Desserts

Coconut Battered Banana.

True to the vibrant island vibe, this banana dessert combines the use of two ingredients we’re known for in the Caribbean. Fragrant ripe bananas and shredded dry coconut for that wonderful nutty finish. Very similar to banana fritters, this banana dessert is a great on it’s own or with a heaping scoop of ice cream(rum and raisin please)  and it’s a great way to finish a spicy Caribbean style meal. However you must serve it hot or risk it going soggy very fast, with it’s rich creamy interior and flaky crust.

You’ll Need…

4 ripe bananas (firm)
veg oil for frying (2-3 cups)
1 cup all purpose flour
1 egg
2 tablespoon dessicated coconut flakes
2 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
pinch salt
1/4 cup water (see note below)

Notes: You can be a bit creative and add some vanilla, cinnamon or nutmeg to the batter if you wish. When making the batter you may need a bit more that then 1/4 cup of water I mentioned in the ingredients list, as your flour may be a bit different than what I used. You’re looking for a thick batter so adjust accordingly. When watching the video below you’ll noticed that I screwed-up the pronunciation of  “dessicated” coconut..small thing.

* I stared off with 4 ripe bananas as I call for in the ingredients list, but it seems we have a banana thief dwelling in our home so I had 1 short. At this moment the RCMP, FBI, Homeland Security and other branches of the law enforcement are investigating. If only the flying squad was still around.

The first step in making this delicious banana dessert is to make the batter. In a large bowl, sift in the flour and baking soda, then add everything except the banana and oil. Using a whisk, whip until you have a thick smooth batter.

In a deep pan or deep-fryer heat your oil. You’ll need between 2 and 3 cups of vegetable oil.. as the oil heat it’s time to peel and slice your bananas. Don’t slice until you’re almost ready to fry as the banana will get discolored very fast. Peel and slice lengthwise into 1/8 inch (1/4 inch would work as well) thick slices. I also had my draining station already set for soaking up the extra oil after removing the battered bananas from the hot oil. (paper towels)

With your oil at 190C it’s time to dip the slices of banana into the batter, coat well and gently add them to the hot oil (shake off excess batter). Remember if you’re using an open pan as I did,  add the battered banana pieces away from your body to avoid getting burned.

These will go golden brown very fast so be ready to flip after a couple minutes. Cook evenly on both sides, then remove and drain. Be ready for a delectable banana dessert.

It’s important that you serve these tasty coconut battered bananas hot, or as I mentioned in the notes above – they will go soggy and won’t be the same. Feel free to dust with powdered sugar for a wonderful presentation and delightful finish.

Before you go, don’t forget to check out the latest cooking videos, connect with me on twitter and join our community on facebook. oh yea! leave me a comment below – it’s appreciated.

Desserts

How To Make Banana Nut Bread.

One thing you can’t get away from in the Caribbean is the love and appreciation of bananas. So this banana nut bread is a common visitor in our kitchen whenever we have bananas which are about to go bad (rude house guest though – never sticks around for more than a day and just disappear s without even saying bye). As a boy growing up on the islands I recall always having a bunch of bananas or plantains hung up to ripe in the shed adjacent to our home… watching it closely for the first sign of ‘yellow’ so we could attack. We usually lost out to the many birds in the area who would zero in before we would.

Like the banana fritters recipe I shared with you all a while back, this banana nut bread recipe is great for using ripe bananas which are about to go bad (over ripe).

You’ll Need…

4 ripe bananas
1/2 cup walnuts (chopped)
2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup butter
4 tablespoon sour cream
1 1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla

You can also add some cinnamon and allspice to really give this banana nut bread that unique Caribbean flavor.

Notes: I used really ripe bananas (easier to mush) and it’s a great way to use bananas which are about to go bad. You’re probably wondering about the sour cream, but I assure you it will make this bread very moist and not dry as some banana breads are notorious for.

In a large bowl, place the sugar, salt and butter… we’ll cream it to a smooth consistency. I started off with a spatula but I opted for my hand mixer after, for easier work. If you have a freestanding mixer, remember to keep scraping down the side so you get the lovely creamy consistency we’re hoping for.

Now it’s time to add the eggs, vanilla and sour cream and continue to cream with your hand mixer for a couple minutes.

Now it’s time to add the dry ingredients, but before you do.. in another bowl, sift the flour, baking powder and baking soda together. This way they will mix evenly. This is when you would put the cinnamon and nutmeg if you want to add a bit of spice to the final bread. Since I didn’t want to over-work the dough, I did the rest manually with my spatula. Add the flour and in a folding motion.. mix well. You should have a smooth, thick dough by this time. I’m sure you can do this step with your mixer.. but on low speed and not for too long.

It’s now time to mush the bananas to add to the dough. In a large bowl I placed pieces of the peeled bananas and using a potato masher I went to work. It took a few minutes, but at the end I had a smooth banana mash.. ready for the dough.

Before we move on, it’s probably time to pre-heat your oven.. set it at 350 as we want this to bake slowly. Now pour in the mashed banana (puree) into the main batter and fold it in until it’s completely mixed. Remember not to over-mix.

Add the chopped pieces of walnuts and fold in, so every slice of the finished banana nut bread will have a little tasty crunch. I used a silicon baking mold and though I probably didn’t need it, I still hit it with a tiny bit of non stick cooking spray. If you’re using a conventional baking pan, do remember to grease with butter and dust with four.. or baking spray. You’ll notice that I had the baking mold on a cookie sheet.. that’s just for handing purposes (get in and out of the oven).

By now your oven should be ready… place it on the middle rack and allow to bake for 1 hour. After 1 hr it should be fully cooked, but do check with a toothpick. Insert a toothpick into the deepest part of the bread and if it comes out clean, it means it’s fully cooked. Due to variations in everyone’s oven… you may need some additional cooking time. This is exactly what I needed, so I had to keep it in the oven for an additional 15 minutes. You’ll certainly get mad having to wait an additional 15 minutes as your kitchen will have the lovely scent of baked banana nut bread goodness.

Allow to cool (if you can) before slicing and enjoy.

Before you go, don’t forget to check out the latest cooking videos, connect with me on twitter and join our community on facebook. oh yea! leave me a comment below – it’s appreciated.

Desserts Vegetarian

Banana Fritters A Caribbean Favourite.

banana fritters (12)

With  all the recent requests I’ve been getting for more dessert type recipes, I’ve decided to share a classic banana fritters recipes with you guys. In all honesty I don’t like banana as I once did as a child. I strongly believe I had too much growing up on the islands as it’s common to have trees around your home, so we always had various varieties of ripe bananas to snack on. I recall my mom making this treat for us when the bananas were going a bit discolored (at it’s ripest) and she wanted to use them before they got chucked into the rubbish bin. But back then there were no confectionery sugar topping!

You’ll Need…

3 ripe bananas
1 egg
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
1/2 cup of sugar
2 cups of all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon of baking powder
3 cups of vegetable oil for frying
confectioner sugar (optional, but nice finishing touch)

banana fritters

In a fairly large bowl, peel and cut the ripe banana into chunks, then mash using a fork or potato masher into a smooth consistency. It will have the consistency of baby food … parents will know what I mean.

banana fritters (2)

banana fritters (3)

Whip the egg, then add the sugar, vanilla and cinnamon.. then whip some more until the sugar breaks down. Now add that to the bowl with the mashed bananas. You can certainly use an electric mixer if you wish, but I much prefer a wire whisk (burn some calories before replacing them with tasty ones).

banana fritters (4)

banana fritters (5)

banana fritters (6)

The final step in preparing the batter is to slowly start adding in the flour and baking powder. Mix until you have a smooth batter, without any lumps. After that… all you have to do is heat the oil on a medium/high flame and add spoonfuls (tablespoon) of the batter into the hot oil. It will take about 1 minute to get golden brown, then flip and cook for another minute until that side is also golden brown. Once cooked you will notice that it will start floating in the oil. Remove and drain on paper towels. Final step before eating is to dust with the confectionery sugar. Serve warm… good with vanilla ice cream on the side as well.

banana fritters (8)

banana fritters (9)

banana fritters (10)

banana fritters (11)

Before you go I invite you to leave me your comments below… even if it just to say hello. It’s always appreciated. And don’t forget to join us on facebook and do check out the cooking videos.

Happy Cooking

Chris….