Sunday 30 June 2013

Going Ginger-Nuts!

Pane in Padella allo Zenzero, Banane e Cocco
Ginger, Banana & Coconut Frying-Pan Bread


Sonday morning... the only time of the week that I feel particularly sweet-toothed... but then again, you all know that by now! And you all know how I like to make something yummy, pretty healthy, pretty simple and pretty filling if I can. And I usually can- which means that you all can too!

I like to make delicious food, but I like to try to keep the portions sensible, the ingredients relatively healthy and the preparation simple. Usually if I make something sweet for myself, using just 1 egg as my starting point seems to be a good measure for me. With just 1 egg and 1 banana- and of course a few other simple ingredients like flour and coconut, etc., I made this lovely little bread which would almost have been enough to share. And life is all about sharing, right? So, if you decide to make this for you and your loved one... make two! ;-) Sadly... it is a WHOLE lot tastier than it looks! Maybe next time I will make 2 just for myself- muahahahaha!


OK- all kidding and silliness aside, this is how I made this lovely little breakfast "bread". I started off by finely dicing some candied ginger- the kind you can easily pick up at any Asian supermarket. In all, I used 2-3 large "thumb sized" slices- you can see the amount in the photo above, but obviously, it is all a matter of your own personal preference. In any case- I diced half and cut the rest into a fine julienne to sprinkle on top later... 

So, the ginger went into a bowl, as did 1 ripe banana, which I coarsely chopped- no need to fuss as the food mixer will take care of that for you. Next came 3 tablespoons of plain flour, 3 tablespoons of grated coconut, 1 teaspoon of baking powder, a pinch of salt, a teaspoon of Stevia (or a tablespoon of sugar), 1 teaspoon of cinnamon and 1 egg. Next came the most complicated part of the whole preparation... I plugged-in my food mixer and whizzed it all together for 1-2 minutes until I had a lovely smooth batter. Oh, come on... you knew it was as easy as that! I don't want to stress you all out so early in the morning... or myself either for that matter!


The next step was to turn on the oven to 350° and get it hot and ready, whilst I heated up a small, deep frying pan and melted a pat of clarified butter in it. Once the butter was nice and hot, I poured in the batter and let it set and cook for 2-3 minutes, until I could see bubbles beginning to form in it. At that point, I took it off the stove top and transferred it to the oven, on a middle shelf, for 10-15 minutes to bake.

After 10-15 minutes, the top had begun to crust over and dry out nicely, and that was the right time to add a nice, light drizzle of honey... this is a case where less is more in my opinion. I would recommend you be especially careful not to let too much honey drizzle out to the edge of the pan as it will burn and become bitter if it gets too hot. So I tried to be tidy and drizzle just on the middle of the bread and then popped it back into the oven for a further 10 minutes or so to finish it off...


Once the "bread" had become a lovely golden brown, I took it out of the oven and sprinkled it lightly with the remaining, very finely sliced candied ginger. Do take into consideration that the ginger is very sweet in itself whilst flavoring the batter- which is why I didn't overdo it in the first place. And what can I say? It sounds simple, it looks very simple... and I actually thought it would also taste pretty basic and was happy with that thought. And then- bam! I tried it and was pretty-much knocked-out by how wonderful and rich the combination of flavors was! 

The banana kept it moist, the coconut gave it texture and the ginger and cinnamon just lifted it right up! I was a little worried at first about finding the right thing to enjoy with the bread- but you know what my friends? It tasted totally delicious just the way it was! To have added anything or have taken anything away would have been a crime. it was just perfect... for my taste. As for you- you will have to try it yourself to find out! So get chopping!

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