Banana jam

After baking those lovely mini brioches today I was in the mood for some more “experimenting”. I have 3 so very over the top ripe bananas that had to be eaten. One more day and it was ready for the trash. So I really really had to use them. I didn’t want to make any banana bread or banana cake or anything else for that matter. I still have a lot of brioches we have to finish so it had to be something that could go with them. What else would go better with homemade brioche than some jam? This is just too easy. I’ve made jam before…I even accidently made jam when I wanted to make syrup! So this is what I did:

I squeezed the juice of one lime in a bowl. This was a very juicy lime so I ended up with about 60 ml juice. Then I pealed the bananas and sliced them about ½ cm and dropped them in with the lemon.

 

I don’t really like my jam too sweet so I started with adding 7 tablespoons of sugar; if needed I could always add some more. Then I added a good pinch of salt and about a teaspoon of cinnamon. I mixed everything and started to cook it in a pot.

Just when the sugar started to dissolve I had a taste. It was just perfect. It had a nice balance between sweet and sour, just the way I like it.

I added a drop of rum flavorings and cooked it till the jam thickens. There was a bit of foam so I scooped that off. The whole house smells so nice now...great combination of cinnamon and banana.

I poured it in a sterilized jar and let it rest upside down for a bit. After 15 minutes I turned it back up and after it cools off it will go in the fridge. Hope it will thicken more when it cools.

And it did!

It was sooo good with the brioche!

Banana bread

I had 3 bananas looking at me for a while now. I bought them when they were yellow and saw them slowly getting spotted with little brown spots. They were on the merge of turning brown and I was about to through them away. Then I remembered the one dish you could make with overly ripe bananas…banana bread!

I never had banana bread before. The one time I bought it in the States, I totally forgot to eat it. And with so much good food, I just didn’t felt the need to try them again. And now after making it myself I, no way I will eat store bought banana bread.

As you know I am not much of a baker, but I enjoy doing it more and more these days. Maybe one day I get to be good at baking also. Since this recipe turned out so good (I am having a slice as we speak) I thought I put it in writing so I can recreate it again next time. I made this bread Tuesday and now 3 days later it is still so moist that it looks and taste like I just baked it today.

For one loaf of banana bread you need:

- 1 cup wheat flour
- 1 cup self rising flour
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup vanilla yoghurt
- 3 ripe banana
- 75 gram raisins
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 3 tablespoon butter (melted)
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 3 tablespoons peanut butter
- 75 gram dark chocolate (chopped in little bits and pieces)

I know it is a whole list of ingredients, but there are a few things you can leave out or substitute. Now you know why I had to put it in writing; I would never be able to remember next time.

Of course no banana bread without bananas so that is a definite must have, also the flour, eggs, butter, baking soda, salt and sugar has to be present. The rest is just optional.

Step by step this is what I did:

* Preheat the oven on 160 degrees.

* Peal the bananas and use a fork to smash them in a big bowl. You can smash them as much or as little as you like.

* Add the vanilla yoghurt and combined it with the bananas so they won’t turn brown.
* Add everything else besides the flour, baking soda and chocolate. Stir till everything is well mixed.

* Sift all the flower and the baking soda in the same bowl, mix it well and add the chopped chocolate.

* Grease a pan with some butter and put the mixture in.

* Set the oven for 65 minutes and wait patiently till the bread is done.

You can eat the bread just the way it is, warm, cold or after a few days. Make sure you wrap it in plastic or put it in a bag. It should still be good after a few days.

 

 

The hubby is always good being a guinea pig and he had a first bite. He liked it, but didn’t fancy the chocolate. Guess that’s just a women’s thing =) Everything is good with (extra) chocolate!