Banana Jam

I think we are all a tad guilty of letting our bananas sit on the counter a bit too long causing them to over rippen.  I know, I am.  The natural solution is banana bread, banana muffins, after school smoothies. I wanted to try and mix it up a bit.

So, when I posted on Facebook a plea for your suggestions on what to do with over ripe bananas, I got some pretty good comments,  However, the best comment came from my friend, Lynne, who suggested a banana spread she had found in Cooking Light Magazine.  I went out to buy the magazine but the only thing on the newsstands was the holiday issue.  Lynne was sweet enough to forward me the recipe.

I don't even like bananas, I never eat them, and I NEVER eat my own banana bread.  Yet, this spread, I was eating out of the jar, with a spoon!  How good would this be on the chocolate-cherry bread from La Brea Bakery?  I can't stop thinking about it! I am going to make a ton of this come holiday time and include in my cookie crates!

Banana Spread
adapted from Cooking Light Magazine
yield: 8 oz.

ingredients:
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
zest of one lime
3 medium, over ripe bananas
2 Tbls. unsalted butter, room temperature
pinch of salt

instructions:
• put brown sugar, sugar, lime zest and lime juice in a small sauce pan.  bring to a boil.
• add the smashed bananas and reduce heat to medium low.
• cook, uncovered for 45 minutes, breaking up the bananas from time to time
• remove from heat and add the butter and a pinch of salt.  stir until butter melts.
• the mixture thickens as it cools.
• place in a ball jar and store in the fridge.

How great would this be at your next brunch, served with homemade biscuits or scones?!

Rainbow Goodness

Part II, Yom Kippur Break Fast desserts for 100.

My theme this year is pick desserts that will feed a crowd and won't keep me in the kitchen all day and all night. Rainbow cookies are the perfect cookies for this occasion. I have made these in the past and although everyone else loved them, I didn't. Maybe me not loving stuff with almond paste has something to do with it! None the less, I wanted to make them again.

This time I used the recipe from Sherry Yard's Desserts by the Yard and this could not have been simpler to make. Reading the recipe, it looks complicated, yet it isn't. The layers only bake for 20 minutes and then cool for 10 minutes. Assemble and put in the fridge. Bars are so much easier than drop cookies. I need to remember that when December rolls around!

Ingredients:

12 oz. almond paste

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/12 pounds unsalted butter, softened

6 large eggs, separated

3/4 cup almond flour

3 cups all purpose flour

1 drop of red food coloring or more

1 drop of green food coloring or more

2 drops of yellow food coloring (i used 5 drops)

Simple Syrup

1 cup sugar

1 cup water

(bring to a slow boil until sugar is dissolved. let cool to room temp).

3/4 cups apricot jam

3/4 cups raspberry jam

Chocolate Glaze

6 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

4 oz unsalted butter

5 tbls. light corn syrup

1 1/2 tbls. grand marnier

Directions:

Cake

1. Place racks in the upper & lower third of oven. Preheat oven to 325*. Spray three 12 x 17 inch half sheet pans with pan spray. Line with parchment paper and spray parchment.

2. Place the almond paste in a large food processor fitted with the steel blade and blend for 2 minutes. Add the sugar and pulse until the mixture looks like wet sand.

3. Add one quarter of the softened butter and pulse until it is blended with the almond paste. Blend a quarter of the butter at a time until all incorporated.

4. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the egg yolks and pulse to blend. Pulse in the almond flour, then the all purpose flour. Transfer to a large mixing bowl.

5. Beat egg whites to soft peaks then fold into batter.

6. Divide the batter between three bowls (I weighed the entire batter and then divided accordingly). Add the red food coloring to one bowl and mix, then add the green to the other and the yellow to the last bowl (I needed alot of yellow to make the yellow vibrant).

7. Scrape all of one color into one of your prepared baking sheets. Use an offset spatula to spread evenly (this is the hard part). Then slide your finger along the edge of the baking sheet to remove the excess batter from the edges. Repeat with the other two colors.

8. Place the pans in the oven(I did it in two batches) and bake for 10 minutes. Switch the pans, top to bottom and back to front and continue baking for 10 more minutes. Bake the third pan repeating the process.

9. Put an empty baking sheet in front of you, upside down. Spray lightly with pan spray and top with a piece of parchment. Invert the yellow cake onto the baking sheet. Remove parchment. Using a pastry brush, brush evenly with one third of the simple syrup. smear the apricot jam evenly over the cake. Top with the pink layer and remove parchment. Brush evenly with the syrup and spread the raspberry jam evenly. Complete with the green layer, brushing with the remaining syrup. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

10. Make the glaze: Combine the chocolate with the butter in a glass bowl over simmering water. Stir with a rubber spatula until smooth. Stir in the corn syrup and the grand marnier.

11. Remove cake from the fridge and unwrap. Pour the glaze over the top and using an offset spatula, spread the glaze evenly over the top, stopping just before the edges. Allow to cool 1-2 minutes, then, just as the shine disappears from he glaze, run a pastry comb or fork in a squiggly motion over the top to create a pattern.

12. Refrigerate the cake for 30 minutes or until the glaze sets. Remove from he refrigerator and cut into 1 1/2" squares, using a serrated knife.

Can be frozen, wrapped tight for up to two weeks.