I Hate Bananas

If somebody asked me to name the fruit I don't like I wouldn't think twice. Bananas. That's the correct answer.
For some reason I have never liked bananas, banana drinks, banana puddings, banana candy or anything that looks, smells or tastes like bananas. Things that have to do with bananas are not for me - that is the rule and I'm not going to change it. I don't have an impression I'm missing anything by not eating bananas - but still world would be less beautiful without them.
See, As I have already stated I don't like bananas and that's the rule. It's holy. But what kind of a rule would it be if there were no exception on it? So. To make my rule quite perfect I have found an exception - and that's banana bread. I love it.
The thing about banana bread is that even though it has to do with bananas the banana taste and flavor are not very obvious. It doesn't smell like raw bananas, nor like artificial banana aroma. It just smells like... well, like banana bread, I would say. No more and no less. And, what is even more important, it does not have the consistency of bananas - even though when I think of the consistency of those mashed bananas that I put in there... OK. let's say the consistency part has not been mentioned here ;-)
Anyway, banana bread I could eat every day. Still warm out of the oven, toasted with butter, not toasted with or without butter, with whipped cream or without it... Banana bread is very flexible, takes pretty much everything. I like flexibility.

Banana Bread
(proportion for two loaves)

1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup shortening
2 cups fully ripe bananas, mashed (5-6 bananas)
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
3.1/2 cups flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup coarsely chopped walnuts (optional)

Combine sugar, shortening, bananas, eggs and milk in a mixing bowl, beat well.
Blend remaining ingredients, add to banana mixture and mix until blended.
Turn into two greased loaf pans.
Bake at 180ºC  45 to 50 minutes, or until done.
Get the pans out of the oven, leave the loaves in pans  to cool.
Enjoy your banana bread :-) 
 

Sugar Waffles from Liege

 

There are some things about Belgium that are really bad, like Belgian drivers and the overall chaos...

But there are also some things about Belgium that are wonderful - like Belgian beers (Kriek being my favorite), Belgian chocolate and Belgian waffless. 

There are many sorts of waffles: with or without yeast, with or without beer, not sweet at all or extremely sweet. One thing they have in common (at least those that I have already tried) is that they are very, very nice. The nicer the colder the weather is and the waffles warmer.

In Belgium you can get waffles anywhere: in a supermarket, at a restaurant, on a street corner. Or you can make them at home - then not only will you get the great taste of waffles, but also your kids, husbands, boyfriends etc. will simply adore you.

Liege Sugar Waffles
(about 20 small waffles)


750 g flour
270 ml lukewarm milk
70 g fresh yeast
3 whole eggs
2 egg yolks
15 g salt
1 tablespoon vanilla sugar
400 g very soft butter
500 g pearl sugar

Put all the ingredients except for butter and sugar into a bowl and mix until the dough is smooth. Cover the bowl with a towel and place in a warm place to rise for about 45-60 minutes.
Punch dough down, add butter and sugar and work the dough for a short while - only until the butter is well mixed in. You don't want the sugar to dissolve.
Divide the dough into 20 balls (can be less or more - the thing is they have to fit into your waffle iron), place them on a board and place in a warm place to rise.
Preheat the waffle iron - remember not to grease it! When the iron is hot, start frying the waffles: place the dough balls in the iron (possibly two at a time), close the lid and let the waffles fry for about 4 minutes, or until golden brown.
Because of the amount of butter and sugar in the dough your iron will be a total mess at the end, but the waffles are worth it :-)

Valentine's Day

 

 It's not that I am especially crazy about all that Valentine's Day stuff. To tell tre truth, I'm not. All those hearts, cards, sweets and such... They are trashy and meaningless to me, one does not really need those things to show that there are some feelings involved. But on the other hand... any occasion is good to prepare something very special for the other one, isn't it? Let it even be the Valentine's Day.

A few days ago I came across a post on  5 Types of Sugar . I saw a beautiful Valentine's cake there - made of white chocolate, rosewater and pistachios. The combination seemed quite great to me, I decided to give it a try in my kitchen. I already had a recipe for a flourless white chocolate cake, replaced the buttercream with one of my favorite icings to which I added white chocolate and some rose petals' preserve... The result of my kitchen activities was very pretty, very sweet and very tasty as well. Altogether I am very happy with it, I must say. Big thank you to Christy for the inspiration!

White Chocolate Valentine's Day Cake

(one big cake or 5 small ones + some edible leftovers)

for the cake

170 g white chocolate

3 tablespoons butter

1/3 cup sugar

8 eggs, separated

for the icing

1/2 cup milk

1.1/2 tablespoons potato flour

35 g sugar

1 egg yolk

45 g white chocolate

1/2 cup cream (36%)

2 teaspoons rose petal preserve

1 teaspoon lemon juice

chopped pistachios

shredded white chocolate

Preheat the oven to 120ºC.

Melt the white chocolate and butter in the top of a double boiler over simmering water, stirring constantly. Set aside.

Place the egg yolks in a bowl and beat well. Fold in the white chocolate mixture.

In another bowl, whip the egg whites to soft peaks; add the sugar.

Gently fold the egg yolk-chocolate mixture into the egg whites, stir gently.

Turn the batter into a prepared 23cm spring-form pan, bake 75-80 minutes.

Remove the cake from the oven. Using a sharp knife, carefully cut around the edge of the pan. Allow the cake to cool to room temperature.

Now you either can keep the cake as a whole, or cut out smaller cakes (knife works the best).

For the icing, mix well milk, potato flour, sugar and egg yolks in a small pot. Bring it to boiling stirring constantly. When the mixture is thick turn off the heat, add the chocolate and stir until it dissolves. Set it aside to cool.

When the pudding mixture is cool whip the cream until peaks are formed. Mix it gently with pudding, adding the rose preserve and lemon juice.

Put the icing over the sides and top of the cake(s). Spread the shredded white chocolate over the sides and put pistachios on top. Refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving.

Winter...

 

Winters in Belgium are quite horrible. Usually they are cold, windy and wet. And gray. This year the winter is different: it's snowy, icy and cold. And, of course, gray. As always. Altogether it's exactly as horrible as all the other winters I have seen here.

And it's not that I do not like winters. But I like the pretty winters, the ones that are crispy and white... When the sky is blue and the sun is shining on the tree tops that are covered with snow. Really, winters can be so beautiful in some parts of the world.

And they can be tasty, as well. Apple pies and apple cakes never taste as good as in the wintertime, that's my personal opinion at least.

Luckily they do have apples and cinnamon in Belgium. Not being able to see much of the winter prettiness I can at least get some of the nice tastes of winter. Taking a bite of my apple cake I can close my eyes and ignore the gray weather for a while.

Apple Cake with Nutty Crumble on Top

(proportions for a 30x40cm baking pan)

for the cake:

250 g fine brown sugar

250 g soft butter

4 eggs

250 g flour

3 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 tablespoon very finely chopped candied orange peel

3-4 big apples

for the crumble:

120 g soft butter

100 g fine brown sugar

120 g ground walnuts

2 teaspoons cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 180ºC.

Peel apples and remove the cores. Cut them first into quarters, then into slices.

In a mixer bowl beat sugar with butter until creamy. Slowly add the remaining ingredients, mix well.

Turn batter  into the floured and sprinkled with flour baking pan, spread evenly.

Densely stick apple slices halfway into the batter.

Mix all the crumble ingredients in a bowl until the mixture is forming into little balls. Spread crumble over the cake.

Bake at 180ºC 40 minutes.

Against Bad Moods

Sometimes I don't feel like doing much. I just want to sit on a couch, read a book, enjoy a cup of aromatic tea and a piece of cake. Since I don't feel like doing much, the cake must be easy to make. Since I want to enjoy it - it has to be extremely nice. What kind of a cake should I bake today?...

Chocolate Cake with a Touch of Orange *
(one 30x40cm pan)

225 gram dark chocolate, broken into little pieces
125 gram butter
grated rind and juice of 1 big orange
6 eggs, separated
1 cup sugar
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
your favorite topping/frosting (optional)


Melt chocolate with butter in a small pot, put it aside to cool down a bit. When chocolate is lukewarm, beat the egg yolks with sugar until white and creamy, then - beating constantly at a low speed of the mixer - gradually add the chocolate, orange rind and juice. Gradually add flour and baking powder.
In another bowl beat egg whites until stiff. Pour chocolate mixture over whites, folding gently until just blended.
Turn mixture into a buttered and floured baking pan, bake at 180ºC for 30 minutes.
When the cake is done, leave it in the pan to cool.
You can put your favorite chocolate topping over the cake and sprinkle it without even more chocolate or finely grated and dried orange peel.

I must say the cake is nicer after few hours, or even on the next day - if it gets a chance to wait ;-)

*The original recipe is not mine. I got it from M. on a forum that normally has not much to do with cooking - that proves that you can find interesting things in places where normally you would not be looking for them ;-) Anyway, I have modified the original a bit: I use more chocolate and the orange rind is completely my idea. I think it is adding a lot to the taste, but maybe it's just my opinion.