Ask and ye shall receive:
BANANA YOGURT PUDDING
The original recipe is from “Soufflés, Mousses, Jellies and Creams,” a 1980 cookbook by Robert Ackart. I’ve changed it by cutting the juice back from 1 cup to 3/4 cups, and expanding the juice/extract options.
1 envelope unflavored gelatin (=1 TBS)
3/4 cup juice of choice (recipe calls for orange juice, but I like to substitute passion fruit or guava)
2 large very ripe bananas, peeled and cut into large pieces
1 cup Greek yogurt
1/4 cup sugar
pinch salt
Extract of choice: 1/4 tsp almond, 1/2 vanilla, or about 1/2 tsp lemon or orange extract)
Soften the gelatin in 1/4 cup of juice for about 5 minutes, then dissolve it over simmering water in a double boiler.
Put the remaining ingredients into a blender and whir until smooth. With the motor running, slowly add the dissolved gelatin. Chill for at least 6 hours, or until it is thoroughly set.
Note - I call this “pudding” because the cookbook author does, but texture-wise it is more of a molded gelatin dessert. It’s creamy and sweet like Jello brand pudding, but not “gooey”; it holds its shape, as you would expect from a gelatin dessert.
Faux-sagna
(a bit lecture-y, because this is what I typed up to give my son so he could make it himself as a beginning cook, misspellings and all!)
(About 8-10 servings)
Olive oil (approximately ¼ cup)
2 onions
6-8 garlic cloves
1 kilo (or 2 lbs) ground beef
2 cans tomatoes, whole or diced (or stewed tomatoes)
2 Tbs oregano or to taste
2 Tbs basil or to taste
1 Tbs teaspoons salt or to taste
1 tsp white pepper or to taste – or grindings of fresh black pepper to taste
3 cups bisquick – preferably homemade whole wheat
2/3 cup milk
¾ to 1 cup grated parmesan cheese (Start with whole and grate it yourself for better quality)
Mozarella cheese – as much as you want; maybe ¼ to ½ lb
Put the olive oil into a large saucepan and begin heating over low heat while you chop the onion.
Add the onion to the olive oil. While it cooks, mince the garlic, then add to the onions.
Let onion/garlic cook for a minute or two, then add the ground beef, stirring to break it up. When the beef is mostly brown, add tomatoes with the juice from the can, oregano, basil, salt, and pepper. If the tomatoes are whole, chop them up a bit.
Let the mixture simmer until most of the juice from the tomatoes is evaporated – not to the point where the mixture is dry, but you have a thick meat sauce.
Slice the mozzarella.
Pre-heat oven to a moderate temperature - about 350 to 375 F.
While meat sauce is simmering, grate the parmesan then mix the bisquick, milk, and about ½ the grated parmesan. Do not overmix, just combine.
Grease or use Pam on a rectangular baking dish. Layer the meat sauce, walnut-sized bits of bisquick, and the mozzarella, starting with a thin layer of meat sauce followed by dough and then cheese. Repeat the layers and end with some more meat sauce. Top with the remaining grated parmasan.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes.
ETA: You’ll have to wait on a trifle picture until Saturday. It probably won’t look fabulous as I got rid of my trifle container when I was paring down my kitchen equipment a few years ago. So I’ll just make it in a plain glass bowl.
