Summer Baking Alternatives: What to Make When It's Too Hot for Banana Nut Bread

[AJPratt]

What do you do with them? In the fall/winter I'll make banana nut bread, but it seems too hot for that.

 

[cmdtrgd]

Peel them and put them in a plastic bag...mash them a bit as you get ALL the air out. Label the bags and put them in the freezer for when it gets cold again and then use them for Banana Bread. They may look a bit weird, and you might have to drain them a bit, but they taste the same!

 

[Ginger428]

What do you do with them? In the fall/winter I'll make banana nut bread, but it seems too hot for that.

Anne...if you have All The Best Cookbook, there is a recipe in it called Banana Cream Supreme. You could mash them up well & mix them with the pudding, sour cream & whipped topping to give it a more banana flavor. I was gonna try it next week for a party were having at the beach. This cake needs NO cooking!

 

[speedychef]

Make banana mutt cookies! The doggies love them! I don't really think they're that bad, either

1 1/2 c mashed bananas
3c oatmeal
1/4 c applesauce
1/2 c chopped nuts
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

mix it all together and make drop cookies. You have to flatten them, and they don't spread, so you can put a lot of them close together. Using the medium scoop, it makes about 30 and they just barely don't fit on the stoneware bar pan (isn't that always the way...) Anyhoo...bake at 350 for about 15 minutes. Let the dog lick the bowl while she's waiting for the cookies to come out of the oven and cool!

 

[cat]

Ice Cold Smoothies!I will usually freeze any fresh ripe fruit I have for smoothies. Cool and refreshing for summer!
I can't find my favorite recipe, but it's called Pineapple Crush and it goes something like this..

Pineapple Crush
1/2 cup frozen bananas sliced
1 cup pineapple juice
1 cup frozen pineapple chunks

Mix in blender until smooth.

Here are a couple others:

Classic Smoothie
1 cup orange juice
1 cup hulled and quartered fresh strawberries, frozen
2 fresh bananas, sliced and frozen

Pour the OJ into blender. Add strawberries and bananas. Blend until smooth.


Starburst
3/4 cup apple juice
1 cup diced fresh kiwi
1 cup hulled and quartered fresh strawberries, frozen
2 fresh bananas, sliced and frozen

Place all the ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth. (A blender with crush the kiwi seeds, making them bitter)

ENJOY!!

 

[pamperedalf]

Anne I second the smoothies, that's what I do and my son loves them. I am the pickest banana person around. They have to be slightly gree for me to eat them. I can only eat bananas 1-2 days after I buy them, then they go to smoothies.

 

[Momma23boys]

I was searching on food network because I have about 6 bananas going bad on my couter. yuck. I am not in the mood for banana bread.. but this sounds fabulous!! It is White Chocolate Banana Bread Pudding... from Emeril.. Has an Expert rating but.. I think it is just more involved.. not really hard to do.. Has a great ice cream recipe to go with too!!!

White Chocolate Banana Bread Pudding Recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse, 2006
Show: Emeril Live
Episode: Return to New Orleans
Recipe Summary
Difficulty: Expert
Prep Time: 1 hour
Inactive Prep Time: 6 hours 30 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Yield: 10 to 12 servings

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus 2 tablespoons room temperature
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/4 cups light brown sugar
3 cups heavy cream
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup dried cherries
6 cups day-old bread cubes (1/2-inch)
6 ounces white chocolate, chopped
2 ripe bananas, diced into 1/2-inch pieces
2 tablespoons dark rum
2 tablespoons banana liqueur
Drunken Monkey Ice Cream, recipe follows
Chocolate Sauce, recipe follows
Fresh mint leaves, for garnish
Powdered sugar, for garnish

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Brush a 14-inch oval baking dish with 2 tablespoons of butter. In a large bowl whisk together the eggs, 1 cup brown sugar, cream, and milk. Add the vanilla, cinnamon, cherries, bread, and chocolate, and stir to blend thoroughly.

Set a 10-inch saute pan over medium-high heat and add the 2 tablespoons of the room temperature butter to the pan; once melted, add the diced bananas to the pan and saute for 3 minutes. Add the remaining 1/4 cup brown sugar to the pan and saute until the sugar is melted, about 2 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and add the rum and banana liqueur to the pan. Return the pan to the heat and ignite the alcohol. Once the flames die out, fold the bananas into the bread pudding base. Stir the remaining 2 tablespoons butter into the mixture and pour into the baking dish.

Bake until firm, about 1 hour. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on rack until just warm. Place a square of the pudding down on the plate, with a scoop of the Drunken Monkey Ice Cream. Drizzle the Chocolate Sauce over the ice cream and bread pudding and garnish with the mint leaves and powdered sugar.


Chocolate Sauce:
1 cup heavy cream
8 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
In a small, heavy saucepan, bring the cream to a bare simmer over low heat. Place the chocolate pieces in a medium bowl. Pour the cream over the chocolate and let sit for 2 minutes. Whisk in the vanilla and continue whisking until the sauce is smooth and thickened. Let the sauce cool to room temperature before serving.

Yield: 1 1/2 cups


Drunken Monkey Ice Cream:
2 cups milk
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 vanilla bean, cut and seeds scraped
1 cup mashed ripe banana
1/3 cup sugar
4 egg yolks
1/4 pound white chocolate, chopped
1/4 cup rum
1/2 cup crushed cashew brittle
3 1/2 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, about 1/2 cup
4 teaspoons vegetable oil
In a 2-quart saucepan set over medium heat, add the milk, cream, vanilla bean, pod seeds and the banana. In a medium-sized bowl, combine the sugar and egg yolks and beat, using a whisk, until pale yellow and smooth. Pour about 1 cup of the milk and cream mixture into the egg yolk mixture and whisk thoroughly. Add the egg yolk mixture to the saucepan and simmer gently, stirring with a wooden spoon. Be sure to stir inside the corners of the pan. As the custard cooks, it will thicken, and be able to coat the back of a spoon. This will take about 5 minutes. Remove the custard from the heat and strain through a fine mesh sieve, into a clean non-reactive bowl.

Add the white chocolate to the custard and stir to melt the chocolate. Once the chocolate is melted, pour the rum into the bowl and stir well to blend. Refrigerate the custard and allow it to chill for at least 2 hours before proceeding.

Once the custard is cool, pour the ice cream base into an ice cream maker, and follow the manufacturer's instructions on how to properly freeze the custard. When the ice cream is partially frozen, add the cashew brittle to the base and continue to churn the machine.

While the ice cream is churning, melt the chocolate with the vegetable oil over a double boiler. Stir the chocolate as it melts to keep it smooth. Once the chocolate is completely melted, drizzle it into the ice cream. As the hot chocolate hits the cold cream, it will cool and form into shards. Continue to churn the ice cream until it is nearly completely frozen. Remove from the machine and place in an airtight container. Freeze for at least 4 hours, and preferably overnight.

Yield: 1 quart

 

[jdavis]

I keep them in the freezer to put into pancake batter, the kids love it. Especially when I make shapes out of them.

 

[dannyzmom]

What do you do with them? In the fall/winter I'll make banana nut bread, but it seems too hot for that.

Every time I have an overripe one, I bag it and toss it in the freezer. Once I have enough, I make a loaf of Banana Bread. Then I slice the banana bread into slices and using my Double Burner Griddle I (well, ok, I don't do this part, hubby does...but still, you know what I mean - LOL) make a big batch of banana bread french toast and individually bag it and freeze it for the kids so in the mornings, all I have to do it pop a slice or two in the micro or the toaster and we have yummy, healthy hot breakfast!

 

[Sk8Mom209]

I throw my in the freezer whole and freezer until your are ready to use them to make banana bread.

 

[AJPratt]

I knew you would all come through for me!!!

 

[Grandmarita]

This morning, I used one of those over ripes in Oatmeal, with a handful of
raisins and our Cinnamon Plus sprinkled liberally over the whole batch. I
used 3 cups water to 1 1/2 cups Oatmeal, and it was wonderful. That made 3 healthy portions. I'm looking forward to reheating the leftover portion for
myself tomorrow. I add in a couple of tablespoons of Plain Yogurt and 2 packets of Splenda for myself, and skip the milk. My husband uses Milk on
his portion.
I too, freeze those that get brown skinned. They squeeze out of the skins
when slightly thawed. No fuss or mess. I sometimes add one of these to a
batch of Poppyseed muffin mix for a quick gift for a Shut In. It gives it more
flavor and nutritional value.

 

[soonerchef]

My grandfather freezes the banana whole and then eats it frozen for a cool treat, he loves them that way and so do my kids...but, since my kids love banana's we never have them turn brown to freeze!