Bittman's How to Cook Everything - Banana Breadly goodness

Cafe Society
1

Wow - I had a few over-ripe bananas in the house (darn it kids, eat your fruits and veggies!) so I decided “heck, why not make banana bread - it is supposed to be easy, right?”

So I pulled out my handy-dandy How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman and sure enough there was a quick and easy recipe. With coconut in it, even. So a quick stroll to the store to pick up 1 - 2 needed ingredients and I am off to the races.

Wow - just pure amazing banana breadly goodness. My wife just kinda appeared as I was pulling it out of the oven and started drooling (actually not a bad sight, seeing your spouse drool over your baking - I’d recommend it) and a neighbor came by right then, too. They feasted.

This stuff is dense and rich and everything you want in great banana bread - can’t recommend it highly enough…

2

What, no samples? You are a man without a heart.

3

Sure! C’mon over!

:smiley:

4

Um … so do we have to go out and buy the book?
Tease!

5

Buy the book anyway! No home should be without it.

6

I have the book… Lots of great recipes and vast amounts of knowledge. I do recommend it.

However, there are some recipes in there that are kind of so-so. His cheesecake recipe isn’t that great. Lots of the recipes are way to “poofy poofy fru-fru” for my liking. I also live in a small WI town so not all ingredients are readily available to me.

I swear, if I were to ever get a show on food network, it would be called Recipes for Small Town America, and you would be able to find the ingredients in any small town grocery store :slight_smile:

Not that I don’t like to try new flavors, but it seems to have gotten a little out of hand!
Barrels

7

I just made some Friday using the recipe from this book - Tassajara Bread Book. Few things in life are better than fresh from the oven banana bread.

My mom had the wonderful ability to make it from scratch. I hope to reach that level someday. Sigh.

Be sure to try zucchini bread when they start to overrun the garden. Next best thing after banana nut ectasy.

8

I think Bittman does fall down a bit on desserts. But for the beginning cook, that book is worth its weight in gold.

9

Sorry - I am not close to the book here at work and am clueless about baking without a recipe. I had never done BBread before so that was new!

But I agree with DianaG - from my very limited experience, I do find Bittman useful - it is pretty much my “Joy of Cooking” - the first book I turn to for general reference…

APagan - I love Tassajara bread; when I lived in San Francisco we’d go to their restaurant Greens in Fort Mason pretty regularly…

10

Heh.

I’ve long had plans to start a blog called “Food Wasteland” that incorporates recipes with ingredients that can be bought anywhere and rants about small-town restaurants and grocery stores who think that lil’ smokies are strange and exotic items.

Of course, I’m far too lazy to actually do it. But I would like to!

11

The best banana bread I have ever had came from Devena’s mother or grandmother recipe.

I get more compliments on it and I omit nuts and add chocolate chips. I also switched some sugar’s around for more Brown sugar.

It is always a crowd pleaser.

12

Add chocolate fudge frosting and I’ll gladly follow you to the ends of the earth, O Captain my Captain!