Bananas by the Bushel

New Zealand Listener, Volume 29, Issue 728, 26 June 1953, Page 22

Bananas by the Bushel

OW good it is that once again we have plenty of bananas, which have been so scarce since the tornadoes in the islands. They are such a sustaining and nourishing fruit to eat Taw, too-and so clean for children to manage. A banana and some dates and an apple make quite a good lunch to take to picnics, or for the children at school. They make an easy fruit salad, too, with just a tin of pineapple. Have you ever tried eating bread and butter with a banana slightly peppered? Some men like this. People are always inventing new recipes using bananas, and we shall all be very interested if any are sent in. Banana Nut Cake One and half cups sugar, % cup butter, 1 cup mashed bananas, 2 eggs, pinch salt, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 4 tablespoons sour milk, % cup chopped nuts, 134 cups flour. Beat sugar, butter and bananas, add soda and eggs. Sift in the flour and salt, beat thoroughly and add the nuts. Bake in moderate oven about 40 minutes. Banana Cream Two cupfuls mashed banana pulp, 14% cups milk, 3 tablespoons orange juice, 3 tablespoons honey and a pinch of salt, 2’ dessertspoons (2 oz.) gelatine dissolved in ¥% cup hot water. Mash bananas to smooth, creamy consistency and add milk, orange juice, honey and salt. Blend thoroughly. Then stir in gelatine dissolved in the hot water. Mix. Pour into wetted mould to set. Turn out on a pretty dish and garnish with whipped cream lightly sprinkled with nutmeg. Banana Blancmange Make a cornflour blancmange in the ordinary way, flavouring it with grated lemon rind. Then just before pouring it into the wetted mould, stir in some thinly sliced bananas, and leave it to set. : Banana Whip About 6 bananas, 3. tablespoons sugar, and 2 egg whites. Peel and mash the bananas and beat in sugar. Whip egg-whites until stiff, fold them into the banana mixture and pile them into pretty custard glasses in each of which

you have placed a [tew small pieces of pineapple. Chill, then serve with a topping of whipped cream and a bottled cherry or strawberry for colour. Banana Shortcake This is excellent for children, a good "family" pudding or cake. Four ounces vi-max, 2 oz. white flour, 2 oz. cornflour, 4 oz. butter, 1 egg, 1 dessertspoon sugar, 1 teaspoon baking powder, bananas, lemon juice and raspberry jam. Rub butter into the sifted vimax, flour, cornflour and baking powder. Mix with beaten egg and sugar. Roll out half of the paste, place on greased

tray, and spread with sliced bananas, grated lemon rind and juice, and raspberry jam. Cover with remaining half

of paste. Bake 30 minutes in a moderate oven. Sprinkle with icing sugar and cut while hot. Banana Salad Slice bananas lengthwise, using 1 for each salad, dip in lemon juice to prevent turning dark. Place banana halves on lettuce leaf with curved sides out. This leaves space in centre. Fill with any fruit mixture, plain or mixed with mayonnaise or boiled dressing. Pipe a bit of cream cheese, plain or mixed with mayonnaise, on top. Sprinkle with a few chopped walnuts. If liked, put cherry at each end, where banana halves join. ‘ One-egg Banana Cake Two tablespoons butter, 1 cup sugar. 1 egg, 144 cups flour, 2 to 3 mashed bananas according to size, 1 teaspoon baking powder, and the same quantity of baking soda in 2 tablespoons milk. Cream butter and sugar, add mashed bananas and well-beaten egg. Next add the flour sifted with the baking powder, and lastly the soda dissolved in the milk. Bake ¥% hour in moderate oven, ice with vanilla or banana-flavoured icing, and decorate with walnuts. Banana Coffee Cake One and a half cups flour, 2 bananas mashed, %4 cup sugar, pinch salt, 1% teaspoon baking powder, 1% lb. butter, 1 tablespeon coffee essence, 1 small teaspoon baking soda, 1 egg, % cup milk. Cream butter and sugar, add egg and mashed bananas, also essence. Add milk, flour, soda and baking powder all sifted together. Bake about half an hour, ice with coffee icing. Banana Sponge (One egg) One teacup of sugar, 2 tablespoons of milk, % lb. butter, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 small teaspoon baking soda, 1 egg well beaten, 3 firm mashed bananas, and 114 cups flour. Cream butter and sugar, add egg, then flour, baking powder and bananas. Dissolve soda in milk, and add to above. Bake about 1% hour in moderate oven. This sponge can be either baked in sandwich tins and mock cream filling put between, or in a flat baking tin, with whipped cream on top.

Danana Coconut fart Half a pound of flour, Y% cup sugar, % Ib. butter, 1 cup desiccated coconut, 1 egg, and a little milk to bind, Make the coconut pastry with the above ingredients, roll it out and line a tin or plate with it. Bake it a very light brown, and spread with raspberry jam. Slice 3 bananas on to this, and add the juice and grated rind of a lemon. Pour over this a custard made with one egg to a breakfast cup of milk, a dessertspoon of sugar, a pinch of salt. and a grating of nutmeg and bake until the custard sets. This is excellent served with cream.