June 20, 2009 7:44 pm

Going Bananas

My family tends to be overly optimistic about the number of bananas we will eat in a given week. We buy them green and leave them in a basket on a kitchen shelf until they become spotted and then ripen into a brown pulpy state. Banana bread has become a family staple.

A few weeks ago I planned to make a loaf with the three overripe bananas sitting in the fruit bowl. They were sweet but still edible—perfect for banana bread or banana muffins. I unearthed a stick of margarine in the freezer, microwaved it for a few seconds and started creaming it with the sugar. The margarine was still mostly solid, so I left the mixture half creamed and started gathering the other ingredients. I opened the refrigerator to pull out the carton of eggs and discovered another four bananas, black and shapeless. I picked them up briefly, pondering if I should make the bread extra banana-y, but I thought that might end badly. I was not eager to double the recipe and spend more time beating the butter; my arms hurt. So I put them back and carried on with the initial bread-making venture.

My family devoured the whole loaf in a matter of days. A few days later, searching for something to do, I determined to brave the four ex-bananas in the fridge. They were still sitting there, uncovered, on a plate. The refrigeration had transformed them into a partially liquid state, and their skins were very thin and cold. Touching them was disconcerting; they were scarcely recognizable as bananas. I began peeling the first one and let it plop into the bowl. It was as if pre-mashed; its sides adhered to the peel, leaving a slimy residue. I peeled the other three quickly, trying to touch the body of the banana as little as possible.

When I mixed the banana mush into the bowl with the margarine, sugar and eggs, the whole thing looked a little scary—much darker than a standard batter—and with brown flecks. I poured in the lemon juice without measuring, whisked the dry ingredients together cursorily with a fork. An hour and fifteen minutes later, I took it out of the oven. It tasted exactly the same as the first loaf had: spongy, cake-like, dense and mostly sweet with a hint of tartness. The top was brown and crusty, and formed a perfect hill. While I'd rather avoid cooking with such über-nasty bananas in the future, but should I encounter well expired bunch, it's good to know that banana bread can salvage even the most blackened of bananas.

—Julie Hersh

— Written by Julie Hersh

< PREVIOUS ENTRY NEXT ENTRY >

Tags : ---

User Comments

Login to comment