Never mind that bananas can be tricky. It’s hard to buy them or keep them — so they are or will be — ready to go at the exact time you plan to peel and eat them on the spot, or use in this or that recipe.
On the up side, though, good bananas nowadays are readily available all year round.
Today’s recipes, then, are an expansion of the ways we already use them. Both are a little bit funky but promising, come to us courtesy of Dole Fresh Fruit, and both call for ripe bananas.
Let’s start with a peanut butter-enhanced, multi-fruit scone, and then follow with a unique twist on the traditional, after-Thanksgiving turkey/cranberry sauce sandwich.
Here goes:
Banana peanut butter scones
3cups all-purpose flour
1/2cup sugar
5teaspoons baking powder
1/2teaspoon salt
1/2cup butter or margarine
1/2cup peanut butter
1/2cup seedless raisins
1/3cup chopped walnuts, toasted
1/4cup chopped dried apple or pear
1cup milk
2ripe bananas, mashed well
1egg, beaten
Ginger cream cheese, optional (recipe follows)
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line large baking sheets with parchment paper. Lightly spray paper with nonstick cooking spray; set aside.
In a food processor bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Pulse in butter or margarine and peanut butter until well blended. Pour mixture into a large mixing bowl. Stir in the raisins, walnuts and dried apples or pears.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the milk, bananas and egg; pour milk mixture into flour mixture and stir until just moistened. Spoon batter, about 1/3 cup each, onto prepared baking sheets. Bake 14 to 17 minutes or until lightly browned. Serve with ginger cream cheese, if desired.
Makes 16 to 18 servings.
Ginger cream cheese
1package (3 ounces) cream cheese, softened
2tablespoons crystallized ginger, minced
In small bowl, combine the cream cheese and ginger, blending until thoroughly mixed.
Banana club sandwich
1large ripe banana
1ripe avocado
1-2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/4cup chopped fresh cilantro
8slices ciabatta or other crusty bread, toasted
8slices bacon, cooked
1/2small red onion, sliced
6-8 ounces sliced cooked turkey breast
In a medium bowl, mash together the banana and avocado; stir in lime juice and cilantro.
Spread bread slices with avocado mixture. Top each with 2 slices bacon, broken in half, onion slices and turkey. Top with remaining bread slices.
Makes 4 servings.
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