Bananas are definitely back on the shopping list as their prices have finally come down. The high prices were due to the devastation that Cyclone Yasi caused to banana crops in Queensland last year. It has been quite a while since bananas prices were this low, so it’s the perfect time to include them on your menu, not only because bananas are inexpensive at the moment but because they are a versatile ingredient in a range of sweet and savoury dishes, adding richness and texture.
Add some sliced banana to a fresh fruit salad – they offer a distinctive texture when compared to other fruits. Try the Simple Fruit Salad on p. 126 The Food Book or make up your own recipe with your favourite fruits – you can’t go wrong.
Bananas are also great addition to a smoothie. Try the Mango and Banana or Choc-Banana Smoothie recipes on p. 129 of The Food Book. Or if you are looking for an extra-special drink, try making a Coconut Banana Smoothie: Dissolve 30 g palm sugar and 30 mL water in a saucepan and bring to the boil – allow the syrup mixture to cool before placing in blender with 1 banana, 125 mL coconut cream, 10 mL lime juice and ¾ cup ice cubes and mixing until smooth. This is delicious on a hot Summer’s day as a refreshing snack.
If you’re finding your bananas have become overripe, and you don’t have time to use them in a dish, you can easily freeze them. Just place the ripe bananas in the freezer with their skins still on. Don’t worry about the black peel – the banana is still fine on the inside. To use the frozen banana, just remove the peel from the banana and let the banana sit for several minutes at room temperature. Cut off both ends of the banana and then cut down the whole banana lengthwise to remove the skin. Frozen bananas can be used to make cakes, breads and other baking recipes. Try the Banana Cake recipe on p. 361 of The Food Book – a good tip is to ice it with chocolate icing and sprinkle with coconut - chocolate and coconut go so well with bananas!
Frozen bananas also make a wonderful dairy-free ice-cream. Just cut them into chunks and place in a food processor and whiz for several minutes or until mixture becomes smooth and creamy. Allow one frozen banana per person.
Another idea is to coat the frozen banana with chocolate for a great treat, especially at children’s birthday parties. Cut two frozen bananas into 2cm chunks and place on baking tray lined with baking paper. Place in freezer to keep cold whilst preparing chocolate. (Alternatively, if you are using fresh bananas, keep in freezer for at least one hour). Melt 1 ½ cups chocolate with 1 ½ tablespoons butter in a double saucepan, or in a bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Insert a toothpick (or skewer) firmly into each chunk of banana, and then dip each banana chunk in chocolate before rolling it in your favourite topping, such as coloured sprinkles, coconut (which can be toasted) or chopped nuts. Freeze until ready to serve. This is a great dish to make with kids and they will certainly nag you to make this recipe again!
What ideas do you have for using bananas? Do you have a favourite banana bread recipe or ideas for using frozen bananas?
0 comments:
Post a Comment