company-worthy, one pot main course.  The meat was wonderfully moist and the sauce…oh the sauce.  The curds became a bit chewy like melted cheese, and the now translucent liquid portion of the milk was infused with the other spices.  Serve this chicken with wilted spinach and mashed potatoes like I did, and you’ll be everyone’s favorite cook.

Chicken in Milk

Adapted from Jaime Oliver

Prep time + Cook time: 15 minutes + 1 1/2 hours

Serves 4

Printable recipe

Ingredients

1 3.5 lb whole chicken, cleaned

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/4 c (1/2 stick) butter

2 tbsp olive oil

1/2 cinnamon stick

Generous handful of fresh sage leaves

Zest of 2 lemons

15 cloves of whole garlic, unpeeled (I figured you can’t go wrong with extra garlic.)

1 pint (2 cups) whole milk

Directions

1.  Preheat oven to 375F.

2.  Season the chicken with plenty of salt and pepper.  In a dutch oven, melt the butter and add olive oil over medium high heat.   Fry the chicken until golden brown on all sides.

3.  Remove the chicken from the pot, and discard the extra fat.  Add the chicken back to the pot, along with the cinnamon stick, sage leaves, lemon zest, garlic cloves and milk.

4.  Bake in oven for 1 1/2 hours, basting every 30 minutes.  I followed The Kitchn’s recommendation and left the pot covered for one hour, and uncovered for a half hour.

Some Kitchen Chemistry

As it happens, there is another instance where you want to mix lemon juice and milk.  Say you wake up on a Saturday morning, craving some fluffy, homemade buttermilk pancakes.  You’ve got your pantry staples on hand…but who keeps buttermilk lying around?  Since buttermilk’s tartness comes from acidity, you can mimic that with some acidic lemon action in regular milk.

Quick Buttermilk Substitute

1.  Mix one tablespoon of lemon juice into one cup of milk.  (A tablespoon of white vinegar would work as well).

2.  Let sit for 10-15 minutes.  Stir and voila!, you’ve got buttermilk.

4 Comments | In: Chicken, Roasted | tags: cinnamon, dutch oven, garlic, lemon, milk, sage. | #