Go Bananas.

 

  Do NOT throw away a banana.  If it ever gets to the point where alcoholic fumes are arising from somewhere within the blackened skin, you still don't throw it away.  This is when the flavors are building. It's just getting ripe and perfect for baking.  If you don't have time to make banana bread right now, just wrap them up and pop the bananas into the freezer for later, but don't throw them away.  

 

 

Make Rosie's 2-Banana Bread:

1 3/4 cup flour

1/4 tsp baking soda

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1/3 cup butter, room temperature

2/3 cup sugar

2 eggs, room temperature

2 extremely ripe bananas, smashed

 

Heat oven to 325°.

 

Prepare a 4 x 8 glass baking pan by greasing, then lining bottom and sides with parchment paper that extends over the sides, for easy removal of bread.

 

In medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

 

In large bowl of stand mixer with paddle attachment, cream together, medium low speed,  butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes, scraping down from sides.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating well between each addition and scraping down as needed.

 

Turn mixture to low and add flour mixture, alternately with mashed bananas, beginning and ending with flour.  Mix until well-combined.

 

Pour into prepared loaf pan and level top. 

 

Bake 45- 50 minutes until tester inserted in center comes out fairly clean.  Cover with foil if top seems to brown too much.

 

Remove from oven and let cool in pan on rack for about 15 minutes, then lift parchment and loaf out of pan and allow to cool completely on rack. 

 

 

My mise en place.

French for having everything in its place. 

When cooking, it's always nice to have everything measured

and ready to go, 

so you don't have to start looking

for an eye of newt or toe of frog at the very last minute.

Makes it easy when you have all the ingredients

right at your fingertips

and all you have to do is follow directions. 

My bananas.  Exuding alcoholic fumes. 

 This is when they're at the best for cooking.  

Eating?  Not so much.

   

Just slide the bananas into a bowl and squish around with a fork.

 

  

 Assemble all ingredients according to recipe and pour into prepared pan.  Using an offset spatula, evenly spread the batter.

The parchment paper there helps you to lift the cooked banana bread right out of the pan.

No fuss.  No muss. 

 

 

 And bake. 

Cool on rack.

 

 

Slice.

If you're like me, I can't wait for the bread to cool.

  I slice me some pieces, spread some butter on and eat.

A little toasted banana bread hits the spot.

For a special little kick, drizzle some honey over the toasted bread.

 I couldn't help myself.

Enjoy.

Shrimp And Spinach Quesadillas

 

I’m making my version of quesadillas today.  According to a bit of quesadilla history, I believe I can offer my own culinary suggestions to an imminently adaptable and centuries-old foodstuff.

 After doing extensive research on the quesadilla (i.e. Googling), I discovered that the quesadilla, in one form or another has been around for hundreds of years. 

Rooted in Mesoamerica, the traditional quesadillas were originally made with masa, or corn flour.  The indigenous peoples filled this staple of their diet with what was available - beans, squash, and pumpkin seeds.

Mesoamerica refers to the historical and cultural region that today encompasses Mexico and Central America and would include the Olmec, Mayan, Aztec, and Incan civilizations. 

 When the Spanish conquistadors arrived in the 1500s, they brought livestock, which lead to the availability of dairy products.   Both meat and cheese were added to the quesadilla, which could now be made with wheat flour.  This was a pivotal point in culinary history - the fusion of different ingredients and the blending of two cultures.  This intermingling of indigenous and Spanish culinary traditions eventually led to what we recognize today as the quesadilla.  From humble beginnings, the quesadilla has evolved and diversified based on the availability of ingredients and culinary preferences across Mexico and beyond. 

 The popularity of the quesadilla spread, both geographically and ethnologically.  Different cultures experimented with different fillings, preparations, textures, cooking methods, and presentation methods, although the use of the tortilla and cheese remains the defining characteristics of this dish.

 The versatile quesadilla adapts to the culture and the tastes of its peoples.  It has evolved through cultural exchange, resulting in a satisfying fusion of flavors and ingredients.

 

That said, I'm making shrimp and spinach quesadillas. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rosie’s Shrimp and Spinach Quesadillas

I’m simply giving you the ingredients here.  As for fillings, please pick and choose what and how much you’d like. 

Flour tortillas (1-2 per person, depending on filling)

Spinach, stemmed

Cooked shrimp, sliced lengthwise

Roasted red peppers, chopped (You can use the jarred variety or roast your own.  I blacken my peppers over an open flame, dunk them in ice water, and rub off the charred skin.)

Sautéed sliced mushrooms

Sliced onion

Sliced jalapeños

Grated Monterey Jack and Mozzarella Cheeses

 Lay flour tortilla flat. On bottom half, sprinkle a layer of grated cheese.  Top with a bed of spinach leaves, then lay the sliced, spooning shrimp across the spinach.  Add your options:  roasted peppers, mushrooms, onion.

Top with another layer of cheese and fold top of tortilla over.  Press to seal it.  The cheese will be the glue that holds it all together.  Be careful not to overfill your quesadillas. 

Heat a thin layer of oil in a medium skillet over medium heat.  Carefully place quesadillas, one at a time, in hot oil (about 350° - 375°), pressing down with spatula to squish the quesadillas.  Fry a couple minutes until bottom is golden brown.  Turn over and brown the other side.  Drain on rack.

 My options are always changing whenever I make quesadillas, depending on what I have on hand, so there are always alternative fillings.  You might consider using any combination of these items: rice, corn, beans, jalapenos, squash, and zucchini.  By all means, try a different array of cheeses.  Mexican quesadillas often use cheeses like Oaxaca, Chihuahua, or Manchego for their excellent melting properties and mild, slightly salty flavor.   You might enjoy a slight sprinkling of orange zest over top for a nice citrusy zing.   Feel free to add your own twist here. Try a different protein - maybe shredded cooked chicken with a rice and beans and a dusting of cumin.  Making quesadillas is a good way to utilize items in your refrigerator that might otherwise, unfortunately, not see it to the next meal.

 Serve with salsa, sour cream, and cilantro and/or parsley.

Enjoy.

Now for the step-by-steps:

I have flour tortillas, salsa, spinach, cilantro, cooked shrimp, grated Monterey Jack and Mozzarella cheeses, chopped roasted red peppers, chopped onions.

Slice shrimp lengthwise.

Does that one little shrimpie facing east bother you?

 

Put a layer of grated cheese on bottom half of tortilla.

Then a nest of spinach. 

Next the shrimp.

Roasted red peppers and onion.

Top with more cheese.

And squish.

Hot oil.

350° - 375° 

Golden brown on both sides.

Drain.

Serve with salsa and cilantro.

That fried cheese around the edges is really, really good!

Enjoy.

Chocolate On Chocolate

 

Double Chocolate Decadence

 

 

Chocolate has been calling out to me lately and I can no longer ignore it.  When it comes to desserts, particularly chocolate, I generally subscribe to the maxim that less is not more, but more is more.  In that vein, I’m offering a decidedly decadent double chocolate delight.  Cocoa and buttermilk are incorporated into whipped cream for a subtle tang in the body of this chocolate delicacy and a silky and nutty brown butter-infused sauce is the perfect complement to the base.  Although you have chocolate heaped upon chocolate, this is not an over-the-top sweet dessert.  The cocoa tempers the sweetness with a slight earthy flavor while the brown butter in the chocolate sauce counters with a nutty flavor.  Crown with a cherry and you’ve got an easy, elegant, and indulgent dessert.

 

Brown Butter Chocolate Sauce

5 TB unsalted butter

1 cup bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chips (I used Ghirardelli.)

¼ tsp kosher salt

Heat butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, whisking, until it starts to foam. About 2 – 3 minutes. Reduce to low and continue whisking until the milk solids in bottom of pan turn golden brown.  3-4 minutes.  Remove from heat and stir in chocolate chips and salt.  Cover tightly and let sit for about 5 minutes. Stir melted chocolate mixture, scaping up the goody bits from bottom, until smooth.  Keep warm.

    

 

Cocoa Whipped Cream

 2 cups cold heavy cream

6 TB Dutch-process cocoa

2 TB sugar

1 TB vanilla extract

¼ tsp kosher salt

⅓ cup well-shaken buttermilk, room temperature

  

 

Rosie Notes: 

Whenever I’m whipping cream, I chill both my beaters and my mixing bowl.  You’ll get more volume this way because the cold causes the fat molecules to solidify, resulting in a more effective incorporation of air bubbles, giving you a more stable and voluminous whipped cream.

 

I’m using Dutch-processed cocoa as opposed to regular, or natural, cocoa.  The difference is in the pH levels and resulting flavors.  Dutch-processed cocoa is treated with an alkaline solution, neutralizing its acidity.  This results in a darker color and a smoother, less bitter and more mellow chocolate flavor.

 

Pour cream into chilled bowl of a stand mixer fitted with balloon-whisk attachment.  Whip at medium speed about 4 minutes, or until soft peaks form.  Reduce speed to low and add cocoa, sugar, vanilla, and salt, scraping down sides as needed.  Slowly add buttermilk, beating until medium-soft peaks form, about a minute.  The peaks should hold their shape and barely curl over at the tip.

 

 

To Serve:

Makes 6  ½-cup servings.

Spoon whipped cream into serving cups, forming tall mounds.  Make a well in center of each and pour warm chocolate sauce into each well.  Garnish with cherries, if desired.  You could use pitted fresh cherries, maraschino cherries, or Amarena Fabri cherries.

 

Enjoy.