Banana Bread - the Double Down Version

It's a well established fact that Fondue Voodoo is a neglectful and abusive mistress of all produce. A bunch of browning bananas stranded on the kitchen counter, forgotten and overlooked is kinda status quo. Which just means that becoming an expert at making banana bread is basically a necessity. The Double down banana bread is a chocolate bread topped with a blonde bread, as such it requires that you make at least 2 loaves of the good stuff.

So tie your apron strings tight, turn up the tunes and get your ingredients lined up, you're in for a terrific ride. Thanks to Kitchen Scraps foodie guru Pierre A Lamielle, who's terrific muffin recipe is top notch and my go to for all muffins and loaves.

Get yourself ready:
You'll need 4 mixing bowls - medium size
2 loaf pans, lined with parchment paper or oiled and floured
heat the oven to 375

 I forgot to take a pic of the mixing process
so heres a cute pic of Bentley Beans

Bottom layer - Double Chocolate Banana Bread
Drys

1.5 c Flour

.5 c coco powder

2 tsp Baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Mix all the drys and set aside 

Wet ingredients

1 c yogurt

1/4 c melted butter or vegetable oil

3/4 c white sugar

1 egg beaten

pinch of salt

1 tsp vanilla 

1& 1/2 c extra ripe mashed bananas 

Mix all the wet ingredients and set aside

Top layer - Blonde Banana Bread with Strudle topping

2 c flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

3/4 cup chopped dates (could opt for nuts or raisins)

Mix all the ingredients and set aside

Banana Bread Super Star - get out there and
impress your friends

Wet Ingredients

1 c yogurt

1/4 c melted butter or vegetable oil

3/4 cup white sugar 

1 egg beaten 

1 pinch salt

1 tsp vanilla

1 and 1/2 c mashed extra ripe bananas. 

Mix all the wet ingredients and set aside 

Strudle: 

1/3 c brown sugar

1/2 c rolled oats

1/4 c vegetable oil

mix well and set aside

how to: 

1. have your loaf pans prepped with either parchment paper (my preference) or oil and flour the insides

2. heat oven to 375 degrees

3. mix the wet and dry ingredients for the bottom double chocolate banana bread layer 

4. give the pans a little giggle to settle the batter evenly

5. quickly mix the wet and dry ingredients for the top blond banana bread layer

6. smooth the batter out with a couple of good giggles

7. sprinkle the studle topping over the loaves evenly and using 2 fingers poke the strudle down into the batter a little, this helps it adhere to the finished loaf. 

8. bake your loaves at 375 until they pass the toothpick test, approximately 50 mins. 

9. marvel at the wonders you've just created - cause baby your a banana bread superstar. 

Potato, Green Bean & Anchovy Salad

I don't know what it is about those tiny little salty fishes - but anchovies are so packed full of salty fishy goodness it practically oozes out. Once I became a convert to anchovies, I can't figure how I made anything tasty before. Mixed with a pile of new potatoes and fresh beans from a friend's garden (thanks nitaj), spiked with herbs, garlic & made delicious with anchovies, you'll become a convert too.

Go get yourself:

Potatoes, beans & anchovy salad, it's what's for dinner.  

1.5 lbs of new potatoes - steamed or boiled

.5 lb of string beans
3 cloves of garlic - chopped

2 green onions- chopped

3 TBSP of Olive Oil *

1-2 TBSP dill vinegar

handful of cilantro - chopped

smallish handfull of chopped dill

5-6 anchovy fillets chopped 

* for creamy version cool the 'taters & beans and make a mix of mayo (2 TBSP) & grainy mustard (1 tsp), anchovies lemon juice and lemon rind and herbs and dress the potatoes cold.

The how to:

Cook your potatoes to a soft tender stage, add the beans to the boiling water for a coupe of minutes until tender. 

Drain all the water off and set the beans and taters aside. Add the cool oil to a cold pan along with the garlic & anchovies. Set to medium low and slowly warm the mix to release the flavours. *Do not brown.*

Toss the potatoes back into the pot and smash a couple of potatoes to gather all the lose oil. Tumble the potatoes into a bowl and stir in the herbs, vinegar and cracked pepper.

Taste and salt only if necessary. 

Beer pairing: This salad is hearty and would pair excellently with a saison like Logsdon Oaked Bretta, or Weizen Bam Bière.

Eat your Greens - Collard Green Rolls

You maybe one of those practicing an alternative lifestyle, gathering together in small pasty-faced groups, bantering about the difference between your buckwheat and teff, discussing your gut flora and waxing poetic about the passages between your chomper to dropper. Good for you - you're Gluten Free! Fondue Voodoo is a proud supporter of the gluten free lifestyle, mainly because of social pressures.  In support of Gluten-Free Pride enjoy this gluten free recipe, 

Needs: 
bunch of large leaf collard greens
large pan for steaming greens
Pre-cooked quinoa 

Pre wrap - layered up and ready to roll 

For the stuffing 
1 cup pre-cooked quinoa
1 green onion - thin sliced
1/2 c red pepper - chopped up very tiny weeny (culinary term)
1/4 c shredded carrot
1/4 c almond slices/chopped
1/4 c crumbled feta
1 TBSP oliver oil
splash of flavoured vinegar or lemon juice
splash of hot sauce 
assorted spices, basil, oregano, cilantro, chives, parsley 
any other additive of your choice is welcome, just be sure the texture will hold it's shape
-olives        -crumbled feta      -pickled veggies      -boiled egg
-fennel        -tomatoes, sundried or fresh

...you get the idea, it's not rocket science here it's just lunch.

In a large pan bring an inch of water to a low simmer. Meanwhile wash the collard greens and remove the stem, starting halfway up leaf ensuring to allow the leave to remain intact  at the half way point to the tip. 

Gently lay a single leaf in the boiling water for a couple of minutes until it's just barely cooked, remove carefully with tongs, removed as much water from the leaf as possible.

Lay the leaf flat with the tip facing you, cross the cut part of the leaf over itself closing up the the cut out you created when removing the stem. 

Collard Green Wraps with Quinoa - like a boss

Next, form a compacted cigar shape with the quinoa mix that will fit well inside the widest part of the leaf. Place the cigar at the tip end, roll the tip up and over the quinoa and begin rolling, while folding the edges in, this insures the quinoa won't wall out the ends. 

Voila! Marvel at your vibrant green little beauty, cut in half to show off your awesome culinary skills. 

Perfect Pressure Cooked Quinoa

Quinoa featured in Collard Green Wraps - Recipe Coming Soon

Quinoa - chewy grains of seedy goodness, you know it and like it. It's as though millions of people have gotten together and collectively dumped gluten. "Hi Gluten, it's over. No, it's me, not you. You make me fat, and feel bad about myself and I've found someone new...oh and I want my records back".

Having tried every cooking technique out there, I've finally come to think this method makes a consistent el dante quinoa, but your gonna need to get yourself a pressure cooker.

What you will need:

• 1 cup whole grain quinoa
• 1.25 cup water

Rinse the quinoa well in a fine mesh strainer with cold water and drain. Put into the pressure cooker and dry fry on medium heat stirring often. Cook the quinoa until it is brown and you hear the kernels popping - about 5-7 min.

Next pour the water overtop the quinoa and close pressure cooker lid. Turn heat to high and allow pressure cooker to hit high pressure. Cook at high pressure for 1 minute. Allow to release using the natural release method (set aside and allow pressure to come down naturally).

Once pressure has been fully released open lid and gently stir to fluff the quinoa. Let sit for 10 minutes before serving. 

Duck à l'Orange Crème Brûlée

Thanks little guy

Guest post from Jar Head:

One of the pleasures of being out on Mayne Island is picking up fresh local ingredients directly from the farms. This past weekend we came across fresh local duck eggs, something that we have not previously used. Once we cracked one open and saw the huge size of the yolk relative to the white we immediately realized that these were made for custards.



Combined with the fact that we just recently acquired a pressure cooker - which we heard makes great custards - we were set to go.

Ingredients and Equipment

What you will need:

• 1 cup cream
• 3 duck yolks (4 if using chicken)
• 2.5 TBSP white sugar
• 2 TBSP raw sugar (for caramelizing)
• 1 vanilla pod, split and seeded
• zest of one orange
• pressure cooker 
• trivet
• ramekins
• tinfoil
• torch 

Add the creme, vanilla and orange zest to a heavy bottomed pot and bring to a boil stirring occasionally. Once the milk begins to boil and froth remove from heat and set aside for at least 30 minutes to allow the flavours to infuse.

Once the creme mixture is at room temperature prepare your pressure cooker. You want your ramekins to be above the water - I raised the steamer that came with mine by arranging 4 empty ramekins on the bottom of the pot with my steamer sitting on top. Add water to just below the steamer.

Ready to Cook

In a mixing bowl add the white sugar and the egg yolks and whisk until the sugar is completely dissolved. Add the yolk mixture to the cream mixture and incorporate. Strain the mixture through a mesh sieve into your ramekins and cover tightly with the tinfoil. Place the ramekins onto the steamer insert, cover and lock. Turn heat to high and once at low pressure turn down heat and maintain at low pressure for 8 minutes. Once the time has elapsed remove from heat and allow pressure to come down naturally.

Topped with fresh berries...mmm

Remove the ramekins and check to see if they have set - they should be jiggly in the middle but not liquid. If they are not set return to the pressure cooker and repeat at low pressure for an additional few minutes depending on how loose they were.

Once cooked allow to cool 30 minutes and then place in fridge for 3-4 hours. 

Before serving remove from fridge, cover the top with the raw sugar and torch to caramelize. Serve with fresh berries and mint leaves.

Grilled Beer Sandwich

As you can tell, this blog has taken either a tragic or delicious turn for the better by featuring beer in multiple recipes. After a peek into my incredibly well stocked pantry, and a spin of the imagination wheel, I landed on a grilled cheese sandwich, but beerified. If fried sandwiches are good enough for Elvis…well they're good enough for me.

It's about to get all gooey

Gather the following:

• 1 loaf of multigrain beer bread 
• 1 jar of beer mustard 
• 1 block of beer washed or beer infused cheese
• 1 giant pile of beer glazed onions (see below) 
• Coconut oil, or butter if you’re a traditionalist
• 1 solid fry pan 

Pull your beer mustard out of the fridge and allow to warm slightly. Slice the bread into fry-able slices and shred the cheese.

For the Beer Glazed onions you will need the following:

• 2 large onions 
• 2 tsp of butter 
• ½ c water 
• ½ cup beer 

A quadruple beer threat of awesomeness

Thinly slice the onions, use a mandoline if you happen to have one. Warm your pan at medium and add the butter. Add all the onions – yes all of them and cook until they just become translucent, a little golden browning is okay, just don’t burn these guys. Stir as often as is necessary. Once the onions are translucent and the pan is mostly dry begin adding the beer a couple of TBSP at a time to deglaze the pan, allow the beer to fully evaporate. Continue this process alternating between beer and water deglazes until the onions are brown and sticky.

The sandwich fry:

Assemble the sandwich, collect your 2 pieces of beer bread, slather one slice with beer mustard, top with beer glazed onions and as much cheese as your heart can handle. Place those sandwiches in a preheated & buttered pan and fry with the lid on to encourage the cheese to melt and flip at your leisure.

You should turn up with something like what's in the picture - be classy and top the whole business with some chopped parsley. Serving a grilled beer sandwich with a glass of craft beer is a centre field home run for anyone looking to impress their beer inclined friends. Now get out there and knock one outta the park.

Curried Lentil and Cauliflower Soup

It's not yet past soup season and given the days here on the wet coast plague us with the "Damp" something warming is a welcome relief. It doesn't need to be fancy or French to sooth the hunched back surly symptoms of the Damp, just a solid stew/soup that'll fire up the burn from the inside out. 

Get some:

The soup horizon  - there's no going back

• 1.5 cups red lentils
• 1 onion
• 1/2 inch of ginger
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 1 TBSP curry powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp coriander 
• 2 carrots
• 1 small head of cauliflower
• 2 cups low sodium veggie broth
• 3 bay leaves 
• use all the soaking water from lentils
• 2 thai chilli's or 1 tsp chilli flakes

Topping: 

• Fresh herbs cilantro, parsley, fennel or chives
• Sour cream or yogurt
• Lime juice
• sprinkle of salt

Rinse the lentils multiple times in cool water to remove the outside starches place in the cooking pot & cover with boiling water by at least 2 inches. Allow to stand for at least 15 mins to soak. Meanwhile sweat the onions with a sprinkle of salt. Add the garlic and ginger briefly sweat. Push veggies to the side and dry fry the coriander, cumin & curry powder. Add the stock, & lentils with all the soaking water.

Bring the soup to a boil and then turn down to a simmer, add carrots and clamp the lid on and cook for 10 mins. Feel free to add more stock or water to loosen the soup up of it's getting too thick. After the 10 min has elapsed add the cauliflower and cook for another 10 mins. Stir often to stop the lentils from sticking to the bottom. Lastly add a chopped chilli pepper & stir well, cook for another 5 mins. 

Add the fresh toppings, these brighten the flavour and add dimension to the soup
try:  chopped fresh, cilantro, parsley, fennel or chives and a spoon of sour cream or yogurt.

Like all good soups this get better when it takes a little fridge nap over night. Excellent for freezing and nomnomnoming at a later date when your world is inside out and upside down and eating is just a matter of getting through the next 8 hrs.

Beer Pairing: A Belgian style triple works great here. L'Herbe à Détourne matches well with its sweet creamy malts and dry bitter hops that compliment each other perfectly. The sweetness of the triple is present and the addition of bitter hops accentuate the creaminess of the soup perfectly.