Funky Monkey - Roasted Banana Ice Cream with Chocolate and Salted Pecans

Blueberries, raspberries and all manner of stone fruits hog all the glory this time of year.

Who can resist?

But don't forget our friend, the banana.

Who's there for you in the dead of winter, when berries are pale and overpriced?

Who makes a homey muffin or comforting bread, companion to morning coffee in March?

And whose sunny yellow color cheers up a dark kitchen any time of year?

The banana! That's who!

So even though those other fruits are dazzling and flirty, I used bananas to make something truly awesome yesterday.  Let's call it Funky Monkey, just for fun.

 But what it really is - 

Roasted Banana Ice Cream with Chocolate and Salted Pecans.

Yes, it's as delightful as it sounds. 

Roasting the bananas with brown sugar brings out a depth of flavor you never knew existed. Add a streak of dark chocolate just as the ice cream finishes churning. Then stir in some salted pecans. You'll get that irresistible sweet/salty/savory thing going.

The base of this recipe is from David Lebovitz's The Perfect Scoop, which as I have mentioned before, is the best ice cream making guide ever.  I used his straciatella method for adding the chocolate, which goes like this:

Melt 5 oz. bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, either in a saucepan set over a bowl of simmering water or carefully, in short intervals in a microwave. Drizzle a very thin stream of the warm chocolate into 1 quart of ice cream during the last possible moment of churning. If the chocolate clings too much to the dasher,

remove the ice cream from the machine and drizzle the chocolate in by hand, while you layer it in a storage container, breaking up any chunks while you stir.

This method results in streaks of chocolate, rather than chunks, making it a bit more elegant. 

Plus it's really cool.

If you don't have an ice cream maker yet, what are you waiting for?

Funky Monkey Ice Cream, adapted from The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz

3 medium-sized ripe bananas, peeled

1/3 cup packed light brown sugar

1 Tbsp. butter, salted or unsalted

1 1/2 cups whole milk

2 Tbsps. sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 1/2 tsps. freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/4 tsp. coarse salt

5 oz. bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped 

1/2 cup salted pecans (I used some from Trader Joe's)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Slice the bananas into 1/2" pieces, toss them with the brown sugar and butter and place them in a baking dish. Bake for 30-35 minutes, stirring once, until the bananas are browned and soft.

Scrape the bananas and any syrup from the baking dish into a food processor or blender. Add the milk, sugar, vanilla, lemon juice and salt. Process until smooth.

Chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator, then freeze in ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions. 

At the end of the churning, when ice cream is thick and increased in volume, add the chocolate as described above. Remove ice cream from machine and stir in pecans. 

It'll be delicious right away, but if you want to store it in the freezer, be aware that it might be harder to scoop the next day. David offers some hints for softening homemade ice cream here.

I put it in the microwave for 20 seconds and that worked for me just fine.

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Green Salad - No Lettuce

After a weekend full of clams, crafts and carnival rides, we were all ready for something healthy and fresh to eat.

Steamer the Clam at Yarmouth Clam Festival

All I wanted was something green. Aside from the limes in the lime rickeys, I had had nothing green in days.

Ouch.

This salad is as green and clean as you can get.  

The yogurt vinaigrette is tangy and herby with a hint of sweetness. 

It's delicious on practically anything. I used it on an Israeli couscous salad recently. Feel free to add other herbs that you might have growing. But don't leave out the mint! It just adds that something something that sets this apart.

And it's a perfect complement to these lightly blanched green vegetables.

I used broccolini, green beans and snap peas, with a few chopped scallions. Spears of zucchini would be good, as well as regular broccoli. Blanche each vegetable then be sure to immerse in ice water to stop the cooking and retain the bright color. Mix with the vinaigrette just before serving.

Yogurt Vinaigrette

adapted from Joy the Baker

1 cup plain yogurt ( I used fat free. If you like Greek yogurt, use that.)

1 Tbsp. Dijon, or other spicy mustard

1 Tbsp. honey or agave syrup

1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup fresh herbs, chopped (parsley, chives, basil and/or tarragon)

1 Tbsp. fresh mint, chopped

1 small garlic clove, finely chopped

salt and pepper to taste

Whisk all ingredients in a small bowl. 

If dressing seems too thick, you can thin it out with some lemon juice.

That's it! Now go eat your greens.

The Sweetest Birthday Ever

If you were planning the perfect birthday party for yourself, what would it be like?

A swanky soiree with chamber music, Champagne and 200 of your closest friends?
A backyard barbecue featuring coolers full of icy beer and steaks on the grill?
Dinner at the hottest restaurant in town followed by dancing on a rooftop terrace?

There are so many options and when you're turning 50, you want it to be just right.
And that's where your friends come in.
They know you. They know what you like. In fact, they know exactly what you like.

Light on hors d'ouevres. Heavy on dessert.
That's what the invitation said.
 Aah, Debbie, you know me so very well.

Debbie has been my friend since the first time we talked on the phone, before I even moved to the neighborhood.
We both enjoy happy hour, especially together. She knows what kind of wine I'll want or if it's going to be an herbal tea sort of day. Spontaneous dinners, tennis games, bike rides, tech advice, travel stories, parenting dilemmas, health woes and style counseling - we've shared it all.
There's no one better to plan my surprise birthday party.


It was the perfect combination of good friends and delicious food provided by them.
As advertised, there were light hors d'ouevres. Potato pancakes with smoked salmon from Betsy, tiny rounds of pizza dough with procuitto from Jane and cucumber rounds with lobster salad ( not sure who made them - but they were awesome!).

And dessert...
A generous and elegant spread with treats from my favorite local bakeries.*

And the most beautiful, rich chocolate cake from Maria.

Look at the pink stenciled design!
She says it's made with olive oil instead of butter. It was amazing. I'll try to get the recipe for you.

And if you haven't figured it out yet, the party had a Mignardise theme, with chocolate and pink decorations and tableware (which they let me keep! thanks Sharon!).
Can you imagine a more perfect birthday party?

I can't.

Lucky, lucky me to turn 50.


*Scratch Baking Co., Two Fat Cats Bakery, Baker's Bench and The European Bakery

Happy Hour Snack: Rosemary Roasted Cashews

How was your holiday weekend?

Hot? Busy? Delicious?

Mine was all of the above.

A house full of company, kids and dogs. Lots of boating, trying to catch a cool breeze. Plenty of eating, drinking and preparation for eating and drinking.

With all that going on, the best time of day is certainly cocktail hour (or half hour). 

A glass of rose wine or an expertly mixed Madras (thanks Greg!) hits the spot.

With a light snack, of course. Nothing to ruin your appetite, but just enough of a boost to get you back on your feet and into the kitchen to put the finishing touches on dinner.

I have to give my sister credit for this one. She made these nuts a while back and I asked her to bring another batch to Maine with her. Salty, spicy, sweet and savory all at once. 

Subtle and seductive too.

Sure makes for one happy hour.

 The recipe comes from Ina Garten via Food Network. She says the nuts are just like the ones served at Union Square Cafe in New York.

 I wouldn't know, but I'll take her word for it.

Rosemary Roasted Cashews

from Ina Garten

1 1/4 lbs. large whole cashews

2 Tbsps. fresh rosemary leaves, coarsely chopped

1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper

2 tsp. dark brown sugar

2 tsp. kosher salt

1 Tbsp. melted butter

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Place nuts on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake about 10 minutes, until warmed through.

Meanwhile, combine rosemary, cayenne, brown sugar, slat and melted butter in a large bowl. Toss warm nuts in rosemary mixture until thoroughly coated. Serve warm.

(Also delicious not warm.)