I've Gone Bananas (Again)!

My husband is always asking me to buy bananas when I go to the grocery store, but they aren't always used up before they turn spotted and brown, and frankly, I'm tired of making banana bread. I've made lots of variations on it, but lately it seems like I'm making banana bread at least twice a month. So now I'm looking at another (brown) bunch that needs to be re-created and I've decided to make a cake for a change.

This recipe is from the cookbook "The Modern Baker" by Nick Malgieri. He is a famous cookbook author and teacher of baking and pastry for over 30 years. Besides this book, I have another 6 of his cookbooks and his " Cookies Unlimited" one is one of my "go to" cookbooks during the Christmas holiday season.  Nick's Torta di Mele Ampezza was featured in my blog in October 2010.  

Adapted from "The Modern Baker, Time Saving Techniques for Breads, Tarts, Pies, Cakes, and Cookies" by Nick Malgieri, Copyright 2008

BANANA RUM COCONUT LAYER CAKE

Makes one 9" 2-layer cake, about 12 servings

Ingredients:
 
2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened,
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 large eggs
1 cup mashed banans (about 2 large)
2/3 cup milk
1 tablespoon dark rum (I used Gosling's Black Seal Bermuda Rum)

Ingredients- omit rum if desired

Set the oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Prepare two 9" round cake pans by buttering the inside and bottom, then line with a buttered piece of parchment or waxed paper. (Why use parchment? First it makes things easier to clean and second, it also makes sure your cake doesn't stick).

For the cake:

Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Mix well. Set aside.

Combine the butter, sugars, and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer (I use my KitchenAid stand mixer).  Beat with the paddle on medium speed until lightened in color and texture, 3-4 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

In another bowl, stir the bananas, milk and rum together until blended.  Decrease the mixer to lowest speed and add 1/3 of the flour mixture (why start and stop with dry ingredients? Click here).  Stop and scrape down the bowl and beater.  Beat in half of the banana mixture.  Repeat with another third of the flour, remaining banana, and then remaining flour.  Stop and scrape the bowl and beater. Increase the speed to medium and beat the batter continuously for 3 minutes.

Divide the batter equally between two prepared pans and smooth the tops.  Bake until the layers are well risen and deep golden, and feel firm when pressed in the center with a fingertip, 25-35 minutes.

Cool the layers in the pans on racks for 5 minutes, then unmold, turn right side up and cool completely on racks.

 

Fresh out of the oven.

Now here's where I decided to deviate from the recipe. This Banana Rum Coconut Cake uses a whipped cream topping and I don't have the room in the refrigerator to store a whole cake to keep the topping fresh. So I decided to go with something else. I thought a caramel frosting with walnuts would go perfect.

Recipe is from "The Lady & Sons Just Desserts" by Paula Deen, copyright 2006

Bobby's Caramel Cake (frosting part only)

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/3 cup heavy cream, or more as necessary
1 16-oz box powdered sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup chopped nuts (optional). For even better flavor, roast them in the oven at 350 degrees; walnuts, 8-10 minutes, pecans,5 minutes. Watch carefully so they don't burn.
  

Ingredients for caramel frosting, very simple!

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat and stir in brown sugar and cream.

 

 Bring to a boil, and transfer to a mixing bowl.

 
Add powdered sugar and vanilla. Beat with a handheld mixer until it reaches a spreading consistency. At this time it might be necessary to add a tablespoon of heavy cream or more, if the frosting gets too thick. Just be sure to add the cream in small amounts. Note: I did have to add more cream, about a tablespoon as the frosting is quite thick. I added a teaspoon at a time. I also think next time I will sift the powdered sugar, I had a few little lumps as you can see in the picture.
 

Caramel frosting.

 Frost cake and sprinkle with chopped nuts if desired.

I must say that this cake came out perfect. And I couldn't stop eating the leftover frosting. 
This cake would make a lovely dessert for a dinner party or even an old fashioned picnic. This recipe is going to be a keeper!
 
My thought: For the original recipe, the cake will need to be kept refrigerated as the coconut whipped frosting will melt if left out. I would either make the cake for a large crowd knowing it will be gone or make it in a sheet pan so it will fit in your refrigerator better if you need to keep it for a few days. Or better yet, turn it into cupcakes!

 

A Simple Italian Supper and Memories of the Amalfi Coast

What can be more comforting on a cold winter's day, than a hot, baked pasta dish? Looking through my vast collection of cookbooks, I pull one of the shelf, remembering a past trip to Italy.

Back in 2003, I was lucky enough to go on a tour of the Amalifi Coast with Arts Boston (they no longer do tours). The Amalfi Coast is a stretch of coastline running along the southern coast of the Sorrentine Peninsula in Italy. The land route runs from Vietri sul Mar to Positano (25 miles of windy roads). This lovely area is known for it's famous limoncello (from the cultivation of lemon groves on the terraced, steep hillsides), hand-made paper (bambagina) and, of course, the beautiful ceramics of Vietri.

The gorgeous hillside of Positano.

View from a restaurant in  Ravello.

Villa Cibrone in Ravello.

Pottery from Vietri with the fabulous lemons.

View of the terraced lemon groves.

One of the things I enjoy about traveling is collecting cookbooks from the places I travel. Sometimes I will even pick one that is in the native language (I picked up two on this trip; one in Italian, and one in English).

Our tour stayed in a hotel close to the center of the town of Amalfi. One of the highlights of Amalfi is the beautiful cathedral, Saint Andrews Cathedral (or Duomo).

Cattedral di Sant'Andrea.

While I was in Amalfi, Helen Hunt was making a movie (available on Netflix streaming) called "A Good Woman". Some of my lady friends and I were down by the duomo when she was filming a shot with the young male lead. I can't remember if the scene made it into the final cut of the movie. I do remember we were all giddy about watching the rather handsome Stephen Campbell-Moore in a tuxedo  We also watched part of the filming down by the water across from our hotel one evening where they were shooting a night scene on a large wooden ship.

View looking towards my hotel.

Being that it's a chilly 13 degrees here in Northern Virginia, I am thinking of something hearty and some pasta and homemade foccacia bread would fit the bill. The following two recipes are from the cookbook Passione The Italian Cookbook by Gennaro Contaldo (who mentored Jamie Oliver) that I bought on this trip.  Contaldo was born in Minori on the Amalfi coast and started working in the local restaurants when he was 8 years old. This cookbook features beautiful photographs of the Amalfi coast and the book title is taken from the name of  his restaurant in London, Passione (that closed in 2009, a victim of the poor British economy).

The photographs in this book and recipes take me back to a lovely vacation in Amalfi.

Ingredients for the simple pasta dish.

 CONCHIGLIONI RIPIENI AL FORNO (Baked pasta shells filled with cheese)

Ingedients:

16 large pasta shells

1 recipe Salsa di Pomodoro (below)

3 tbsp freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1 ball of mozzarella cheese, sliced

For the filling:

5 oz ricotta cheese

1 ball of mozzarella cheese, very finely diced

2 tbsp freshly grated Parmesan cheese

16 large fresh basil leaves

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Cook the pasta shells in lightly salted boiling water until al dente. Drain well and leave to cool.

To make the filling, mash the ricotta with a fork, stir in the diced mozzarella, Parmesan, and some salt and pepper to taste and mix well. Shape the mixture into 16 balls, wrap each ball in a basil leaf and place in a cooled pasta shell.

Pour a layer of tomato sauce over the bottom of an oven proof dish and place the filled shells on top. Pour the remaining tomato sauce, sprinkle over the Parmesan and top with slices of mozzarella. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 35 minutes. Remove the foil and baked uncovered for 5 minutes. Serve immediately.

Notes: I used 2 balls of mozarella, about 2 1/2" in diameter for the filling . I used one of those small scoops to make the balls. I ended up with 13 mozarella balls total, not 16, and I don't think they were exceptionally large or anything. So I did not try to make them in to 16 balls since there were only 2 of us eating, not 4. Also, if you buy a large can of tomatoes, only one is required. I also weigh all my ingredients, as is in the recipe.

Fresh basil smells amazing!

Mozarella balls.

Finished mozarella balls.

Stuffed pasta shells, ready for their tomato bath!

SALSA DI POMODORO (Basic Tomato Sauce)

Makes enough for 4 servings of pasta

Ingredients:

4 tbsp olive oil

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 x 400g tins of plum tomatoes

A handful of chopped fresh basil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat the olive oil in a small frying pan, add garlic, and sweat until softened. Then add the tomatoes and basil, season with salt and pepper and simmer gently for 25 minutes.

Simple tomato sauce.

Ready for the oven.

Let's get this on the table!

  

FOCACCIA  CON AGLIO E ROSMARINO (Focaccia with garlic and rosemary)

Ingredients:

11 oz of all-purpose flour

7 oz semolina, plus extras for sprinkling

2 tsp salt

½ oz fresh yeast

12 fl oz. lukewarm water

For the topping:

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped

Needles from 3 fresh rosemary branches, finely chopped

1 tsp flaky sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Ingredients for the dough.

Preheat the oven to 465. You will need a baking sheet, about 15” x 11”.

In a large bowl, mix the flour, semolina and salt together. Dissolve the yeast in the lukewarm water and pour into the flour. Mix well until you obtain a soft, but not sticky, dough. Turn out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead well for about 5 minutes, until smooth and elastic. Place dough on a clean tea towel, brush the top with some water to prevent it from drying out, then cover with another tea towel. Leave to rise in a warm place till doubled (I let the dough rise an hour).

I am lazy and used my Kitchen Aid mixer with a dough hook to knead the dough; this worked perfectly fine.

After removing the dough from the mixer, I gave it a few twirls on a floured silicone mat to shape.

 

I had room on my cookbook shelf which is near a sunny window and I put the dough here to rise.

Place the dough on a lightly floured work surface and roll the dough out into a rectangular shape the same size of the baking tray. Warm the baking tray in the hot oven for about 10 seconds, then sprinkle with semolina. Place the rolled out dough on the tray and pour the olive oil in the middle. With your fingers, spread the oil all over the dough. Leave on for 5 minutes, then poke the dough all over with your fingers to make indentations.  Sprinkle the garlic and rosemary on top, followed by the sea salt (I crushed mine slightly) and some black pepper. Leave to rise in a warm place for 30 minutes.

Make sure you sprinkle more semolina flour than this on the sheet pan!  I didn't use enough and it stuck a bit.

Chopped garlic and rosemary (smells amazing) . I didn't use all of this, I thought it might be too overpowering for my husband's taste.

Lovely flaked sea salt from Mallorca given to me by my daughter-in -law that she bought on a trip there

.

Ready for second rise.

Bake for 15 minutes, until evenly browned.  Check the focaccia from time to time to make sure it is baking evenly, turn the baking pan accordingly. Once cooked, remove from the oven and immediately drizzle some olive oil all over. Leave to cool, then cut into squares.This bread is best eaten the day it is made, but will keep for a few days and can be freshened up in the oven just before serving.

 Focaccia with Garlic and Rosemary straight out of the oven.

 Notes: The focaccia bread can easily be made into several meals (I froze half of it) and would be great for sandwiches. You can also serve it warm with an herbed olive oil for dipping.  Before baking, you can add other ingredients (olives, tomatoes, etc...) to make it your way. Oh, and the stuffed shells....my husband had two servings, so I know it was good!

Some more recipes from the author can be found online on Contaldo's website .

For my favorite dessert cookie made to go with this meal, I recommend Giada's Lemon Ricotta Cookies with Lemon Glaze .

What is your favorite meal on a cold winter's day?

A Simple Soup Supper Under Pressure

I can't believe I have neglected my blog for over 3 years! I don't have an excuse. Life goes on, so what can I say? I am hoping to try to schedule my time better this year so that I can do some of the things I love and have neglected the past. This is one of them.

Anyway.....

I was totally surprised about a week or so ago when a delivery showed up at our door. My husband told me it was a belated Christmas present. Seems that this item was "out of stock" for the holiday. I was so happy to find he had ordered me an electric pressure cooker that was on my Amazon Wishlist (something I did not know that he actually paid attention to; thank you, honey!).

My new  Instant Pot IP-Lux60 6-in-1 Programmable 6.33- Quart Pressure Cooker by Instant Pot (there's a 7-in-1 Programmable one for 2014).

Pressure cooking is not only convenient and faster than traditional cooking methods, it is also healthier and tastier too!

I've used it twice to make a big meal. The first time was a Czech Goulash, the second time, a whole chicken with potatoes, rutabagas and green beans. The best thing about  these two meals was they were done in only twenty two minutes! Too bad I didn't  have one of these when I was working, what a time saver!

This winter day was pretty cold and a perfect day to make soup. I had visited the local library earlier this week and picked up several cookbooks on pressure cooking.

I decided to make the Rustic Leek and Potato Soup from the cookbook Pressure Perfect by Lorna Sass. The recipe said you could make this in 4 minutes cooking time. Sounded good to me!

I adjusted the below amounts slightly to match what I had on hand. Please follow the directions for your particular pressure cooker. You can also fix this in a Dutch Oven if you prefer, though it will take a little longer.

RUSTIC LEEK AND POTATO SOUP
adapted from Pressure Perfect by Lorna Sass

Ingredients:

1- 2 tbsp butter
2 c. sliced leeks (either 4  large (2"diameter) or 6 medium (1 1/2"diameter) sliced leeks.  I included about 2" past the white part of the leek)
2 lbs. russet (baking) potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2" dice
4 c. chicken broth ( I used Better Than Bullion brand to make my broth)
2 c. water
1 large bay leaf
salt
1/2 cup heavy cream

Heat 1 tbsp of the butter in a 6 qt or larger cooker. Stir in the leeks, broth, water, potatoes, and salt to taste.
Lock the lid in place and bring the cooker to high pressure for 4 minutes. Turn off the heat and quick release the pressure (according to your pressure cooker brand). Remove the bay leaf. Stir in the cream and the remaining tbsp of butter, if needed, for added richness and flavor. Adjust salt and serve.

I added 2 cloves of finely chopped garlic to the vegetable mixture before cooking as I am a garlic freak. I also pureed my soup using a hand blender before adding the cream as I like my potato soup smooth.

I just love leeks! I used some of the green part because the cooker will make them nice and tender!

    

Just plain old russet potatoes.

                                                   

Everything's in the pot and ready to roll!

                                          

After only four minutes of cooking time, it's done!

   

Using a hand blender to puree the vegetables.

                                                 

I used (40% milkfat) cream to thicken the soup and make it extra creamy.

               
The soup was served with a bit of cheddar cheese, some bacon bits and green chives.

I also made bread, and using last nights' leftover chicken, made chicken salad sandwiches.

Using a pressure cooker, you can serve a gourmet dinner or simple supper in a matter of minutes. In one of my future blogs I will demonstrate how you can use a pressure cooker to make some fantastic desserts.

Feeling a Little Cheeky

It's been a while since my last post! The holidays and preparation for them took up so much of my time. It's the day before New Years and I am exhausted and I was planning on something easy to make for supper. I was browsing through some of my international cookbooks last week and came upon this simple dish. The cookbook is "The Scandinavian Cookbook" by Trina Hahnemann. I thought it would be the perfect recipe to make for a winter's evening

Ms. Hahnemann is a Danish TV Chef and food writer. I was lucky enough to grab an advance copy of this book through librarything.com last year. It is a beautifully photographed cookbook with recipes arranged by season. I highly recommend it.

The recipe I chose is SO easy! Be sure to start it in advance, as the meat has to marinate at least 12 hours.  If you can't find pork cheeks, you can substitute pork shoulder as I did. I used half of the meat and half of the vegetables since there is only 2 of us.  Also, since I had some leftover mashed potatoes on hand I skipped the whole potatoes. I also thickened the sauce with a little corn starch and beef broth. Here is the original recipe:

PORK CHEEKS IN BROWN ALE (Serves 8)

The Scandinavian Cookbook, Trina Hahnemann, 2009

4 pounds pork cheek (I used pork shoulder as a substitute, cut into chunks)

3 cups brown ale or similar dark ale (I used Newcastle Brown Ale.)

1 tbsp coriander seeds

1 tbsp peppercorns

3 tbsp olive oil

10 thyme sprigs

salt and pepper

1 1/3 pounds potatoes, peeled and thickly sliced

3 carrots, peeled and thickly sliced

3 turnips, peeled and thickly sliced

In a glass or ceramic bowl, marinate the meat in the borwn ale, coriander seeds, and peppercorns for 12 hours or overnight.

The next day, remove the pork from the marinade. Heat the olive  oil in a casserole and brown the meat on all sides. Add the liquid from the marinade (I strained out the peppercorns and coriander seeds), then the thyme and some salt. reduce the heat and simmer for 1 hour.

 Add the potatoes to the casserole and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the carrots and turnips and continue cooking for another 15 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Season with the salt and pepper, then serve just as is - the taste is very full and aromatic.

Goes great with a salad and a warm loaf of crusty bread.

Enjoy!