Easy and simple banana bread to celebrate five years

It’s been five years (and three months) since I started writing this blog.  I wanted to drop by in September, observe this anniversary and thank you all of you out there for reading my words and appreciating my stories and recipes.  And then things got in the way…unfortunately…  But this little space in the large blogosphere would not exist without you.  So, thank you from the bottom of my heart!  Also, I wanted to gift you this exquisite banana bread recipe, a sweet gem all the way from Maui.  

Lately, whenever I read or find anything Maui-related I stop and take notice.  That’s probably because Adrian and I made two trips to Maui in a year.  Needless to say we love Hawaii even if it would be faster to fly home to Romania than to get to this remote paradise in the Pacific. 

Everything tends to be simpler on Maui.  The moment we land, we instantly relax and embrace the slower island pace, soft sand, annoyingly clear water, lush vegetation and stunningly fiery sunsets.  Oh, and let’s not forget about the Maui specialty – banana bread – a bite of that buttery goodness and you’ll never want to leave.  We began to really appreciate banana bread on the winding and wondrous drive on the road to Hana, a town in the heart of the island’s rainforest.    

This banana bread truly captures the spirit of Maui.  Sometimes, simple is the way to go because the simplest of ingredients make for the boldest of flavors and stunning results.  This banana bread is case in point.  It is dense, spongy, moist and features a deep and elegant banana bouquet that easily envelopes the surroundings.  It is deeply decadent while highlighting basic, clean and unspoiled aromas that undoubtedly go a long way.   

 

It’s gutsy to refrain from tinkering with a recipe, over-embellishing and overflowing with needless ingredients.  I tried really hard to control myself from tossing in any crunchy texture or lemony zing.  But this recipe doesn’t need any of that.  The straightforward yet decadent flavor of banana shines through and makes for a wonderful dessert, snack or breakfast.  Enjoy this magical recipe and Happy New Year to everyone!

Easy and Simple Banana Bread

Adapted from Julia’s Best Banana Bread from Bon Appétit (March 2013)

Makes: 1 loaf of banana bread

Ingredients:

·         Butter for greasing the pan

·         1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for the pan

·         1 ½ teaspoons baking soda

·         ¾ teaspoon kosher salt

·         3 large eggs

·         1 ½ cups sugar

·         1 teaspoon vanilla extract

·         1 cup mashed ripe bananas (from about 2 large bananas)

·         ¾ cup vegetable oil

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350° F.  Butter and flour a 9x5x3 inch loaf pan. 

Whisk flour, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl.  Whisk eggs, sugar, vanilla extract, bananas and oil in a large bowl until smooth.  Add dry ingredients to the banana mixture and stir just until combined.  Scrape batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.

Bake until a tester inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean, about 60-65 minutes.  Transfer to a wire rack and let the bread cool in the pan for 15 minutes.  Run a knife around inside of the pan to release the bread.  Turn out onto the rack and let cool completely. 

Do ahead:  Banana bread can be made 3 days ahead.  Store airtight at room temperature.      

Poftă Bună! (Bon Appétit!)

Blueberry Banana Pancakes (Revamped Apple Pancakes)

I’ve been a real slob when it comes to my poor little blog.  And I’m immensely sorry for neglecting you, my dear readers, for the better part of three months.  Sometimes life and work get in the way and priorities have to change slightly.  That doesn’t mean that I forgot about you all and I do have a tasty recipe that I want to post soon.  Meanwhile, I really want to share with you the improved version of a beloved pancake recipe.  

Sundays are for brunch in our family and this whole summer I’ve been tweaking and perfecting my grandmother’s Apple Pancakes recipe that I originally posted almost three years ago.  And every week it got better.  I added mashed bananas to the batter, replaced the apples with peaches or tossed in a pint of blueberries.  I sprinkled a much needed pinch of baking soda for that extra level of fluffiness.  And I even revisited the whole method of preparing the batter opting to mix the dry ingredients separately from the wet ingredients and then gradually adding the dry ingredients to the wet ones.  Small tweaks, big difference!

I also promise to have a new recipe for you to celebrate five years of Simply Romanesco soon, but until then I hope you enjoy these newly revamped pancakes.  We’ve been devouring them all summer long!     

Blueberry Banana Pancakes

By Simply Romanesco inspired by my Grandma Vicki

Makes: about 20 pancakes

Ingredients for the pancakes:

·         2 heaped cups (500 ml) whole milk

·         2 large eggs, at room temperature

·         3 heaped Tablespoons (60 grams) granulated sugar

·         1 teaspoon vanilla

·         Scant 2 ¾ cups (370 grams) all-purpose flour

·         1/8 teaspoon salt

·         1 teaspoon baking powder

·         ½ teaspoon baking soda

·         2 bananas, mashed

·         1 pint blueberries or other fruits you like

·         Olive oil or vegetable oil for cooking

Ingredients for the cinnamon-sugar mix:

·         ½ cup (115 grams) granulated sugar

·         1 ½ teaspoon cinnamon

Instructions for the cinnamon-sugar mix:

In a small bowl, mix together the sugar and cinnamon and whisk well to combine.  Set aside. 

Instructions for the pancakes:

In a large bowl, whisk together milk, eggs, sugar and vanilla.

In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda.  Gradually, add the flour mixture to the milk and eggs mixture stirring constantly until the flour is fully incorporated, and you have a slightly thicker batter without any lumps and traces of flour.  Add the mashed bananas and then gently fold in the blueberries.  

In a nonstick skillet, heat about 1 ½ teaspoon of olive oil over medium heat.  Fill a 2.5-inch ladle with the pancake and batter and gently pour it into the pan.  Once the pancakes start cooking, turn the heat to medium-low.  Cook pancake for 1-2 minutes per side until golden-brown.  Repeat with the rest of the batter adding about 1 teaspoon of oil per pancake. 

Place cooked pancakes on a platter and sprinkle each pancake with 1 teaspoon of the cinnamon-sugar mix.      

Poftă Bună! (Bon Appétit!)

Going bananas

When I think of bananas, I usually think of an exotic fruit that gives you energy and that it’s best eaten in the morning or thrown into a sort of cake.  Well, it turns out there are countless things you can do with bananas.  One of these is a Cranberry-Topped Pudding.  Now, I’m not really sure that this is actually a pudding, but we’ll let that slide by; it’s not that important anyway.  What’s important is that you can have this pudding for breakfast, brunch, dessert, snack, you name it.  And even more important is the fact that it’s featherlight, filling and fabulous! 

I came across this recipe a few weeks ago.  It was nicely delivered with our Thursday Pittsburgh Post-Gazette paper.  And out of the 10 easy things to do with bananas, this one stood out the most.  It was easy, fast and looked (at least in the picture) gorgeous.  I planned on trying this recipe for brunch over the weekend one of these days, but it turned out that brunch came sooner than expected.  Not long ago, both Adrian and I were in the mood for something sweet.  I’m not the only one in our family who has a sweet tooth; my husband is a major sweet lover.  Unfortunately, I was out of anything dessert like.  So, I had to improvise.  And this is how our pre-planned brunch turned into a late night dessert.  And it was well worth it!    

This pudding is a great way to start your morning or as it turned out for us to end your night.  The Greek yogurt and ricotta cheese make this pudding hearty, while the cranberries make it chewy and tart.  And you’ll also get an energy boost from the bananas.  Sprinkle some toasted sliced almonds on top for an extra layer of texture, crunchy bite and nutty flavor.  You will not be sorry.   

Cranberry-Topped Pudding

Adapted from Dash (March 2012)

Serves: 4 servings

Ingredients:

·         2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

·         3 sliced bananas

·         1 cup plain Greek yogurt

·         ¼ cup ricotta cheese

·         2 Tablespoons honey

·         2 Tablespoons dried cranberries

Instructions:

Sprinkle lemon juice over the bananas.  In a large bowl, combine the Greek yogurt, ricotta cheese and honey.  Add bananas.  Spoon into 4 serving bowls.  Top each serving with dried cranberries. 

Poftă Bună! (Bon Appétit!)    

My trip to Transylvania: Part 3

I’m starting this post by telling you that last week was awful.  Adrian came down with a cold and then, when we thought he was getting better, he threw out his back.  For three days, Adrian walked tilted to the left.  He was in pain.  But that’s not all.  After Adrian’s back problem, I came down with a terrible cold.  It was so bad that last Thursday all I could do was lay on the couch covered with a wool blanket up to my nose and build up a pile of Kleenex next to me.  My eyelids could barely make it above half-mast and I felt that I needed a pair of toothpicks to hold them up to watch yet another Federer – Nadal classic, this time in the semi-final of the Australian Open.  We were a house under siege…

But, all’s well that ends well, right?  Fortunately, this week’s been better.  And it started really well when Djokovic defeated Nadal in the final of the Australian Open.  Anyway…  I don’t want to complain too much or bore you with my tennis obsessions, especially since I’d like to tell you more about my trip to Transylvania.  

After that food coma between Christmas and New Year’s, we all took a short break from anything food related.  Even the weather got better and it was a true pleasure going for a stroll on the riverbank.  That’s what I did and decided to take some pictures to show you the beautiful scenery.  You can pretty much traverse the entire city walking on the riverbank.

Our break from food didn’t last too long.  It only lasted until January 7^th, when we celebrate St. John and evidently everyone named John or Joan or any other derivative.  Being a very important religious holiday in the Orthodox calendar, we had to prepare some fine dishes.  You’re probably asking: what else could we possibly eat?  We didn’t go over the top this time, but I did manage to introduce my family to an American classic: Banana Bread.  And guess what, they loved it!  

I have to admit that I was a bit skeptical since my parents are not used to the American cuisine, but, to my surprise and excitement, they all loved my Banana Bread.  The only difference from the traditional banana bread was its shape.  That’s because I baked it in a bunt cake pan, and it was worth it; it was a stunning visual.  The whole kitchen was overwhelmed with bananas and toasted nuts aromas.  And then I took it out of the oven… 

When the banana bread was ready I felt just like in My Big Fat Greek Wedding.  Do you remember the scene when Ian’s parents come to Toula’s house to meet her family, and they bring a bunt cake?  Toula’s mother doesn’t understand what it is and after a couple of confusing moments she says that’s a cake!  I made the banana bread in a bunt cake pan and it looked exactly the same.  I told my family it was banana bread, and they reacted exactly like Toula’s mother, and said, no, it’s not bread, it’s a cake!  Most importantly, they loved it.  The cake was rich, dense and moist, and oozed banana and walnut flavor.  I ended up making it several times before I left.  

Banana Bread

Adapted from Food Network Magazine (May 2011)

Serves: 10+ servings

Ingredients:

·         Butter for the pan

·         1 cup banana, mashed (about 2 large bananas)

·         1 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped

·         Optional: ½ cup raisins

·         1 ¼ cups flour

·         1 cup sugar

·         1 teaspoon baking powder

·         1 teaspoon salt

·         ½ teaspoon baking soda

·         1 teaspoon cinnamon

·         ½ teaspoon nutmeg

·         2 eggs, at room temperature

·         ½ cup vegetable oil

·         ½ cup plain yogurt or sour cream

·         1 teaspoon vanilla extract

·         1 teaspoon lemon zest

   

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350°F.  Lightly butter one 9-by-5-inch loaf pan.

In a medium bowl, mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and walnuts (and raisins if using).  In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, vegetable oil, yogurt, vanilla extract and lemon zest.  Stir the mashed bananas into the egg mixture.  In batches, fold in the dry ingredients until just combined. 

Spread the batter in the prepared pan.  Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 55 minutes.  Cool 15-20 minutes in the pan on a rack, then turn out onto the rack to cool completely.  When cool, dust powdered sugar on top.

Note: Instead of bananas you can also try this recipe using pears (shredded and squeezed dry), apples (shredded and squeezed dry), carrots (shredded) or zucchini (shredded and squeezed dry).

Poftă Bună! (Bon Appétit!)