Day 168: fruit bowl rescue mission
A late-night fruit bowl rescue mission and a spot of midnight(ish) baking resulted in a very good thing indeed: Nigella’s Banana Bread, from How To Be A Domestic Goddess. I hadn’t originally picked this one for my “official” HTBADG-themed line-up (Part 1); it was more the outcome of taking to Twitter in search of inspiration for what to do with two almost-decaying bananas in my fruit bowl, and it, of course, had to be something I hadn’t already made. Not that I have any problem with repetition, I just need to get the cookalong day count up!
It was the lovely Lucy Antal that suggested this one. Well, actually, I think a few of you did, but Lucy got there first! Thanks, Lucy!
Nigella’s Banana Bread
My two, recently rescued, bananas didn’t quite make up the total weight needed, but, after a quick rummage through the freezer, I was grateful to find a lone and peeled banana in a bag that was just enough to make up the 300g needed. (This lone banana happened to be next to another bag, which contains an alarmingly large number of banana skins. Note to self: make a banana skin curry soon!).
I didn’t have bourbon or rum. I contemplated vodka, even flavoured ones, but in the end decided on Crème de Châtaigne, or chestnut liqueur. And what a wonderful substitute it was; the caramelly chestnuttiness of the liqueur pervaded through vibrantly - and I scraped every last drop of the sticky syrup (that resulted from bringing the liqueur to the boil with the sultanas) into the cake batter, too. Perhaps using dried cranberries/cherries and Crème de Châtaigne together would make a fabulously festive -and seasonal - twist, when the time comes. In absence of walnuts, I used pecans.
My oven seems to be on the blink again. How something can burn when I turn it down to 150oC (fan off), I have no idea. Anyway, apart from a slightly overdone outer carapace, this banana bread is seriously good; moist and comforting and flecked with sticky, liqueur-drenched sultanas and soft, waxy nuts.
Whilst in the fruit bowl, I also noticed a few apples that could probably do with saving. I think I’ll put these into a chutney or pie over the weekend.
