Homemade Banana Yogurt

I wanted to make flavored yogurt... to add the flavor before fermentation... but almost everyone told me that it would not work.  And indeed, my first attempt (with banana) was a sorry one!  But I decided to try again, after being told by someone in particular who suggested that I simply dice or cube the banana, not crush or mash it.  And, add a splash of vanilla while I was at it.

Well... this time I was successful!

When I opened the container, the cubed bananas had risen to the top.

I drained it overnight (we prefer the thick Greek-style yogurt) and the next day is was thick and creamy... and utterly delicious!  There was a slight tang but the banana flavor was quite pronounced.  The stirring and draining mashed the bananas a bit.  Yummmmy!

The recipe is simple!!!

Add 1/4 cup of yogurt (with live cultures) to about 800 ml of milk.  Stir in (gently!) cubed bananas from 1 to 2 medium sized bananas and about 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract.  Incubate as usual.  Mine was done in about an hour less than my usual (6 hours, thereabouts).

Banana Bread Cupcakes

Lolo Poldo grows a lot of fruits and vegetables in his backyard.  We have gotten all sorts - mangoes, malunggay (a whole plant!), duhat, kamias, ampalaya, kondol... and bananas!  And I don't mean the regular bananas from the palengke... his bananas (he says) are special bananas!

So what do I do with a bumper crop of bananas?  Banana cupcakes, of course!  But this batch is no ordinary banana cupcake...  it is made special with a built-in topping!  Cream cheese-Greek yogurt topping!

A cupcake that even my chocolate-loving girl will eat... with gusto!

The recipe is one I saw online... alleging to be the best banana bread recipe!  Of course I made a few adjustments... the first was baking them into cupcakes instead of a loaf.  Then I used chocolate chips instead of chopped pecans.  I also have to admit that I forgot the cinnamon!



The best adjustment I made was to do away with the frosting and instead add a cream cheese filling that was baked in.  It was no ordinary cream cheese filling either, it is a cream cheese-Greek yogurt filling!  Mix together 3/4 cup softened cream cheese, 1/4 cup Greek yogurt, 6 tablespoons brown sugar, 1 medium egg and 1 teaspoon vanilla.  Spoon a heaping teaspoon on top of the batter in the cavities of the cupcake pan.  Bake the cupcakes about 20 to 25 minutes 

Truth is, the addition of the Greek yogurt was a way to use the last bits of Greek yogurt that I had!  Still... it was a great idea!

The cupcake was divinely delicious!  Is it because of the type of banana?  Maybe,  since Lolo's bananas has a sightly different flavor profile.  Then again we all agree - Lolo's homegrown, special bananas are better, way better than the bananas we usually find in the local market!

Yummy Banana Cake

At a recent get-together with my college buds, they asked me if I had a banana cake recipe - cake, not bread...

Of course I do!!!  And here it is...

Mix together ½ teaspoon apple pie spice, 1¾ cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, ½ tablespoon baking powder and ½ teaspoon salt.  Set aside.

Beat ¾ to 1 cup muscovado sugar and ½ cup softened butter.  (I usually use about 2/3 cup of sugar especially when I know my bananas are really sweet.)  Add 3 jumbo (XXL) eggs and 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract. Mix well. Stir in ½ cup yogurt and 1¼ cups very ripe mashed bananas; the mixture will look curdled.  Stir in flour mixture into the wet batter.

Fold in ½ to 1 cup chocolate chips, raisins, or nuts, or a mix of mix-ins. (I usually use ½ cup chocolate chips.  If using raisins, soak in about ¼ cup rum for 15 minutes then micro 3 times in 25-second bursts.  Drain excess liquid.  Cool to room temperature.)

Spoon the batter into greased and lined baking pan/s.  If you have extra bananas, slice them into rounds and arrange on top of the cake.  (I have been known to top the cake with chopped Reese cups, as well as chocolate chip cookie crumbs!)

Bake at 350F, until a tester comes out clean:

8 or 9-inch round pan, 8-inch square pan, or 11x7-in rectangle pan, approximately 40 to 50 minutes
8x4 loaf pan, approximately 45 to 55 minutes
20 to 24 cupcakes, approximately 18 to 22 minutes
14 to 18 muffins, approximately 20 to 25 minutes.

Enjoy!

Pork Estofado

In all honesty, this is probably the first time I've eaten estofado.  The reason?  Bananas.  As far as I am concerned, bananas are ingredients for dessert, or sweets.

But B's A-te J was raving about an estofado dish she had recently eaten and she wanted to share it with us...

So yes, this dish is entirely A-te J's!

Here's her recipe... in as much as I could follow it (since she didn't exactly use measuring cups and spoons!)

4 pieces ripe saba bananas, cubed
1 whole bulb of garlic, smashed
1 big onion, sliced
1 tablespoon peppercorns
1 kilo pork shoulder (kasim), cubed
2 cups stock or water
1/2 cup tuba vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup sugar
2 pieces bay leaves

Fry the saba banana cubes; remove from the pan and set aside.

Saute the garlic, onions and peppercorns.  Add the pork cubes and stir fry until lightly browned.  Pour in the stock/water, then vinegar; do not stir until the liquid boils.  Season with soy sauce, sugar and salt, if desired.  Throw in the bay leaves.  Simmer until pork is almost tender; add the fried bananas.

I did like the dish, and it was an interesting mix with the sweetness of the bananas adding something to the dish.  But truth be told, I stayed away from the bananas themselves!