caramelized banana jam

When my banana bunches ripen, they ripen from the top down and it happens rather fast.  While I mostly freeze the bananas that over-ripen before we can eat them, I had a thought that a banana jam might be an interesting twist with hazelnut chocolate on s'mores.

1 cup evaporated cane sugar

3 cups over-ripe bananas, diced

1/3 teaspoon salt 

2 teaspoons lime juice 

1 1/2  teaspoon vanilla extract

Mix the sugar and 2 tablespoons water in a heavy-bottomed saucepan.  Heat the sugar mixture on medium-high heat, swirling the pan until the mixture caramelizes.  Once it reaches a caramel-brown color, turn the heat to medium-low and carefully add the bananas.  Stir with a wooden spoon, simmering gently until the bananas break down, 15-20 minutes.  Stir in the salt and remove from the heat.  Allow to cool slightly before stirring in the lime juice and vanilla.  Adjust seasonings to taste.

Variation: add cinnamon to taste.

The jam will keep in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.  Makes 2+ cups.

based on a recipe from Biscuit Love

Another DIY hair pomade

 1/3 oz by weight beeswax (or 2 tsp melted)

1/4 cup fractionated coconut oil

1/4 cup light kaolin clay

several drops of essential oil (rosemary, lavender, ylang ylang, or your favorites)

In a double boiler on medium-low heat, melt beeswax.  Add oil and clay; stir to combine.  Remove from heat, add essential oils, and whip while cooling.  

pickled red onion

1 cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons honey

3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup water
1/2 large red onion, thinly sliced

Whisk all ingredients together excerpt red onion.  Add red onion and refrigerate for at least one hour, ideally overnight.

Falafel is surprisingly easy

1/2 cup dried chickpeas, soaked overnight (or quick soak), drained and rinsed
3 Tbsp fresh parsley leaves

3 Tbsp fresh cilantro leaves

1/4 tsp paprika
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/2 small red onion, chopped
1/2 jalapeño, chopped
1 tsp sea salt

3/4 tsp baking soda dissolved in 2 tablespoons water

Heat about 1/2 inch safflower or sunflower oil on medium heat in an enameled cast iron pan.

Add the drained chickpeas to a food processor.  Pulse for about 30 seconds.  Add the herbs, paprika, garlic, onion, jalapeño and salt.  Process, scraping down the bowl as needed, until it's a smooth paste, about 2 minutes, mixing in the dissolved baking soda just before frying.

 
Form about 2 tablespoons of mixture into balls, slightly flatten, and drop into the hot oil in batches (however many comfortably fit).  Fry until golden brown, about 1 minute, flip and cook another minute, until golden brown. Transfer to a towel-lined plate to drain.

Makes 12 small patties, 3-4 servings.

Serve with tahini sauce, thin sliced red onion, kalamata olives, chopped cucumber and tomato with lemon and sea salt, on homemade pita. 

Based on a recipe from the Food Network with input from my Israeli mother-from-another-brother (and sister).

sticky toffee pudding

For the cakes:
112 g medjool dates, pitted and diced
87 g boiling water or other liquid
½ tsp vanilla
109 g flour, plus extra for greasing
¾ tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 egg
42 g salted butter, softened, plus extra for greasing
70 g brown sugar (rapadura if you can find it)
1 tsp molasses
2 tsp golden syrup
52 g milk

In a small bowl, pour hot liquid over diced dates.  Let cool for 30 minutes, then mash with fork and add vanilla.

Butter and flour 8 cupcake tins.  Heat convection oven to 350.

In medium bowl, mix flour, baking soda and powder together. In separate bowl, beat egg.

In mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar.  Add egg a little at a time, beating well between additions.  Beat in molasses and syrup.  Gently fold in one-third of the flour mix, then half the milk, repeating until all the flour and milk are just incorporated.  Stir the soaked dates and liquid.  Spoon batter evenly between the 8 tins and bake for 14 minutes...

For the sauce:
187 g brown sugar (rapadura if you can find it)
25 g butter, cut into pieces
116 g heavy cream
½ tsp molasses
1 tsp golden syrup

Heat sugar and butter in a medium saucepan with half the cream.  Bring to the boil over a medium heat, stirring, until the sugar has completely dissolved.  Stir in molasses and syrup, turn up the heat slightly and let the mixture bubble away for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Take the pan off the heat and beat in the rest of the cream.

Remove the puddings from the oven.  Leave in the tins for a few mins, then loosen them well from the sides of the tins with a small palette knife before turning them out.

Serve them now with the sauce drizzled over, but they’ll be even stickier if left for a day or two coated in the sauce.  To do this, pour about half the sauce into one or two ovenproof serving dishes.  Sit the upturned puddings on the sauce, then pour the rest of the sauce over them.  Cover with a loose tent of foil so that the sauce doesn’t smudge (no need to chill).  When ready to serve, heat oven to 350.  Warm the puddings through, still covered, for 15-20 mins or until the sauce is bubbling.  Serve them on their own, or with cream or custard.

Based on Angela Nilsen's recipe

Caramelized onion dip

1 large yellow onion, diced

2 T olive oil

½ t salt

3 sprigs thyme

½ t granulated garlic

a little less than ½ t white pepper

½ t Worcestershire sauce

2 cups sour cream

In large pan on medium-low heat, caramelize onion in oil with salt, adding thyme about half-way through the process. Let cool.

Mix all ingredients together at least a day before serving

English brown sauce

1/8 red onion, chopped

1 smallish apple, peeled and chopped

2 oz prunes

3 caramelized garlic cloves

a bit of apple juice (or water or other liquid) to cover to stew above ingredients on low in a small sauce pan, covered, until soft. 

Blend up with:

3 fl oz vinegar

¾ tsp Worcestershire

1/8 tsp ginger

1/8 tsp nutmeg

1/8 tsp allspice

pinch cayenne

1 tsp salt

6 Tbsp sugar

makes 1 1/2 cups