Banana Mousse

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I'm rarely able to match the number of bananas I need to the number of people who will actually eat them while sitting at my table. Rather than run short, I inevitably over-buy and end up scrambling to use them before they're fit for nothing other than the compost bin. Fortunately, we love banana desserts, and, in addition to cakes and breads, have come to enjoy a banana mousse that is very simple to make. To my mind, the difference between a mousse and a pudding lies in the lighter and more airy texture of the mousse. A mousse is usually stiffened with egg whites or gelatin, while a pudding relies on a flour or cornstarch thickener. When working with gelatin it is easy to get carried away and use more of it than is necessary. While that won't harm the flavor of the mousse it can affect its texture. I have found that 2 teaspoons of gelatin is all that I need to set this mousse and keep it from getting rubbery. This is a great way to use bananas that have begun to blacken and develop leopard spot. The resulting mousse is nearly fail proof, and, with a bit of garnish, a dish designed for family and friends moves uptown and is fit for guests as well. If you like bananas, I think you'll like this. Here's the recipe.

Banana Mousse...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite, inspired by a banana mousse recipe from Kenya

Ingredients:
3 medium bananas, peeled and mashed to yield 1 cup
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons orange juice
2 tablespoons orange liqueur
1 tablespoon water
2 teaspoons powdered gelatin
1-1/2 cups heavy cream
Optional garnish: shredded coconut or chocolate curls

Directions:
1) Place bananas, sugar, salt and lemon and orange juice in jar of an electric blender. Puree.
2) Combine water and orange liqueur. Sprinkle gelatin over mixture. Allow to soften for about 5 minutes. Heat in a water bath or microwave oven until gelatin dissolves and liquid is no longer grainy. Add mixture to fruit puree and pulse to blend.
3) Beat cream just until very soft peaks form. Fold into banana mixture. Spoon mixture into six (6-oz.) dessert dishes. Cover and refrigerate. Chill for 4 to 6 hours before serving. Garnish as desired.

You might also enjoy these recipes:
Hawaiian Banana Bread - One Perfect Bite
Banana Fritters - One Perfect Bite
Banana Pudding - The Pioneer Woman
Old Fashioned Cream Pie - Chaos in the Kitchen
Pumpkin Banana Mousse Tart - The Recipe Girl
Banana Pancakes - The Technicolor Kitchen
Banana Pound Cake with Chocolate Morsels - Sass and Veracity

Hawaiian Banana Bread

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...My homey's call this lovely banana loaf King Kamehameha bread. We first had it in Hawaii several years ago. It is a lovely loaf whose taste has been enhanced by some very pleasant memories. When we returned from the islands, I began to search for a banana bread recipe that had the same plantation flavors as the bread we so enjoyed. Some find it strange that my quest for new foods begins with a search rather than an experiment. The work I did before retirement taught me not to reinvent the wheel, and, for better or worse, I've carried that belief into my kitchen. I don't create or develop recipes unless I absolutely have to, or I have a truly original idea. That I ever began to enter cooking contests is a mystery to those who know me, and that I actually began to win some is a miracle to me. So, it should come as no surprise, that rather than parse taste memories, I began a search for a recipe I suspected already existed. The search brought me to this lovely bread from Gourmet Magazine. It is very close to the one we sampled on the islands. There are some tricks to making a great banana bread and if you want full banana flavor you have to start with really nasty bananas. The best bananas, from a cook's perspective, are the ones that have huge leopard spots on their exteriors. Beautiful bananas look lovely in a fruit bowl but they make anemic breads, cakes or puddings. I also find it important to toast nuts and other dry additions that are folded into quick breads. Toasting will enhance their flavors as well. This bread is very moist and, if well-wrapped, will stay fresh for several days. It is easy to make and, in the great scheme of things, fairly inexpensive to make. If you can't find macadamia nuts in your area, almonds or pine nuts can be substituted. This is a wonderful bread and I think you'll enjoy it. The aroma as it bakes has been known to make grown men weep. Here's the recipe.

Hawaiian Banana Bread...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite, inspired by Gourmet Magazine

Ingredients:
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon double-acting baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 large eggs
1 tablespoon freshly grated lemon zest
1-1/3 cups mashed ripe banana (about 3 large)
3 tablespoons sour cream
3/4 cup chopped macadamia nuts, lightly toasted and cooled
1 cup sweetened flaked coconut, lightly toasted and cooled

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Generously grease two 8-1/2 x 4-1/2-inch loaf pans.
Dust with flour. Set aside.
2) Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl. In another large bowl, cream butter with sugars with an electric mixer. When mixture is light and fluffy beat in vanilla, eggs, one at a time, zest, banana, and sour cream. Add flour mixture, beating batter until it is just combined. Stir in macadamia nuts and coconut.
3) Divide the batter between loaf pans and smooth tops. Bake 45 to 50 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in center of loaf comes out clean. Remove bread from pans. Complete cooling on racks. Yield: 2 loaves.

You might also enjoy these recipes:
Lemon Poppyseed Bread - One Perfect Bite
Sugar Crusted Viennese Nut Bread - One Perfect Bite
Three Savory Quick Breads - One Perfect Bite

Ohana Snack Cake

Ohana is a Hawaiian word that, roughly translated, means extended family; this cocoa, banana and macadamia nut cake is decidedly homely and perfect for gatherings of family and good friends. Bananas, macadamia nuts and small crops of cacoa, from the slopes of Hualalai Mountain, are indigenous to the big island of Hawaii and this cake makes perfect use of those ingredients. The cake is not Hawaiian but because the ingredients used to make it are and because it's designed to be served at simple gatherings of family and friends I named it an ohana cake. One of the elements of a green kitchen is the avoidance of waste; that's why I freeze overripe bananas. I use thawed, frozen bananas in this cake; if fresh, unblemished bananas are used you won't get the flavor that's needed here. The predominant flavor in this cake should be the banana, so please go with frozen, overripe bananas. You can swap any toasted nutmeat for the macadamias. Other hints...serve the cake warm. It begs for a dollop of cream or small scoop of ice cream. If you make the cake early in the day, warm it it the oven or microwave before serving. Warm makes a difference.

Ohana Snack Cake

Ingredients:
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup Dutch process cocoa
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 cups mashed ripe banana (preferably frozen, thawed)
1 cup milk
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 large eggs
1 to 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup chopped, toasted macadamia nuts (walnuts or pecans may be substituted)
Confectioners' sugar

Directions:
1) Spray a 9-inch square cake pan with nonstick cooking spray. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2) Sift flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a large bowl. Stir in sugar and whisk to incorporate.
3) Combine bananas, milk, butter, eggs and vanilla in another large bowl. Mix well. Stir in flour until just combined. Stir in nuts.
4) Pour into prepared pan. Bake for 30 minutes, or until cake tester comes out clean. Remove from oven. Cool on a rack for 10 minutes. Unmold.
5) Warm cake before serving. Sprinkle top with confectioners' sugar. Cut into squares. Yield: 9 servings.