Banana Pound Cake

With chocolate chips, of course. Could there be anything better to have coffee or tea with early on a sunny morning?

2-1/4 c. all purpose flour
1 T baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 c. buttermilk
1/2 c. goat cheese
1-1/2 sticks (6 oz.) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 c. extra fine sugar
2 lg. eggs
2 very ripe bananas, fully mashed
3/4 c. bittersweet chocolate morsels (62% cacao)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9x5x3" loaf pan with cooking spray and line the bottom with parchment before spraying again.

Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together three times and set aside.

In another bowl, mix the buttermilk and goat cheese until well blended.

In the bowl of a standing mixer, cream the butter with the cinnamon using the paddle attachment. Then, one tablespoon at a time, add the sugar very slowly with the motor running on high. The sugar will blow around a bit, so be prepared...This takes about 8 minutes to do, so be patient. After all the sugar has been added, scrape down the sides. The mixture will be very light in color and extremely fluffy.

Now add the eggs, one at a time, and mix well after each addition. Scrape down the sides.

Starting with the flour mixture, add 1/3 and mix just until incorporated. Then add 1/3 of the buttermilk mixture, and so on, mixing each time until just mixed. Remove the bowl from the mixer and using a rubber spatula, fold in the bananas and the chocolate morsels.

Pour the batter into the loaf pan and bake on a rack positioned in the center of the oven for about 1 hour and 15 minutes or until a wooden skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool on a baking rack for about 15 minutes, then remove from pan to cool completely at room temperature.
Notes: This recipe is adapted from Sherry Yard's Banana Pound Cake in her Secrets of Baking.

Crab And Goat Cheese Empanadas Recipe

Ingredients
For the dough:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 pound plus 2 tablespoons butter, cut into small cubes
1/3 cup cold water
Filling:
1 tablespoon, olive oil
1 Spanish onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 habanero, minced
1 pound picked lump crabmeat
1 cup soft goats cheese
1 teaspoon chopped thyme
1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Mango Chutney, recipe follows

Directions
Dough: Combine flour, salt, and butter in food processor, run until it becomes a coarse meal. Add all the water and pulse until it forms a dough. Allow to rest for 1/2 hour.
Filling: In a saute pan on medium, heat olive oil and saute onion, garlic, and habanero. In a large mixing bowl, combine the remaining ingredients. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface, making a rough circle about 1/8-inch thick. With a 3-inch diameter cookie cutter, cut circles.
Place about 2 teaspoons of the filling into the center of each circle. Moisten the exposed dough with a finger dipped in water. Fold the empanada in half, press the firmly together, sealing with a fork around the edge. Bake for 15 minutes. Serve with
Mango Chutney:
2 mangoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, chopped
1/4 Spanish onion, chopped
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch, mixed with 2 tablespoons water
Combine all ingredients in a saucepan. Cook on low for 30 minutes. Add cornstarch if desired to thicken.

Banana Bread with Goat Cheese Icing

for the cake:

1/2 cup butter
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 ripe bananas
1 tablespoon rum
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
Mix together the butter and sugar until very creamy and smooth (I used a food processor). Add the eggs, bananas, and rum and mix until smooth. Mix together the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Fold into the butter batter until just mixed in. Using a #12 disher, scoop the batter into 12 parchment-lined muffin cups. Bake at 350 until set, about 15 minutes. Let cool and then ice.

For the icing:

2 ounces goat cheese, softened
2 ounces butter, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
Mix together the cheese, butter, and sugar until creamy (I used a food processor). Use a 4-inch icing spatula to spread on top of the muffins.

Published by Anne June 7th, 2009 in Cakes & Sweet Breads

HICKORY-QUICK BBQ BASTE-MARINADE

When you don't have a lot of leisure time but have a craving, try the following barbeque baste recipe for pit-baste smoking. It gives a hickory-smoke flavor to almost any meat or poultry entree you desire.

1 cup cider vinegar or red wine vinegar
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice, seeded (use rinds cut up in pot)
3/4 to 1 cup (6 to 8 ounces) pure hickory liquid smoke
1 cup red cooking wine (optional)
1 tablespoon each liquid garlic and liquid onion (or chop
2 onions)
1 cup Worcestershire sauce or 1/2 cup of Teriyaki sauce
1 cup apple juice or cranberry juice
1 quart of water

Combine all ingredients with water in a 4 quart pot on medium-high heat. Stir and bring to a boil, cover and boil 5 minutes. Remove from heat and strain off lemon rinds or any cooked onions. Refrigerate if not ready to use immediately as hot marinade.
Strain and use in spray bottle for basting pit-smoked meats, especially pit grilled pork ribs, beef ribs, pork chops, pork and beef steaks, lamb chops, poultry, grilled burgers, and pork and beef roasts. The spray-basting also helps control flames in the pit-fire when not overused. For a real hickory-smoke flavor, pre-soak any amount of hickory wood chips in a cup or so of this basic marinade.

Yields 11/2 quarts

NOTE: Marinate meat in 200-degree hot marinade for 20 minutes for super-quick and tasty results.

Fruit Lamb Marinade Recipe

1 cup pineapple juice
1 cup apple juice
2 Tbsp lime juice
½ tsp allspice
½ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp cloves
¼ tsp nutmeg

Combine all ingredients in glass dish. Add lamb, cover and refrigerate overnight.
For more exciting lamb and beef recipes, click here!
http://www.superiorfarms.com/PAGES/recipes.htm

Tandoori Rub

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon ginger powder
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon coriander
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon tumeric
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon cayenne
Mix all ingredients together. Store in an airtight container.

Spicy Chili Rub

Ingredients:
1 tbs ground black pepper
2 tbs cayenne pepper
2 tbs chili powder
2 tbs ground cumin
2 tbs brown sugar
1 tbs ground oregano
4 tbs paprika
2 tbs salt
1 tbs granulated sugar
1 tbs white pepper
Mix all ingredients in small bowl.