Gail Wente's Banana Coffee Bread

 I picked up this wonderful banana bread recipe from Gail Wente when I worked at the Portsmouth Daily Times, in Portsmouth, Ohio.

Gail was the secretary there, and one of the kindest people I ever met. My favorite memory of her was her discreet handling of the sign-out board.  We had this big whiteboard we were supposed to use whenever we went out of the office, marking when we expected to be back so people calling for us might know when we would return to the office. My name was toward the top, in the place of whoever I replaced. Gail saw me dragging a chair over to reach it.  She didn't say a word.  But the next day, the list had been rearranged, according to height.

Here's her banana bread recipe - it's almost as sweet as she is.

1/2 Cup shortening

1 Cup sugar

2 eggs

3/4 Cup mashed ripe (or overripe) bananas. It's about two bananas.

1 1/4 Cup flour

3/4 teaspoon soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream shortening and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each.

Stir in banana. Sift together dry ingredients and add them to the mixture. Mix well.

Pour into greased 9x9x2-inch pan, or two loaf pans.

Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes (in theory.  Last time, it took my oven an hour, but I was using a glass loaf pan that was much deeper.). When a toothpick comes out clean, or a thermometer reads 205 degrees, it's done.

Flaming bananas!

Bananas Foster
Recipe courtesy of Alton Brown
Total Time:
12 min
Prep:
5 min
Cook:
7 min

Yield:2 servings
Level:Intermediate
Ingredients



This recipe comes through Food Network. We're trying it tomorrow during the Night o' Fire - a winter meal with Chris Lent and Amanda Birk, in which we cook a meal where every course is flambeed. We'll report back later on how it goes.  Leon may need a good stiff drink after this night!


2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup (1.75 ounces) dark brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
1 tablespoon banana liqueur
2 under ripe bananas, sliced in half lengthwise
1/4 cup dark rum
1/2 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
Directions

Melt butter in a 10-inch heavy skillet over low heat. Add brown sugar, allspice and nutmeg and stir until sugar dissolves. Add banana liqueur and bring sauce to simmer. Add bananas and cook for 1 minute on each side, carefully spooning sauce over bananas as they are cooking. Remove bananas from pan to a serving dish. Bring sauce to a simmer and carefully add the rum. If the sauce is very hot, the alcohol will flame on its own. If not, using stick flame, carefully ignite and continue cooking until flame dies out, approximately 1 to 2 minutes. If sauce is too thin, cook for 1 to 2 minutes until it is syrupy in consistency. Add orange zest and stir to combine. Immediately spoon the sauce over bananas and serve. Serve with waffles, crepes, or ice cream.

Recipe courtesy Alton Brown, 2003

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