As someone who loves a good meal, cooking one, came to me as a natural passion. I belong to a family where meal times consisted of not just food, but also noisy conversation centered around the events of the day and discussing the menu for the next. (ah yes, we are a greedy lot! )

For the most part of my life so far, my contribution in the kitchen was assisting mom and my duties were limited, to chopping veggies and laying the table. Then along came the great Indian wedding, and I was suddenly the queen of my very own kingdom. My curiosity about this magical world, coupled with an enthusiastic sous-chef (my husband, Vineet), led me to take on the challenge of preparing meals on a daily basis, and not succumbing to the convenience of hiring a cook.

This blog is a product of my experiments with food (not all are life threatening :D) for my fellow culinary enthusiasts - especially the newly weds and hungry bachelors and is dedicated to the women who've inspired me in the kitchen;
Aji (s),Ma and Nigella Lawson.

Sunday, February 3, 2013

Banana Bread

All of us at some point in time, have had a bunch of bananas lying around the kitchen, going brown. You keep telling yourself, I better finish those, before they go smushy... then, another day goes by...and now they just plain gross... not only are they an unappetizing brown to look at, but they are also simply PERFECT to bake with! Adapted from the original Martha Stewart Banana bread recipe, this cake-like bread, is great as a weekend (or mid week!) breakfast treat, and works great when paired with a steaming cup of tea or coffee.
So, stop feeling bad about letting the bananas go brown, and bake with them instead! :)

Ingredients: (Makes 1, 9"x4" loaf)
Dry mix:
- 1 cup All-Purpose Flour
- 1 tsp Soda Bicarb
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1/2 tsp ground Nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp ground Cinnamon

Wet mix:
- 1/2 cup Butter, softened @ room temperature
- 1/2 cup Sugar
- 2 Eggs @ room temp
- 1/4 cup plain Yoghurt+ 1/4 cup Water (buttermilk)
- 1 cup mashed Bananas + 1 tsp Vanilla

Optional additions: Chopped or slivered Almonds & Golden raisins


Method:
1.)  Preheat the oven to 180 deg C. Grease and dust a 9x5" loaf pan. Sift the ingredients of the dry mix together and set aside.

2.)  Cream the butter and sugar in a bowl till light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time and beat lightly after each addition.

3.)  Add the mashed Bananas+ Vanilla extract. Add the Buttermilk and dry mix to the bowl, alternating each addition.... i.e. little of the dry mix, followed by some of the buttermilk... repeat.

4.)  Pour the batter into the loaf pan and bake for about 55-60 mins or till a cake tester comes out clean.

5.)  Allow the Banana bread to cool in the pan. Run a butter knife along the edges and loosen. Turn out onto a wire rack and let it cool completely. Best stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator, in case the weather is warm.

Slice up and enjoy with a generous slather of Cream cheese & a cup of coffee! 

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