Double Chocolate Banana Bread

 



I found myself with quite a few overripe bananas from a neighbor, so I did what any logical person would do, I made banana bread. This week, I'm sharing a chocolate version that I've been wanting to try. I've made a version of banana bread with chocolate chips in the past, but wasn't super pleased with it. Something about chocolate chips in banana bread just didn't do it for me. This one however, from Smitten Kitchen, is a chocolate banana bread with chocolate in it. I loved this and I can't imagine anyone not liking it.

It's super chocolaty, not too sweet, and the banana flavor is present, but takes a backseat to the chocolate, so even people who don't love bananas will like it. Use bananas that are very ripe but not black. My crazy younger sister thought it was too dark in terms of the chocolate flavor, so for less mature palates, you can use natural cocoa powder and a sweeter chocolate if you like. This banana bread is incredibly moist and simple to make. It's a bit crumbly and fudgy like a brownie. I can foresee many many more loaves of this banana bread in the future and you will too once you give this a try. It also freezes and defrosts really well, so you can make several loaves at once, freeze them in wrapped individual slices and just take one out whenever you want a slice.

I had plenty of bananas, so another delicious banana bread will be coming next week.

Double Chocolate Banana Bread
Slightly Adapted from Smitten Kitchen
Makes one 9 x 5 inch loaf

3 medium - large very ripe bananas, mashed (a little more than 1 cup mashed)
1/2 cup(115 g) unsalted butter, melted
3/4 cup, lightly packed(145 g) brown sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp fine table salt
1 cup(125 g) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder, or natural cocoa powder
4 oz finely chopped chocolate, semisweet or bittersweet

Preheat your oven to 350 deg F. Butter and flour or line a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan with parchment.

Whisk the mashed bananas with the melted butter in a large bowl. Then, add in the brown sugar, egg, and vanilla extract. Mix for another 1-2 min.

In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, cocoa powder, and salt. Sift the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and stir with a spatula until just combined. Fold in the chopped chocolate.

Pour the batter into the loaf pan and bake for about 55-65 min, until a cake tester comes out clean. Let cool for at least 15 minutes before removing the banana bread from the pan. Banana bread will keep, wrapped in foil, for a few days. Freeze in individual slices, wrapped in plastic wrap, and placed in a Ziploc bag for longer storage.

Summertime Heirloom Tomato Sauce Spaghetti

Last summer, I must have made this pasta at least 10 times. I haven't made it as often this summer because I haven't been able to find as many beautiful heirloom tomatoes at the farmers' markets this year. The recipe is basically just a simple fresh tomato sauce made with heirloom tomatoes and plenty of roasted garlic and fresh basil, but something about the combination just makes it better than your typical tomato sauce. The recipe is one I came up with accidentally as I had all the ingredients on hand and was aiming to make a cooked version of Pasta Alla Checca. While I like the flavors in Alla Checca, most people find the garlic too strong when it's not cooked.

Although I'm providing a recipe for this, you really don't need one. This is just what I like to do. This pasta is a family favorite and tastes good hot or cold. It's surprisingly delicious for something so simple as long as you get the best ingredients you can find. I like to use a mix of heirloom tomatoes if I can get them, some orange-red striped ones, purplish red ones, green ones, yellow ones, etc. They all taste a bit different, so I think it's best when they're mixed. I like to let my tomatoes ripen until they're quite soft and the skins peel off really easily.

Bring this to your next summer gathering, potluck, or serve it as a side for your next meal.

Heirloom Tomato Sauce Spaghetti

1 pound spaghetti or other long pasta
2 tbsp. olive oil
3 cups peeled, diced heirloom tomatoes and juices
3 tsp chopped confit garlic
Large handful of fresh basil, torn or roughly chopped
salt and pepper, to taste
grated parmigiano reggiano cheese, to taste

Mix the diced heirloom tomatoes, olive oil, and some salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Let sit for an hour or longer to soften. If you don't have time to do this, just cook the tomatoes a little longer later.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, season generously with salt. Add the pasta and cook until it's very al dente as it will continue to cook in the sauce later.

To make the sauce, heat up a few tbsp. of olive oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for 20 seconds, depending on the doneness of the garlic you're using. Add the marinated tomatoes and sauté for a minute or two. Add the pasta and cook for another three minutes so the pasta absorbs the tomato juices. Season with additional salt and pepper, if necessary.

Turn off the heat and add in the basil and grated cheese. Serve warm or at room temp.

James Beard's Sour Cream Bread

 

This was another one of those times where I needed to use up something in my fridge. In this case, a pint of sour cream. I was thinking about using it in banana bread or maybe coffee cake, but since bread goes over a lot better in my household than sweets, I decided to see if there were any recipes using sour cream in bread. James Beard's Sour Cream Bread recipe was just what I needed and the several stellar reviews I saw made the choice easy. As this bread bakes, it permeates your home with the most fantastic sweet toasted milk smell. It's got a texture reminiscent of biscuits as others have said and makes wonderful toast.

 

The bread is pretty easy to make and can be refrigerated or probably even frozen and reheated when you need it. I baked the bread in a long Pullman loaf pan and sliced it up to store in the fridge. I also subbed about a cup of white whole wheat flour in this bread and some thick Greek yogurt since I didn't have a full pint of sour cream and both substitutions worked out fine.

 

Sour Cream Bread

Recipe adapted from James Beard via Honey and Butter

Makes 2 medium loaves

 

2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast (1 packet)

3 tbsp. sugar, granulated or brown sugar

1/4 cup warm water (110-115 deg F)

1 pint full fat sour cream, room temp

1 tbsp. kosher salt, half the amount of fine salt

4 1/2 to 5 cups all purpose flour

 

In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix the water and sugar together with a whisk, sprinkle in the yeast and let sit for 5 minutes until foamy. Add in the sour cream and the salt, mixing thoroughly.

 

Attach the dough hook to the mixer and add the flour gradually on medium low speed letting the flour become incorporated before adding more. Knead the dough in the mixer for about 5 minutes, the dough should still be sticky, but come together in a rough ball. Place the dough in an oiled bowl and cover with a towel or plastic wrap. Let the dough rise in a warm place for 1-2 hours or until doubled in size.

 

Punch the dough down and shape into 2 loaves placing them into 2 loaf pans. Let rise for another 1-2 hours until it has almost doubled.

 

When ready to bake, preheat your oven to 375 deg F. Slash your loaves with a sharp blade and bake for 30-35 minutes. Let the loaves cool for 20 minutes before cutting into them. Bread will last for a few days wrapped at room temp or for a week in the fridge. Freeze for longer storage up to several weeks.

Nana Nutter Bread

I've been meaning to make this banana bread for several weeks since I've been craving a warm slice of banana bread. It's one of my favorite desserts and it's just so simple to make. I've been purposely buying a few more bananas than usual when I go grocery shopping, but the banana eaters in my house have been doing a good job of getting to them before they've been ripe enough to bake with. It's alright with me, but it's just delayed my plans to make this banana bread until recently.

Peanut butter and banana is one of my favorite combos and I don't think I could ever get tired of peanut butter and banana sandwiches. I prefer smooth peanut butter on bread, but I happened to have a jar of extra crunchy peanut butter in the pantry. So, it's been a constant reminder to try out this recipe during my banana gathering journey the last couple of weeks. If you don't have crunchy peanut butter, smooth would also work.

The recipe is one I've had bookmarked ever since I flipped through Baked Elements by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito many months ago. Then I saw it again here. It's the first recipe I've tried of theirs and I can absolutely understand what the fuss is about now. I was afraid it would be too sweet with the peanut butter, bananas, and sugar, but it was perfect. I did leave out the chocolate chips though. The peanut butter flavor is prominent but doesn't overtake the banana and the texture is just stunning textbook banana bread. The picture above doesn't do it justice since I just had to cut into it before it cooled enough. I only have an 8.5 by 4.5 inch loaf pan, so my banana bread got a little darker than expected, but the crunchy top part was my sister's favorite part.

Peanut Butter Banana Bread
Adapted from Baked Elements
Makes one 9x5 inch loaf

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp kosher salt, half the amount of fine table salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 heaping cup of mashed bananas, about 3 medium bananas
1/2 cup vegetable/canola oil
2 large eggs
1/4 cup whole milk
1 cup peanut butter, crunchy or smooth

Preheat the oven to 350 deg F. Butter and flour a 9x5 inch loaf pan or line with parchment paper. Sift the flour, sugar, salt, and baking soda together in a medium bowl, set aside.

In a large bowl, mix the eggs a bit before adding in the bananas, oil, milk, and peanut butter. Mix thoroughly for a few minutes until combined. Fold the flour mixture into the wet ingredients until just combined.

Transfer the batter to the loaf pan and bake for about 1 hour and 10 minutes until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs. Start checking at about an hour. Let the banana bread cool for about 15 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Banana bread will last well wrapped at room temp for a few days.

Strawberry Rhubarb Custard Pie

I've been seeing strawberry-rhubarb recipes everywhere and since the strawberries are fresh and sweet right now, I thought I would make a pie that's been on my mental to-make list forever. The pie was very easy to put together and if you have a pie crust made already, it takes no time at all although you do have to let the pie cool before you can dig into it.

 

I used my standby pie crust recipe and used more strawberries/less rhubarb for the filling. I thought the taste was pretty much perfect although it was a bit sweet for my taste. I've adjusted the measurements in the recipe below. I used a 9.5 inch pie plate rather than a 9 inch, so my pie is bit thinner and more cooked than I would like. I also didn't mix the custard filling enough. Watch the video here to see what it should look like. If you are also using a larger pie plate, you can also increase the filling recipe. However, everyone that tasted it still thought it was fantastic. The pie really tastes best chilled the day it's made. It still tastes good the next few days after, but not as amazing as when it's fresh.

Strawberry Rhubarb Custard Pie
Pie Crust from Martha Stewart, Filling Adapted from Chef John of Food Wishes
Makes 1 9 inch pie

Pie Crust
1 1/4 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 stick cold unsalted butter, diced
1/2 tsp granulated sugar
1/4 tsp fine salt, double the amount of kosher salt
1/8 - 1/4 cup iced water

Pulse the butter, sugar, salt, and flour in a food processor until the butter is the size of peas. Gradually add just enough iced water as the processor is running until the dough just holds together when squeezed in the palm of your hand. Dump out onto a piece of plastic wrap and form into a round disk. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes and up to 3 days or freeze up to a month.

When ready to use, roll out the pie dough to a round big enough for a 9 inch pie plate. Fit into the pie plate, crimp, then freeze for 10 minutes.

Filling
2 1/2 cups sliced rhubarb, 1/4 inch thick
1 1/2 cups fresh strawberries, quartered
3 large eggs
1 1/8 cups granulated sugar
3 tbsp. milk
2 tbsp. all purpose flour
1/4 tsp grated nutmeg
pinch of salt
1 tbsp. butter, diced
2 tbsp. strawberry jam
1/4 tsp water

Preheat the oven to 350 deg F. Mix the strawberries and rhubarb together and pour them into the cold pie crust.

Whisk the eggs, sugar, milk, flour, nutmeg, and salt together in a large bowl thoroughly for a few minutes. Pour the filling over the rhubarb and strawberries slowly to ensure not overfilling. Place the diced butter over the top of the pie and give the pie a tap before putting it into the oven.

Bake the pie for about an hour on the middle rack, rotating the pie halfway through, until the custard is just set. Check on the pie at about 45 minutes. Remove the pie and let cool on the counter.

Warm the jam and water in a small pot or stainless steel measuring cup over low heat and brush it over the pie focusing on the exposed fruit.  Once the pie has cooled to room temp, refrigerate for a few hours before serving. Pie will keep for a few days in the fridge.

Taro Tapioca Dessert Soup with Taro Balls

As I've said before, dessert is not very typical after a Chinese meal. That's not to say that there aren't desserts in the Chinese repertoire, there are quite a few. Dessert shops specializing in Chinese desserts are in fact quite popular, especially amongst younger generations. Larger Chinese restaurants occasionally serve some type of dessert soup, but it's usually an afterthought. The problem for me is that in my area, I've come to expect disappointment when it comes to dessert after a restaurant meal. On a typical day, you get a passable but not great bowl of dessert soup, most likely red(azuki) bean. On a good day, you may also have a selection of puddings, although they were probably made from a package. On a bad day, you get a watered down lukewarm bowl of dessert soup that's not much better than having no dessert at all.

Growing up however, restaurants seemed to put more care into dessert. Occasionally, there would be almond jello, mung bean soup, coconut tapioca dessert, and mango pudding. I understand where the changes are coming from though. Customers don't usually order dessert, so dessert is only given for free when you're dining with a larger party. However, I think that if you're going to serve dessert at all, you might as well do it right. Most Chinese dessert soups are also very easy to make, so there's not really any excuse for not putting in the little effort needed.

Today, I'm sharing a recipe for one of my favorite dessert soups, Taro Coconut Milk Tapioca(
芋頭椰汁西米露). This is one of those recipes where measurements don't really matter as long as the general methods are the same. With the addition of whole milk and sweetened condensed milk, this Taro Coconut Milk Tapioca is much milkier than the ones typically found in restaurants. For a lighter flavor, just use more water in place of the milk. I also made some taro balls to add in inspired by a Thai dessert. I used much more tapioca than was necessary, so I've adjusted the measurements in the recipe below. I'm always surprised by how much liquid tapioca absorbs and how much it expands. How fluid your dessert soup is also depends on how much taro and taro balls you add. To get your desired consistently, just add more or less milk or water. I also didn't make it very sweet at all, so adjust to your desired sweetness and use any kind of sweetener you like. This dessert can be served warm or cold because the tapioca starch in the taro balls keeps them soft. For chewier taro balls, use all glutinous rice flour. I steamed the taro so that I could control the water content and doneness of it for the taro balls, but you could also just boil the taro if you like. Use a large taro or a portion of one with the purple lines running through it for the best flavor.

Taro Coconut Milk Tapioca with Taro Balls
Makes about 20 servings

About 4-5 cups peeled and diced taro
1/3 cup mini tapioca pearls
2 14-oz cans of coconut milk
2 cups milk
11/2 cups water, plus more for steaming and boiling
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk

Steam the diced taro over a medium high heat for about 15 minutes until very tender. Set aside. Meanwhile, bring a heavy duty saucepan filled at least 2/3 full with water to a boil over medium heat, add in the tapioca stirring immediately and then occasionally afterwards. Let the tapioca simmer for about 5 minutes until almost translucent, then turn the heat off and let sit for another 5 minutes covered. Drain the tapioca and run under cold water until cooled. Set aside.

Taro Balls:
1 1/2 cups of taro, mashed
3/4 cup glutinous rice flour
3/4 cup tapioca starch
1/2 cup granulated sugar
Large pinch of salt

To make the taro balls, mash 2 - 2 1/2 cups of the cooked taro to end up with 1 1/2  cups of mashed taro. Add a pinch of salt, the granulated sugar, tapioca starch, and glutinous rice flour to the mashed taro. Mix with your hands to incorporate everything as best as you can. Add in about 1/4 cup of the coconut milk, reserving the rest for later. Form the taro mixture into a dough with your hands adding a few tablespoons of water as necessary to bring everything together. Roll the dough into small balls, about 1/2-3/4 inches in diameter. Bring a pot of water to a boil, add in the taro balls and let them cook until they float. When they are done, drain them and set aside.

To bring everything together for the dessert soup, heat the remaining coconut milk, milk, water, and sweetened condensed milk in a large pot over medium-low heat. Once everything is heated through and mixed thoroughly, add in the remaining cooked taro, mashing some of it if you like. Add in the tapioca and the cooked taro balls and stir to combine. Serve warm or cold. Taro Tapioca will last for a few days when stored in the fridge although the taro balls will start to soften if left for too long.