Once upon a time there was a little girl about a year and a half who decided to not eat any longer. It was a bit of a psychological trauma. However I don't know what happened exactly, it was just related to me. Basically, when my brother was born I stopped eating altogether. My Mum, my Pa and the Family Doctor were scratching their heads to solve the situation out. The GP told my Mum to mash everything and almost to try everything. I didn't accept anything... But there was a breakthrough I did eat crushed Bananas.

This humble fruit saved my life and for fourteen days or there about I was on a Banana Diet because this was all that I would accept to eat. This is very weird to say the least. Nowadays in my grown up years, I particularly dislike Banana however I love them inside a Cake, Loaf or Bread.

Banana and Walnuts Tea Cake.

When I bake my Banana and Walnut Tea Cake, I can tell by the amount of footsteps the man does near or around the oven that the Banana Cake is highly awaited. This is when I make the Classic version of that Cake.

Then there is the decadent other version of the Banana Cake This one includes Chocolate, inside and outside as a nappage. The Walnuts are replaced by Pecan Nuts. I add Stem Ginger as little nuggets of warmth to find inside the Cake. Then and finally it is flavour with three table Spoons full of Rum. So one can say that it is a rather grown up Banana Cake. Make no mistake I can tell you without hesitation which version of the Banana Cake my Man prefers the most.

Banana and Chocolate, Pecan and Rum Cake. It does never last very long.

Speaking of outright decadence but also of a certain simplicity, during the Summer, to finish off a BBQ party between Friends, it is easy to conjure up a Tropical Fruit Salad. In a large centre stage Bowl add your peeled chopped, sliced or diced Fruits: Banana, Pineapple, Coconut, Kiwi, Pomegranate Seeds, Mango, Passion Fruits (Lychee, Papaye). It is a combination of Texture ultimatly and of Juiciness of the Fruits to make them sing together in your Palate which is crucial.

Now if using Fruits already prepared in Tins, keep the Juices of those Tins and mix them together for your Fruit Salad. If you  are using fresh Fruits, I would keep the Coconut Water and add to it a good Pineapple Juice. The acidity of the Pineapple Juice will prevent the other Fruits to deteriorate under the Sun. Put that Juice in your Fruit Salad but reserve one quarter on the side to serve in a jug. That little jug is called the Cheeky Jug for it does also contain a little Rum within it. Now the main event as per say the Fruit Salad can be enjoyed by all by all means, but the ones allowed to have the Juice from the Cheeky Jug are Adults only, non driving ones for it can give to one the Banana Smile.

To carry on with Bananas, you can use them fresh most certainly in multiple ways, but you can also dry them slowly but surely within your Oven to keep them for longer. The purpose of that process which can be done to an array of Fruits like Strawberries, Apples and Pears, is to be able to use them later. I can confide to you that a lovely Breakfast is a Muesli with dried Banana Slices and Fresh Blueberries within it. The dried Slices of Banana will tenderise as they soak up the Milk of your choice. (Being Asthmatic I tend to use Milk substitution whenever I can).

Nothing is worst than seeing a couple of Bananas wasting away in a Fruit bowl knowing that they did lots of Air Miles or Sea Miles to reach that very bowl of yours upon your Kitchen counter: The Duty of care is the calling call on that one. Well there is an easy thing to do which could please  and surprise your Partner: A Banana Triffle.

In my Home it goes like this ( the recipe is simple and is made up by me so of course can be improved upon): First in a deep Triffle dish or Triffle Glasses, you put some crushed Ginger Biscuits, one Table Spoon of Rum for the Road ( and by that I mean for my Man to go upstairs to his Bed, for myself I can't go upstairs any longer: mobility issues). Ginger marries well with Bananas and here the Biscuit base gives as much flavours as texture.

Next add another layer of crunch and flavour in the form of broken pieces of Dark Chocolate flavoured with Sea Salt or Salted Caramel ( I tend to favour Lindt for that one, or Green&Black). Then comes a small layer of whisked Fromage Frais, half a centimetre up to one centimetre, give or take. This is the bed for our sliced Bananas. The next layer is entirely yours, you can make it again crunchy and add more tiny bits of Chocolate, smoothly sticky and add some melted Caramel or break down a Toffee Sweet and see how it goes. A whisked layer of Fromage Frais with the inclusion of random Banana slices which goes on top, three to four centimetres, a Tea Spoon of Rum, a layer of sliced Bananas, and to finish everything off, a good grating of Chocolate and some shelled Pistachios for decoration. You can serve the Triffle with an onctuous Chocolate or Salted Caramel Coulis.

Then I said that Bananas and Blueberries did work well together. You must try a Banana and Blueberry Muffin for it is well nice.

But also, for the Nostalgia of it all, smile, the Banana Split Ice Cream... You can by all mean take your own take upon it. Whatever fills your Boots or your Banana Boat. It is a very simple and joyous moment on a Summer night.

Banana Smile from one ear to the other: Pure Pleasure.

Common Bananas

About Common Bananas

Fairtrade Bananas by Sainsbury's

About Fairtrade Bananas by Sainsbury's