Banana Bread with Cinnamon Crumble Topping

This recipe was originally published in the September 2008 issue of Bon Appétit magazine.  The original recipe is from Alison Barakat who is the owner of Bakesale Betty bakery in Oakland, California.  The recipe was also posted on other blogs over the years.  It gets very good reviews.  I have a loaf baking in my oven right now.  It smells really great.  I can't wait to try it.  

Banana Bread with Cinnamon Crumble Topping
Adapted from Bakesale Betty and Bon Appétit, September 2008

For bread:
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
1 cup mashed ripe banana (about 3 medium bananas)
2 large eggs
½ cup vegetable oil
¼ cup honey
¼ cup water

For topping:
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 ½ Tbsp. packed dark brown sugar

Preheat the oven to 350° F. Butter and flour a 9- x 5-inch metal loaf pan.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. In a large bowl, whisk together the banana, eggs, oil, honey, and water. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, and stir well. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan.

In a small bowl, mix together the topping ingredients. Sprinkle them evenly over the batter.

Bake the bread until a tester inserted into its center comes out clean, about 1 hour, give or take a little. Cool the bread in the pan on a wire rack for 30 minutes. Then carefully remove the bread from the pan, taking care not to dislodge the topping. Cool completely before slicing.

Yield: 1 loaf

Enjoy!

Potato-Cauliflower Salad

This salad was very popular with my husband but my son told me for the first time that he does not like cauliflower.  I enjoyed the salad very much.  This is one of the few recipes that I have made almost completely in the microwave.  I suggest using more bacon and blue cheese.  Instead of using sour cream dip, I made some myself with sour cream, chives and lemon juice.  I left out the breadsticks.

Potato-Cauliflower Salad
Prep: 25 minutes


Ingredients:
12 small fingerling or round new potatoes scrubbed
1 medium head cauliflower, cut into bite-size pieces
1 small onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, sliced
1/3 cup sour cream chive dip
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
2 Tbsp. salad oil
1/4 to 1/3 cup blue cheese, crumbled
1/4 cup fresh Italian (flat-leaf) parsley
2 slices bacon, crisp cooked and crumbled
4 crisp breadsticks, broken
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions:

1.  Arrange potatoes in a single layer in microwave on clean white paper towels.  Microcook on 100 percent power (high) for 5 minutes.  Turn potatoes, microcook until tender, about 3 minutes more.

2.  Place cauliflower and 2 tablespoons water in a 2-1/2 quart microwave safe casserole.  Microcook on 100 percent power (high) for 5 minutes or until crisp tender, stirring once.  Drain.  Cool slightly.

3.  In a large serving bowl combine potatoes, cauliflower, onion and celery.  In a small bowl stir together sour cream dip, lemon juice, and salad oil; gently toss with potato mixture and fold in blue cheese.  Chill up to 24 hours.  Just before serving, top with parsley, bacon, breadsticks, sea salt and freshly ground pepper.  Makes 8 to 10 servings.

Enjoy!