Saturday, July 8, 2017

Banana Bread with Bourbon Lemon Browned Butter Glaze



I  used to write deep theological treatises – like No Such Thing as Too Much Grace.

Now I just cook. 


Lately, I try to eat a banana every day.  I think it’s good for me.  But I can’t always keep up with them and I don’t like a brown mushy banana.  So, time for banana bread.  I went a little crazy today with a Bourbon Lemon Brown Butter Glaze over it.

Tip- I never buy buttermilk.  



Don’t use it enough to make it worth it.  You know if you put a TBL of vinegar or lemon juice in a cup of milk it makes buttermilk, right?  That’s what I do.

If I was making this only for me, I'd stick some pecans on the top but my son likes banana bread without nuts and I'm sharing with him so no nuts.  But you could do it if you wanted. 

Spray a regular loaf pan.  My trick—instead of flouring your pan, dump about ¼ cup sugar in the pan after you spray and coat it with sugar.  It doesn’t stick and it tastes better than flour.

The bread:


  • Three or 4 overripe bananas
  • 1 stick soft or partially melted butter. (this isn’t like cookies so it can be melted)
  • ¼ Cup Buttermilk
  • ¾ Cup Brown Sugar
  • ¼ cup white sugar
  • A little cinnamon
  • 1 tsp bourbon
  • ½ tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/8 tsp baking soda
  • ½ tsp salt


Mash up the banana.  Add sugar and mix with a mixer.  Then add buttermilk, cinnamon bourbon & vanilla and mix that.  

Beat eggs well in another bowl.  Then add to the mix and mix that all up.  Then add dry ingredients and mix that with a spoon until well mixed.  Don’t overmix.

Pour it into a pan.  I sprinkle a little white decorative sugar on the top.  Because you can never have too much sugar. Well, you can.  But I’m not saying you should eat this every day.

Now for the glaze:


  • 1 half stick butter
  • ¼ cup brown sugar
  • 1 shot bourbon
  • Juice of ½ lemon
  • A little milk to thin it – you just eyeball this
  • 1 ½ cup powdered sugar
  • A little salt 


Melt a half stick of butter in a pan and then keep cooking it on medium-low heat until it’s a golden-brown color.  

Turn heat way down and add the brown sugar, lemon and salt and whisk that up.  

It will get a little grainy, don’t worry about it.  Add the bourbon and about ¾ cup powdered sugar.  Wisk that until it’s well mixed.  Add the rest of the powdered sugar and add milk to get the consistency you want.  

This is not science.  


Adjust milk and sugar to get the taste and consistency you want.   There’s no right way other than the way you like it. But you want it on the thin side because it’s a glaze, not a frosting.   


Pour over your bread while it’s still warm. Good huh?



Thursday, July 6, 2017

Sangria

So I went to Spain at the end of April and walked the last part of the Camino from Sarria to Santiago de Compestella.  I'll write about that one of these days. (In the meantime you can see my photos)

I had a lot of good cheap wine.  And Sangria.  I used to think Sangria was like punch and sweet wine that I hate.  Oh no.  Real Sangria is really good.  So I made my own when I came back.  With stuff I like.

Note.  I do not add soda water or soda pop to my Sangria.  They don't do that in Spain either.  Nor do I put soda in my Bourbon Old Fashioned.  If I wanted pop I would order pop.  


Red Wine Sangria





1 orange, sliced
1 lime, sliced
1/2 apple, sliced
1 lemon, sliced
1 TBL sugar
2 shots Bourbon
1 shot raspberry liqueur 
1 bottle Merlot
Couple shakes of Orange Bitters


Citrus Tequila Sangria




Juice of 1 half pink grapefruit
Juice of 2 limes
juice of 1 lemon
juice of  1 orange
2 slices pink grapefruit
1/2 orange sliced
2 limes, sliced
1/2 lemon sliced
1/2 cup simple syrup
2 TBL sugar
2 shots tequila
1 bottle Moscato
couple shakes Orange Bitters

Let these soak up the fruit flavors in the fridge for a few hours before serving.

Server over ice.   I'm a red wine person but that Citrus Sangria with the grapefruit is really good too.  Packs a punch.