Tuesday, August 5, 2008

So a banana goes to the zoo to see a zebra... : TWD


“I've got spots; I've got stripes, too.”
- Ani Difranco


We're in the throes of tomato overload these days as I find myself the recipient of an overflowing 4 lbs of tomatoes and small forest worth of Basil from my weekly 'tomato subscription' from the local organic farm. But after popping in a dinner of roasted squash and tomatoes with fresh pesto to bake, I was excited to tackle something sweet after all of that savory.


So, I was excited to see a Banana bread picked as this week's Tuesday with Dorie challenge.

I usually always have bananas in the house for banana bread. Problem is, I don't get the chance to bake it as often as I, or my husband's feet, would like. You see, the problem is, my banana bread bananas don't live on the counter. They live in the freezer, ready to jump out at an unsuspecting guest that goes to grab some ice. Its a running joke in our house to watch out for flying bananas when you go into the freezer.



I was excited to try a marbled chocolate banana bread, a nice alternative to my usual recipe for the sweet moist delicacy.

I followed Dories recipe spot on, primarily because of the comments about problems with varying banana sizes. I chose 2 smaller bananas, so I opted to use all of both of them. A couple minutes in the microwave to defrost, and they literally oozed out of their skins with hardly any coaxing or mashing needed.



For the marbling effect, I opted for the spooning method, figuring if nothing else, it might add a pretty effect. I started to run low on the chocolate batter before I could get everything in the pan, so the stripes are more focused to the bottom of the loaf, but it definitely gives it a pretty effect. The bittersweet chocolate contrasts nicely with the sweet banana flavor for a new tasty take on an old favorite.

I'd definitely give this recipe 2 thumbs up, and willing to try it again the next time the bananas in the freezer decide to stage a rebellious escape attempt.

The recipe for Dorie's Black and White Banana Loaf be found over at A Year In The Kitchen, or in Baking: From My Home To Yours, written by Dorie Greenspan.

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

Your marbling looks so nice and I'm delighted you and yours liked the cake.

Sihan said...

i agree with dorie on your marbling! very professionally done! looks fabulous!

Nancy/n.o.e said...

Your cake is so pretty! And for me tomato overload means gazpacho and tomato sauce to freeze. And tomato, mozarella, basil salad....

Nancy

Katrina said...

Thanks for the ideas, n.o.e.!
My 'subscription' is weekly through all of tomato season... so I've got a few weeks of overload to go through, and have been collecting every tomato recipe I can get my hands on. Gazpacho is a great idea!

Prudy said...

Oh your loaf looks good, but that bucket of tomatos is also calling my name. Our little plants didn't do so hot this year, so I'm really jealous!

April said...

What a nice looking loaf! I've been reading about everyone freezing bananas and I never knew you could do that, what a great idea.

Nancy/n.o.e said...

Katrina, here is my favorite gazpacho recipe:
http://noe847.blogspot.com/2008/07/on-hot-summer-night.html

Eleganza Strings/ The DeLadurantey Family said...

I love that last picture!

Anonymous said...

The marbling looks delicious! And look at you with a Dorie comment! :) Congrats! Gorgeous!

Anonymous said...

Haha, I'm glad you're willing to give this recipe a second go... not sure I can say the same!
And the your cake looks great :)

Anonymous said...

Fantastic loaf, it looks absolutely gorgeous!

Pamela said...

Your marbling looks really attractive! Nice job.

Engineer Baker said...

Your marbling looks so neat! And I love Ani Difranco, so two thumbs up there.

Anonymous said...

Ooh, this looks good. I've got to start freezing my bananas ...

Jayne said...

Lovely job!!