Bananas and Cardamon

Had three overripe bananas, a brand new jar of cardamon, and a few chocolate chips. Good thing i had an egg hanging out in the fridge - didn't even need a run to the grocery store downstairs. Biscotti smells great - can even smell it through my stuffed nose.  Can't wait until this cold is gone and i can smell, taste and hear like a healthy person!

note: these came out much softer than normal biscotti due to the banana content even with increased baking times. The banana flavor comes through - next time i think i'll stick to just cardamon and get the cookie to harden up.

Banana Cardamon Biscotti

2 cups flour

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp baking pwd

1/4 tsp salt

3 ripe bananas, mashed

1 tsp vanilla

1tsp cardamon

1 egg

1 Tbsp oil

handful of chocolate chips

Potica Recipe

This recipe was found online. It's different from my family recipe. The biggest changes are adding orange peel - which is a really nice addition - and the structure built by stirring for 3 minutes at the beginning of making the dough. This didn't come close to cracking - and was very tasty. For Bread:

2-2 1/2 cups AP flour

1 pkg active dry yeast (2.25 tsp)

1/3 cup milk

1/2 stick unsalted butter

2 TBSP sugar

1/2 tsp salt 2 eggs

For Filling:

3 cups ground walnuts

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 stick butter softened

1/4 cup honey

1 slightly beaten egg

3 tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon finely shredded lemon or orange peel (optional)

1/2 teaspoon vanilla DIRECTIONS FOR BREAD: In a medium mixing bowl combine 1 cup of the flour and the yeast; set aside. In a medium saucepan heat 1/3 cup milk, 1/4 cup butter or margarine, 2 tablespoons sugar, and the salt till mixture is warm (120 to 130 degrees F) and butter or margarine is almost melted. Add to flour mixture. Add 2 eggs. Beat with an electric mixer on low to medium speed for 30 seconds, scraping bowl constantly. Beat on high speed for 3 minutes. Using a wooden spoon, stir in as much of the remaining flour as you can. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead in enough of the remaining flour to make a moderately soft dough that is smooth and elastic (3 to 5 minutes total). Shape into a ball. Place in a lightly greased bowl; turn once. Cover and let rise in a warm place till double (1 to 1 1/4 hours). FOR FILLING: In a large mixing bowl stir together walnuts, 3/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup butter or margarine, honey, 1 slightly beaten egg, 3 tablespoons milk, peel (if desired), and vanilla. Set aside. Punch dough down. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, lightly grease two 7 1/2x3 1/2x2-inch or 8x4x2-inch loaf pans. Cover a large surface (at least 3x3 feet) with a floured cloth. On the cloth, roll dough into a 15-inch square. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes. Then roll dough into a 30x20-inch rectangle. TO ASSEMBLE: Put dough in half lengthwise, forming two 30x10-inch sheets. Spread the filling evenly over the surface of the dough, keeping to within 1 inch of the edges. Using the cloth as a guide, roll up jelly-roll style, starting from one short side. Pinch seams and ends to seal. Place loaves, seam-sides down, in the prepared loaf pans. Cover and let rise in a warm place till nearly double (45 to 60 minutes). Bake in a preheated 325 degrees F oven for 45 to 50 minutes, or till golden brown. Remove from pans; cool on a wire rack.

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Recipe: Banana Bread with Chocolate Frosting

from The Professional Pastry Chef: Fundamentals
by Bo Friberg

10 oz unsalted butter
1 lb 2 oz (510 g) granulated sugar
3 eggs at room temp
1 tsp canilla
1 lb 5 oz (595 g) pureed ripe bananas
1 lb 2 0z (510 g) bread flour
2 tsp salt
2 tsp bkg soda
optional: 9 oz coarsely chopped walnuts

Prepare pans (3 - 1 qt pans) with butter and flour or baking non-stick spray.

Melt the butter and add the sugar. Mix for a few minutes until sugar starts to dissolve. Stir in the eggs, vanilla and banana.

Combine the flour, salt, baking soda and walnuts. Stir into the butter mixture.

Spoon the batter into the prepared forms. Fill pans no more than 3/4 full.

Bake at 350F (175 C) for about 45 minutes or until baked through.

Unmold the cakes as soon as possible and let cool on a cake rack. They will get wet if left to cool in the pans.

Chocolate Topping
Boil 1 cup heavy cream
Pour hot cream over 4 oz of dark chocolate. Let sit for about 2 minutes. Stir until smooth. Let cool until it thickens to desired consistency and frost the muffins or bread.

Recipe: Blueberry Ginger Muffins

from The Professional Pastry Chef
by Bo Friberg

makes 30 muffins, 4 oz each (or 1 bundt pan and about 18 muffins)

Preheat oven to 375F

14 oz (400 g) light brown sugar
14 oz (400 g) unsalted butter at room temp
1/2 cup (170 g or 6 oz) molasses
2/3 cup (225 g or 8 oz) honey
6 eggs at room temp
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 pound (455 g) cake flour
14 oz (400 g) bread flour
1 TBSP bkg pwd
1 TBSP bkg soda
2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground ginger
1 cup (240 ml) buttermilk at room temp
1lb 8 oz (680 g) fresh or frozen blueberries (if frozen -do not thaw)

Prepare pans
Cream together brown sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Mix in the molasses, honey, eggs, and vanilla.
Combine the cake flour, bread flour, bkg pwd, bkg soda, salt and ginger. Blend into the sugar mizture in 3 segments, alternating with the buttermilk.
Stir in the blueberries gently so that the berries do not break and turn the batter blue.
Fill muffin tins slightly above the rim.

Bake at 375F (190C) until brown and baked through (toothpick comes out clean of batter).
Muffins: about 35 minutes
Bundt pan: about 45 minutes

Recipe: Roasted Kale with Sea Salt

Roasted Kale with Sea Salt

• 4 cups firmly-packed kale
• 1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp. good-quality sea salt, such as Maldon or Cyprus Flake

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Wash and trim the kale: Peel off the tough stems by folding the kale leaves in half like a book and stripping the stems off. Toss with extra virgin olive oil. Roast for five minutes. Turn kale over. Roast another 7 to 10 minutes until kale turns brown and becomes paper thin and brittle. Remove from oven and sprinkle with sea salt. Serve immediately.

http://healthycooking.suite101.com/article.cfm/roasted_kale#ixzz0Jr2Doi5U&D

Recipe: Sweet and Fruity Pork Tenderloin

from Smoke and Spice
see post: First Time Smoker

Sweet Rub
1 TBSP allspice
1 TBSP brown sugar
1 TBSP onion powder
1 1/2 tsp sea salt (or kosher)
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp thyme

1 16 oz pork tenderloin
Olive Oil

Tenderloin Mop
Remaining Sweet Rub
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
2 TBSP vegetable oil
1 TBSP cider vinegar
1 TBSP honey
Directions:
* The night before: combine the rub ingredients in a small bowl. Massage the tenderloin with a thin film of oil followed by a couple of TBSPs of the rub to cover it. Tie the tenderloin with kitchen twine to keep the shape of the meat. Wrap the meat in plastic and refrigerate overnight.
(I used a 'Maple' pre-marinated tenderloin and only marinated with rub for 2 hours instead of overnight)
* Prepare your smoker for barbequing, bringing the temp to 200-220 F.
* Remove the tenderloins from the fridge and let them sit at room temp for 30 minutes.
* Prepare the mop: stir together the remaining rub with the other mop ingredients in a small saucepan and warm over low heat.
* Warm a heavy skillet over high heat. Quickly sear the tenderloin on all sides - including the flat ends. Transfer the meat to the smoker. Cook for 2.5 - 3.25 hours, turning the meat and basting it with the mop about once every 30 minutes.
* Brush the tenderloin with some of the Jalapeach BBQ sauce during the last 30 minutes of cooking.
* Tenderloin is done when internal temp is 160F. Let the meat sit for 10 minutes before carving. Serve with additional sauce on the side.

Jalapeach BBQ Sauce
makes about 2 cups

16 oz can peaches in heavy syrup, undrained
1/4 cup minced onion
3 TBSP pickled jalapenos
2 tsp liquid from jalapeno jar
2 TBSP peach chutney, or chopped mango
2 tsp packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cumin
Directions:
* Mix the ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to ow and cook until onions are tender and sauce thickens - at least 25 minutes.
* Use the sauce warm or chilled. It keeps well in the fridge for a few weeks.
* Suggested leftover uses: spread sauce on bacon half-way through cooking for a nice glazed bacon.

Recipe for Blueberry Muffins

Blueberry Muffins

adapted from The New Best Recipe of Cook's Illustrated

2 cups (10 oz) all purp flour

1 TBSP bkg pwd

1/2 tsp salt

1 large egg

1 cup (7 oz) sugar

4 TBSP unsalted butter melted and cooled

1.25 cups (10 oz) sour cream

12 oz. wild blueberrys