Coconut Banana Bread

There's some sort of banana gene that runs in my family on my dad's side.  My dad, my sisters, my nephew, and I all love bananas and eat them regularly.  To see the amount of bananas that my mom buys for my dad and my sister buys for herself and her son on a weekly basis, you would think they worked at a zoo or lived with Curious George.

While I love bananas, I don't always manage to eat them all before they start browning (and I'm not talking about some slight browning and freckling - I actually love bananas when the peels are a bit brown because that means it'll be sweeter and soft inside).  I wish I had taken a picture of the bananas I used for this recipe so you could see how far gone they were.  So even if you think your bananas are too brown and mushy for use, have no fear, they'll just be easier to mash and will make your bread even more banana-y in flavor!

As I've mentioned in previous posts, I'm a coconut addict and I have a huge bag of shredded coconut sitting in my pantry that was just asking to be used in this recipe.  Bananas and coconut = yum!  If I'd had coconut milk I might have considered using that instead of regular milk to intensify the coconut flavor, although maybe that would overwhelm the banana flavor.

Banana bread also freezes very well, so there's never a good reason to throw out your brown bananas. Make some banana bread and then eat it or freeze it for later!  Nothing better than freshly baked bananas and some coffee (or in my case and with the warmer days approaching, iced coffee).

Servings: 1 loaf made in a 9x5 loaf pan.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup unsalted butter
3/4 cup granulated white sugar
2 large eggs
2-3 medium very ripe bananas
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1/2 cup shredded coconut (plus some extra for topping the loaf)
Cooking spray (I used a coconut oil spray from Trader Joe's)

Instructions:

• Preheat oven at 350 degrees. For ease of removal later, line the loaf pan with parchment paper, letting the edges stick out over the sides so  you can grab onto them later. Spray the pan and paper. 
• (I have a love/hate relationship with parchment paper - love its nonstick properties but trying to keep the curling paper straight and out of the way was a pain. If you don't have any parchment paper, just make sure to grease the pan well.)
• Melt 1/2 cup butter in the microwave over low heat and then whisk together the butter with 3/4 cup white sugar in a large bowl until combined.
• Add 2 large eggs to the batter and whisk until smooth.
• Add 2-3 bananas to the batter and mash with the whisk or a fork (or, if you don't want any banana lumps, mash the bananas in a separate small bowl and then add the mush into the batter).
• If your bananas are very brown then the banana flavor will be stronger and you can get away with 2 bananas. If they are just a little brown and freckly, maybe consider going up to 3. I used 2 since my bananas were completely brown. 
• Add 2 cups flour, 1 tsp baking soda, 1/2 tsp salt to the batter and, using a spatula, stir everything together until just mixed and there is no more dry flour visible.
• Fold in 1/2 cup shredded coconut (this is the stage where you can add other ingredients based on preference (e.g., nuts, chocolate)).
• Pour batter evenly into the pan and smooth the top.  
• Optional: sprinkle the top of the loaf with some extra shredded coconut. I did this mainly to look nice with some toasted coconut on top, but then afterwards when cutting the bread it was kinda a pain crumbling all over the place (which Rosy LOVED cleaning up).
• Bake for 50-65 minutes, depending on your oven. Start checking at 50 minutes and then every five minutes after until the loaf is dark brown and cracked on top. Toothpick inserted in the middle should come out clean.
• Place pan on a cooling rack and let the loaf cool in the pan for 10 minutes.
• After the first cooling period, remove bread from pan (if you used the parchment paper method, simply lift the bread out by grabbing onto the paper's edges) and cool another 10 minutes before slicing.
• Keep bread covered  for several days (if the loaf lasts that long!) or wrap in plastic wrap and aluminum foil and keep in freezer for up to 3 months.

And now time for the pictures!

Stupid parchment paper. Hate trimming it to fit the pan while it's curling all over the place and getting in the way. But gotta love the benefits of using it while baking!

Since I had 4 super duper ripe bananas, I simply doubled the recipe above and made two loaves.

Love that crack!

Peek-a-boo, I see you!

Anytime I bake anything, Sunny is never intrigued and just stays on the couch or her bed. But Rosy loooves baked goods and sweets! She came trotting over as soon as I opened the oven and my apartment was filled with delicious banana bread smells!

"Excuse me, are you sure you don't need a taste tester? I'd gladly offer up my services!"

Sunny finally realized something was going on in the kitchen and came to join us after the cooling periods were over. She didn't necessarily want any crumbs, she was just hoping that all this kitchen activity meant I'd open the fridge so she could wedge herself in there and beg for her beloved carrots.

Slicing into the loaf!

Rosy's totally focused on the bread! Sunny's in her own little world, probably dreaming of carrots.

When it was time to sample the bread I decided to enjoy my afternoon snack with some iced coffee. I used to only drink my coffee black, but my sister has ruined me by introducing me to fun flavored non-dairy creamers, like Girl Scouts cookie-flavored creamers! Now I can't stop! Today I used the Samoa flavored creamer (I also have a Thin Mint flavored one). Sunny and Rosy got REALLY close to the bread for some good sniffs. 

Look at Rosy's begging shiny eyes!

Hope you enjoy!

Adapted from The Kitchn.

Pancakes/Waffles with Dark Chocolate and Coconut Pudding Filling (Taiyaki/Bungeoppang)

Snow day, snow day!  Woohoo!  Sunny and Rosy are thrilled to have me home for the day but they're not so thrilled with the snow.  Unfortunately I still have some conference calls to dial into, but at least I can make something fun at home like these taiyaki/bungeoppang!  Taiyaki is the Japanese version and Bungeoppang is the Korean version, and it's essentially a crisp pancake-y/waffle-y dough with some sort of fun filling inside.  Sweet red bean paste is the common and traditional filling, but there are all sorts of different fillings nowadays including different kinds of puddings, nutella, mashed sweet potatoes, custards, and even savory fillings like cheese or breakfast sandwichy kind of things.  In Japan and Korean it's common to find street vendors cooking these up fresh and serving them piping hot on cold wintry days.  While they now come in different molds, the fish one is the one that I remember growing up and it's the traditional shape oddly enough.

To make these fun little fish, first you need this bad boy

I got mine from Amazon but I bet you could find it way cheaper at an Asian market/store.

I almost didn't post this because there's no real recipe here and it involves a special type of pan, but something about these lil fish-shaped pancakes just make me happy and me and my family love these!  And snow days are just begging for something fun to make and eat!  While I like sweet red bean paste ok, it's not necessarily my favorite and I didn't have any red beans handy so instead I made something I'd like better - dark chocolate and coconut pudding!  Oh yeah.

These are best eaten fresh and hot, but I've frozen them and reheated them ok in the toaster oven.  Sometimes the filling doesn't heat up all the way, but in a way I actually like that even better!  You get the hot and crisp waffle-y texture on the outside and then an ice cream-y pudding inside!

[Update 2/15/14: I think next time I make these I'll add a tablespoon of sugar to the batter to sweeten it up.  If you use a pre-made pancake/waffle mix and you may want to add something to sweeten it up a bit.]

Servings: Depends on how much batter and filling you make.  You need a lot more batter than filling and you can cook two fish at a time.

Ingredients:
Favorite pancake/waffle mix/recipe
14 oz can of coconut milk, divided
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt (coarse or sea salt, otherwise you might want to use a little less)
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 tablespoons cornstarch
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
5 ounces (a little more than 1/2 cup) of dark chocolate, chips or coarse chunks

Instructions:

First we have to make the pudding so that it has time to chill.

• Shake the can of coconut milk well and then in a medium saucepan or pot heat over low heat half the can of the coconut milk, 1/4 cup sugar and 1/2 tsp salt.  Heat slowly and don't let the mixture boil.
• In a separate bowl, whisk together the remaining coconut milk, 3 tbsps cornstarch, and 3 tbsps of cocoa powder.
• Slowly add the cornstarch mixture to the saucepan/pot while stirring everything together well. Continue to whisk over low heat for a few minutes until the mixture starts to thicken and resemble a pudding texture.
• Remove the saucepan/pot from heat and stir in 5 oz (approximately 1/2 cup) of dark chocolate and 1 tsp vanilla.  Continue stirring until all of the chocolate is melted and mixed in and the mixture is smooth and pudding-like.  

• Pour pudding into a bowl, cover, and put in the refrigerator to chill for at least 2 hours.  If you want to avoid a skin forming at the top, you can press a plastic wrap against the top of the pudding.

Now it's time to make the taiyaki/bungeoppang!

• There are more traditional recipes for the batter that use cake flour, but if you're lazy like me, just use your favorite pancake/waffle mix.  I used Bob's Red Mill 10-grain pancake/waffle mix in an effort to try to make these a little healthier (ha!) and followed the waffle instructions.
• Oil the pan and heat it over low heat to warm it up.
• Pour some batter into the fish molds so that they're about halfway filled.  You don't have to worry about getting the fin so much because as the batter heats up it'll spread, but the tail is a bit trickier so you may need to add a few dribbles there. 
• Take your pudding (or favorite filling) and spoon it into the middle of the batter.  This will also spread when heated up so be careful to not overfill.  I found that about 1 tbsp was the right amount for me.
• Then pour some more batter on top to cover the filling.  It's ok if you don't cover it completely but try to do as best as you can without overfilling the molds.  See my crappy attempt below (notice how I had to go back and fill in the bald spots in the tail, and I still had more to fill in the left one).

• Shut the lid of the pan and then vigorously flip over the pan and heat the other side.  Flipping the pan with some force helps to dislodge the batter from the other side of the pan.
• Continue cooking for a few minutes, flipping every minute or so until the fish are golden brown.  You can lift up the lid a bit to peek and make sure they're cooked all the way. 

• If you overfilled then there will be some crunchy extras along the fish that you can remove with kitchen scissors, knife, or fingers.
• Eat them quickly while they're still hot!  They'll start to get soggy if you let them sit out so if you don't plan on eating them soon consider freezing them so that you can reheat them later.

And now some pictures featuring my kitchen "helpers"!

 

Sniff the fish!

Rosy's moving to a better begging spot.

Sorry none for you girls, but if you pose nicely I'll give you a special dog treat!

Ok now time to test one of these out...

It's so hard to resist Sunny's begging when she puts on her saddest face and dances around on her back paws!  But no, this is most definitely not a dog-friendly treat!

Pudding-licious!

And lest you think that all my fish were well shaped and browned on my first attempt, here's a plate of my rejects.

Sunny and Rosy offered to help me get rid of these rejects.  But I put them in the trash instead.  And by trash, I mean my stomach.

Chocolate pudding recipe adapted from The Kitchn.

Ginormous Pancake aka Dutch Baby Pancake

I love special and fun traditions, especially those that revolve around cold weather and/or holidays. One of my favorites was one my first grade teacher had for every first rainy day of the month. I grew up in southern California so it only really rained in the fall and winter months (I was shocked to discover when I got older that most areas of the U.S. have rain year round). And every first rainy morning of the month my teacher would bring in a huge urn of hot chocolate and bags of marshmallows. You had the option of bringing in your own mug and I always brought in my beloved mug with my name on it (I have an unusual name so this mug I found in Solvang, CA was a treasured possession!). This simple and yet awesome tradition made a dreary and rainy school day seem so special.

Now that I live on the east coast where it rains so much, I don't really make a big deal out of a rainy day other than to chase around my wet pugs with paper towels as I try to dry them off. But now my CA rainy day equivalent is a snow day! There's nothing better than the first few snowy days in a winter, especially if it means cancelled work or a late arrival! Sadly, today's wintry mix is on a Sunday but I still wanted to do something special for it. Usually I make a fun breakfast for a snow day, like a breakfast sandwich or pancakes. And now I'm adding this ginormous pancake aka Dutch baby pancake to my snow day routine!  This is best served right away but it's super easy to put together and quick to bake. What could possibly be better than eating this delicious pancake on a cold, snowy day, except for maybe sipping a steaming cup of hot chocolate with melting marshmallows on top in a special mug with your name on it?

Servings: 2-4 (or if you're feeling really glutinous 1 - shhh, I won't tell!)

Ingredients:
2 large eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup flour
2 teaspoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Powdered sugar and lemon wedges for topping
(Can top instead with maple syrup or fruit)

Instructions:

• Place oven-safe skillet in the oven and preheat oven to 425 degrees 
• In a large bowl whisk 2 large eggs and 1/2 cup milk until light and frothy.
• Add 1/2 cup flour, 2 teaspoons sugar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla and whisk together until well mixed and smooth (a feat I still am never able to fully achieve). Let the mixture sit at room temperature while you wait for the oven to reach temperature.
• Carefully remove the hot skillet from the oven and add 1-2 tablespoons of butter to the skillet. Swirl the butter around to coat the entire pan.
• Pour batter into the skillet and place back in the oven to bake for 12-18 minutes until pancake has puffed and is golden brown.
• Sprinkle with powdered sugar, squirt a bit of lemon juice on top, and serve immediately (you can slice it up into wedges for serving).
• [Alternatively: you can top instead with maple syrup or fruit.]

As soon as I go into the kitchen to cook, Sunny assumes her usual pathetic begging pug position. She alternated between looking sadly at the ground, resting her chin on the drawer handle, and staring up at me with her sad lil eyes.

Ahhh fresh out of the oven!

I like topping my pancake with powdered sugar and some squirts of a lemon wedge, but you can top it with lots of other things like maple syrup or your favorite fruit.

Ah nothing like a fun and delicious breakfast/brunch on a cold snowy day!

The begging pugs are back.

Rosy really really wanted to try some of this. She was begging more for this than a lot of my other savory dishes!

Trying to sneak a lick!

Sunny's eyes here crack me up!

Maybe I should rename these Pug Baby pancakes?

For those wondering, a quick internet search informed me that Dutch Baby pancakes are actually of German-American origin and the name is the result of a misinterpretation of the word "deutsch" for "Dutch" (like the Pennsylvania Dutch).

Hoddeok (Korean Pancakes with Sweet Filling)

I don't know how I lived for so long in New York away from all my family because now if I don't see my parents and eat some of my mom's Korean cooking, I get some serious cravings. I keep begging my mom to write down her recipes so that I can try them out but she claims it's too difficult for her because she doesn't really measure anything. I very rarely ever see her whoop out a measuring cup or measuring spoons. Actually, I don't know if she even owns any measuring spoons (I'll have to check next time I'm there).

So recently I was craving Korean food and discovered the joy that is YouTube videos of Korean cooking. One of my favorites is Maangchi. Just the sound of her ginormous knife on the cutting board (for some reason all Korean moms I knew would use their one huge knife for all their chopping) reminds me of my mom when cooking. Since I won't be doing my grocery shopping for the week until later I wanted to find a recipe with ingredients that I might have in my pantry/fridge. Then I saw her hoddeok recipe and I knew I had to make some!  Hoddeok is a Korean pancake that is filled with something yummy, like a red bean mixture or some sweet syrupy goodness. My mom never made this at home, but we would often buy it in Koreantown or there's a frozen version that you just pop into the toaster oven. It's a great treat on a cold and dreary day. Since the past few days have been overcast and nonstop raining, I believe the universe was telling me that I had to make these. 

Servings: Makes 8 hoddeoks

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup lukewarm water

2 teaspoons yeast

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons white sugar

1 tablespoon vegetable oil (plus extra for cooking with)

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon 

2 tablespoons finely chopped nuts (I used almonds because that's what I had handy)

Instructions:

• Pour 1 cup lukewarm water into a medium-large bowl.
• Add in 2 tsps yeast, 1/2 tsp salt, 2 tbsps white sugar, and 1 tbsp vegetable oil. Stir until well mixed.
• Add in 2 cups flour and stir until well mixed.
• Cover bowl tightly with saran wrap and let rise for about one hour.
• After the hour's up, stir the dough to release the air bubbles (I used my small rubber spatula for this).
• Cover again and let rise for an additional 10-20 minutes.
• While the dough is on its second rise, in a small bowl mix together 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon, and 2 tbsps of finely chopped nuts.
• After dough is done with its second rise, flour a cutting board or other surface very well. This dough is very sticky, so be generous with the flour!
• Pour out the dough onto your well-floured surface.  Tuck in the edges towards the center and knead it a bit as you get the surface area lightly coated with the flour.
• Separate the dough into 8 evenly sized pieces.
• Flour your hands well and with each of the 8 pieces do the following: Flatten it a bit with your hands and in the middle pour 1/8 of the brown sugar/cinnamon mixture in the middle.  Curl your hand inwards as you raise the edges of the dough towards the center, closing the dough up as you pinch and pat down the center part. Do this 8 times with each piece of dough and set aside, seam side up. The dough is really sticky so do your best and keep extra flour close by!
• Heat a large pan a smidgen over medium heat. I found that with my stove I needed to set it right in between medium and medium-high to get the best results. Experiment with your stove to see what works best for you and the color you want to achieve with your hoddeok.
• Pour a little bit of oil into your pan or use a cooking spray and heat it up.
• Place your dough ball seam side down into the pan and cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute until bottom is brown. I found on my stove I needed to do closer to 1 minute.
• Using a spatula, flip over and then gently press down with your spatula (carefully use your finger to help press down the spatula) across the dough to flatten it out into a circle about 4 inches in diameter. Cook for an additional 1 minute.
• Flip the dough again and press down with your spatula for a little bit. Lower the heat to low to medium-low and cover.  Cook for an additional 1-2 minutes.
• Remove lid and if you want to make sure the filling inside is melted, flip the hoddeok a couple times and gently press down with your spatula.
• Remove hoddeok from pan and plate it. Hoddeok is best served piping hot from the cooktop. There's a fine balance between getting it when it's perfectly hot and delicious, and burning your fingers and tongue. I usually end up with burnt fingers and tongue because I'm so impatient.
• While hoddeok is best served fresh, unless you're cooking for 8 people or are super duper hungry with a crazy fast metabolism, you may want to consider a few options: (1) If you plan on serving/eating the rest in the next day or two place the dough in the fridge until you use it; (2) Freeze dough and thaw before you need it; (3) Make the dough balls with the filling inside and then freeze the balls on a cookie sheet until frozen and then in an airtight container. Thaw before you cook it up; or (4) Make the hoddeoks and freeze them on a cookie sheet until frozen and then in an airtight container. Reheat in a toaster oven or in the oven.  Of course none of these options are as good as fresh and hot, but sometimes we gotta make do with what we can. Since I'm super lazy, my preferred method is to make them completely, freeze, and then toast them to reheat them. 

Now comes the pictures!  

Here are my cute little dough balls.

The first batch I made I didn't flatten them enough or cook them long enough so the filling wasn't as syrupy as I'd like. 

Surprisingly the girls were not in the kitchen as I cooked these up. They usually don't when I cook sweets but as soon as the bacon hits the pan or I cook some other savory food they are promptly by my feet. I think they were also tired from their busy day of going to the groomers, playing with their new ginormous elephant toy/bed from Costco, and going on stubborn walks in the pouring rain all day.

So the next batch I flattened them out a bit better and cooked at the longer times I mentioned above.

A couple were a little too dark on one side, but they were much better and syrupy inside!

The girls were still lounging on the couch and I couldn't do a post without them so I brought the plate over to taunt them and take photos.

Sunny's super tired!

Then I brought them back into my kitchen and started eating!

So good! But now I feel crazy stuffed from having eaten so many as I tried to find the right cooking temps and times for my stovetop!

Oh yeah.

I froze a bunch of them and look forward to reheating them on cold and lazy weekend mornings. I think I'll be making and eating a lot of these this fall and winter! And I might try experimenting with different fillings and flavors. Maybe a pumpkin one???

Adapted from Maangchi (watch her YouTube video - it's very helpful as it shows each step in action).

Kinda Magic Custard Cake

Oh Pinterest.  Why must you show me so many tempting foods and recipes?!  I stumbled across this recipe for magic custard cake and became super obsessed.  Simple ingredients mixed together that when baked form three separate layers - a fluffy top, a creamy custard in the middle, and a flaky crust.  Magic!  I knew I had to try this out!  I did not have a square pan so I used a regular 9-inch cake pan.  It worked out pretty well, but I had problems with my egg whites and so it's not as fluffy on top as it could be.  But despite the flatness of my cake, it was super yummy!  At first I wasn't that impressed and thought it tasted a bit eggy and not that sweet, but this stuff is seriously addicting!  It got better and better until soon I found myself stuffing my face with slices of this case, powdered sugar everywhere.

Servings: I used a 9-inch round cake pan and it all fit in there perfectly.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup unsalted butter
2 cups milk
4 eggs, separated
1 1/4 cups powdered sugar (plus extra sugar for dusting the cake at the end) or 3/4 cup granualted sugar
1 tablespoon water
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 325°F.  Lightly butter the cake pan (I used a 9-inch round pan but most versions of this recipe call for a 8x8 baking dish).
• Melt 1/2 cup butter and set aside to cool.
• Gently warm 2 cups milk and set aside to cool.
• Whip 4 egg whites to stiff peaks.  Stiff peaks means that when you turn the whisk over the peaks should stay up.  Using a copper bowl or adding a couple drops of vinegar midway through the whisking helps.
• Beat 4 egg yolks and 1 1/4 cups powdered sugar (or 3/4 granulated sugar) until combined. 

• Mix in 1/2 cup melted butter and 1 tbsp water for about 2 minutes or until evenly incorporated.
• Mix in 1 cup flour.
• Slowly beat in 2 cups milk and 1 tsp vanilla extract until everything is well mixed.
• Fold in the 4 egg whites slowly.  
• Pour batter into pan and bake for 45-60 minutes, until the top is golden.

• Allow cake to completely cool before cutting into it.  Cutting into it too soon will yield a liquidy center.  You can place the cake into the fridge to cool it faster.
• Finish with a dusting of powdered sugar on top.

Mmm mmm good!

My cake was not as fluffy as it should've been but it was still delicious!

Recipe from White on Rice Couple.