Tag Archive for bananas

FFF | February 19, 2011
No comments

Weekend Warrior: Salted caramel banana muffins

Sweet, salty, moist, and sticky—the ultimate combination of flavors are all packed into these little bites of heaven otherwise known as salted caramel banana muffins.

A gift of overripe bananas from the set of Desserts First (my latest Food Network assignment) inspired these breakfast/dessert treats, along with a total immersion in baking salty and sweet confections for the past two weeks. If you love banana bread (don’t miss these banana muffins), this is a really fun spin on the traditional flavors, with a salted caramel sauce baked inside AND drizzled on top for good measure.

These muffins were featured in my Weekend Warrior column over at MarcusSamuelsson.com, read more about their creation and get the recipe here: http://marcussamuelsson.com/recipes/salted-caramel-banana-muffins

Category: Recipes, Weekend Warrior | Tags: , , , , , ,
FFF | July 14, 2010
5 comments

Super Moist Banana Muffins

When life gives you old bananas, make banana muffins!

Maybe it’s the foodie in me, but whenever I see produce that is on the verge of going bad I immediately stop and think, how can I use this up to make something delicious?  Wasting food is a huge pet peeve of mine, so this habit is not only good for my tummy, but the environment too.

The food in question this week was a bunch of brown bananas that were past their prime and very mushy. My first reaction was to make banana bread, a favorite of mine, so I turned to my beautiful and informative FCI Fundamental Techniques of Classic Pastry Arts book in hopes of finding a recipe along those lines.  I have been searching for an excuse to use this illustrated guide through the entire Pastry Arts curriculum, being the very novice baker that I am.  Sure enough, the index pointed me to a recipe for Banana Crumb Bread.

As much as I like banana bread, there is something about making them into muffins that is more visually appealing to me.  It also makes for storing the extras in the freezer a cinch. Don’t need 12 muffins?  Individually wrap those you aren’t ready to eat in foil and pop them in a freezer bag, you can take them out of the freezer one by one and let them thaw out and enjoy at your leisure. Like I said before, no sense in throwing away food if you don’t have to.

After taking a quick inventory of the ingredient list I found that I had everything I needed to bake away, and opted for the muffin version over bread.  While the recipe is called “bread” it is really more like cake which isn’t a bad thing.  The muffins should really be called cupcakes, next time I’m going to think of a really delicious icing to put on top of these….but I digress.

This recipe includes a crumb topping, which I did make, but unsuccessfully.  It is really important that you use room temperature butter, and not anything softer than that.  My butter was a little too soft so I was unable to get a good crumb texture, and when I took the muffins out of the oven I could see that it just melted and didn’t crumb.  But, this is not a bad thing either.  If anything, it just gave them an even more buttery flavor with added sweetness from the brown sugar.  Visually they were not perfect, but taste wise, they were heaven.

Warning:  You may suffer intoxication from the aroma of banana muffins while they are baking, don’t be alarmed, take two deep breaths and wait patiently for them to cool.  Trust me, it’s worth it.

While the crumb topping melted, these moist bites of heaven still delight

Banana Crumb Muffins

Adapted from The Fundamental Techniques of Classic Pastry Arts, The French Culinary Institute

Makes 12 muffins or one 9 x 5 x 2 1/2 in loaf

Ingredients

For crumb topping (optional)

  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 2 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/3 cup all purpose flour

For the bread/muffins

  • Butter and flour for coating pan (save the butter wrapper and use it to coat pan)
  • 1 stick unsalted butter, plus 1 tbsp, at room temperature
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 1 1/2 cups ripe bananas, mashed (about 3 1/2 bananas, the riper the better)
  • 1 cup all purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp salt

Directions

  1. Prepare your mise en place: have all your ingredients measured out and easily accessible.
  2. To make the crumb topping, place the brown sugar and butter in a bowl of an electric mixer (or hand mixer) with the paddle attachment and beat on low speed for one minute, then on medium until it has a light consistency.  Add the cinnamon and vanilla and beat to incorporate.  Add the flour, a little at a time, until large crumbs start to form.  Place in the refrigerator until ready to use.
  3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  4. Lightly coat the interior of your bread or muffin pan with butter and flour to prevent them from sticking later on.
  5. Rinse and dry the bowl used to make the crumb topping and add in the butter and beat on low speed until very soft.
  6. Add the sugar and beat until the mixture is light and fluffy.  Occasionally scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
  7. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat well after each addition, frequently scraping down the sides of the bowl.
  8. Add the bananas and beat to incorporate.
  9. Once everything is well incorporated, add in the flour, salt and baking soda.  Beat to blend well but do not over-mix, if you over-mix the flour it will make the finished product tough.
  10. Spoon the mixture into your bread or muffin pan and sprinkle an even layer of the crumb topping over the batter.
  11. Place in the oven. If making bread bake for about 1 hour, or 30 minutes for muffins.  Be sure to check on them when there is about 5 minutes left and insert a toothpick or cake tester to check for doneness.  As soon as it comes out clean they are done.
  12. Invert the bread or muffins onto a wire rack and let cool.

Your finished product should be super moist and flavorful with bits of banana in every bite.  If your crumb topping didn’t hold up don’t fret, as long as they taste delicious you won’t hear too many complaints.  You can store these in the fridge, well wrapped, for about 5 days.  Or, like I mentioned earlier, wrap them well and store in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Category: Recipes | Tags: ,
FFF | November 16, 2009
One comment

Review: Orlando Food & Wine Fest

The crowd on Robinson St.The 2nd annual Orlando Food and Wine Fest was billed to be two days of great food, fun and jazz, and it certainly did not disappoint.  Themed “a treat for all senses”, there was no shortage of delicious food, smooth wines, and if you’re into it, smooth jazz.  Not having been to the 1st annual event last year I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, but with a $10 one day admission price it was impossible for me to pass this opportunity up.

I headed out to the event on Sunday with my good friend Julie and her sister Jennifer armed with $40 cash and on a mission for good food and wine.  The entry into the event was simple and the purchasing system worked in tickets, so for $40 cash I got 22 tickets worth $2 each to last me the afternoon (there was a bonus deal of course).  Jennifer had been the day before and warned us not to go too crazy in the beginning because you could fill up fast.  I knew she was right, but as soon as I caught a whiff of the smokey and sweet barbecue coming from 4Rivers Smokehouse it was too late to think about rationing…

4Rivers Smokehouse

4Rivers Smokehouse was one of the top spots to hit on my list going into the event because their restaurant just opened up in Winter Park and I was anxious to try their upscale take on BBQ.  Not only was their cart appealing but their menu looked killer.  I went for a sample of their Brisket Sliders topped with their sweet BBQ sauce, and the hard to resist Bacon Wrapped Jalapenos.  This set me back 3 tickets and was probably the size of a nice lunch course.  Their brisket was so tender and juicy and the sweet BBQ sauce on top had me scraping up every last bit.  I can honestly say i’ve never eaten a whole jalapeno, but anything stuffed with cheese and wrapped in bacon has to be good so I went for it.  Surprisingly it was not too spicy, but it certainly had a nice kick to it.  And of course, it was drizzled with more of that finger lickin good sauce. Mental note to buy a bottle of that stuff…

Bacon Wrapped Jalapenos
Brisket Sliders

I was already down one Landshark by this point, and after scarfing down on BBQ I quickly realized Jennifer wasn’t kidding, I was stuffed!  I had to tell my stomach to tough it out though, I already committed $40 bucks and this was too good an event to graze lightly at.  After a few deep breaths it was on to the next station….

Primo by Melissa Kelly

PrimoI’m a real sucker for Italian food so as soon as we wandered over to the Primo by Melissa Kelly tent I knew I had found a favorite.  Located at the JW Marriott, Primo is an upscale Italian restaurant known for farm fresh regional cuisine with Mediterranean flavors. One glance at their menu and I knew exactly what I wanted, an Arancini with Proscuitto. An Arancini is a ball of saffron risotto breaded and fried so it holds a crispy exterior but a moist, creamy center.  This version was stuffed with smokey mozzarella and salty italian bacon and served on top of marinara sauce.  Hands down this was my favorite meal of the festival, and even more exciting was how approachable this dish was.  I’ve already got plans for my own interpretation this week :)  Hotel restaurants tend to be mediocre and over priced, but this dish alone will get me to head into Primo for my next special occasion.

Arancini

Foley Family Wines

Foley WinesWhile food was definitely the lead actor in this performance, wine played a nice supporting actor at the festival.  The tent I was most drawn to was Foley Family Wines.  I think the draw factor was that they had Firestone Vineyard, and maybe a small part of me thought Andrew Firestone would be there (come on ladies, that Bachelor was cute!).  While there was no handsome bachelor, they did have a beautiful assortment of wines.  David Pratt, the regional sales manager, was very knowledgeable and was happy to talk to me about the different selections and let me sample a few before committing. Turns out the Foley Family owns several well known vineyards, including Firestore and Sebastiani .  I ended up choosing the Sebastiani Unoaked Chardonnay which had a sweet and slightly buttery taste, but was very light and refreshing.  For 4 tickets it was definitely one of the most expensive choices, but they poured what looked to be a full glass of wine so I was not disappointed.

The Boheme

The Boheme

While I was still trying to make room for more, the girls and I were drawn over to purple damask linens and saxophones surrounding The Boheme’s tent.  Another hotel restaurant, The Boheme is located in downtown Orlando’s artsy and upscale boutique property.  I have dined there before and always enjoyed my meal so this seemed to be a no-brainer.  One glimpse at what they were serving and you knew you were going to get your money’s worth at this tent.  Julie picked up a plate of their Lamb Chops served with Cheesy Polenta and it looked like it was enough to feed all three of us!  We all dug in and tried this scrumptious dish.  The lamb was super tender and fall off the bone.  The polenta has a smooth finish and reminded me of cheesy grits, a nice balance to the lamb.  For 3 tickets it was a great value, that meal would have set you back more like 12 tickets at the restaurant!

Julie's Feast of Lamb!

Lamb Chops

Chef Jean-Louis’s Famous Bananas Foster

There was a great assortment of sweet treats at the event, but i’m more of a savory girl so I was reluctant to spend my tickets on sweets.  That was, until I came across Chef Jean-Louis’s Famous Bananas Foster.  One of my all time favorite desserts, Bananas Foster is a serious weakness of mine.  As soon as I stepped up to place my order and saw the bananas coated with brown sugar and swimming in butter I knew I was going to be in trouble.  When I tell you that this was like pure heaven in my mouth I am not even remotely exaggerating.  The bananas were so incredibly tender and the salty/sweet combo of the butter and brown sugar was perfection. Topped with more brown butter sauce and vanilla ice cream, I might have gained 5 pounds eating it, but it was worth every bite.  I’m not sure if I will find my way to the Royal Plaza Hotel where Chef Jean-Louis calls home, but if i do, i’m skipping dinner and heading straight for dessert!

Brown Butter

Bananas and Butter

Strangest Food Item….

Sushi House was serving what could be the strangest and most unappealing dish of all, sushi in a tube.  Remember those ice cream pops where you pushed up the stick to get more ice cream?  Now imagine there was sushi inside and you’ve completed the picture.  I wish I would have taken a picture to show you, but this didn’t seem fearless to me, just silly and unappetizing.

Final Thoughts

Whether you were a foodie or complete culinary novice, it was hard not to have a good time at the Orlando Food and Wine Fest. The crowd was great but no so crowded you couldn’t enjoy yourself.  The portions were so huge you definitely got your money’s worth.  Compare it to Epcot’s $80 admission price and 1/2 size portions this was the hands down winner.  The entertainment by jazz musicians was a nice backdrop and the setting on Lake Eola was beautiful and relaxing.  I look forward to going back next year and sampling even more of Central Florida’s culinary creations.

Julie and I @ the festival

Julie and I @ the festival

Related Posts with Thumbnails
Category: Foodie Events, Reviews | Tags: , , , , , ,