Banana Recipes

Banana Strudel

Everyone will love this delicious banana dessert, which offers a creative take on traditional strudel.

Preparation Time: 30 minutes
Cooking Time: 30 minutes

View this delicious banana strudel recipe on taste.com.au web site

Sweet Banana Casserole (from the Cocina Cubana Club)

Serves 4

Ingredients

  • 6 bananas – sliced lengthwise
  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter
  • 1/2 cup raisins
  • 1/2 cup chopped pecans
  • 1 tablespoon brandy

Method

  1. Line bottom of heavily buttered 9x13-inch pan with half of the bananas. Sprinkle with brown sugar and dot with butter.
  2. Sprinkle with half of the raisins and pecans. Repeat layers until all ingredients are used. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes, sprinkle with brandy and serve.
  3. May be served with vanilla ice cream or yogurt.

Cuban Plantain Soup (from Steven Raichlen’s “Miami Spice”)

Serves 4

Ingredients

  • 2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 small onion finely chopped
  • 1 carrot, finely chopped
  • 2 stalks of celery, finely chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 5 cups chicken stock
  • 2 green plantains, peeled and diced
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped cilantro leaves (optional)
  • Salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Method

  1. Heat the oil in a large heavy saucepan. Cook the onion, carrot, celery and garlic over medium heat until soft, but not brown, about 3 to 4 minutes.
  2. Add the stock and bring to a boil. Add the plantains, bay leaf, cumin, half the cilantro, salt and pepper. Return soup to a boil. Reduce heat and gently simmer, uncovered, until plantains are very tender, 40 to 50 minutes.
  3. Remove and discard the bay leaf. Puree the soup in a blender and return to the pot. If the soup is to thick, thin it with a little more stock. Just before serving, reheat and correct seasonings, adding salt, pepper and cumin, if necessary. If you opted to use cilantro, garnish with the reserved portion.
  4. Serve this very hearty, thick and creamy soup with wedges of lemon or lime for squirting in the soup, and some toasted bread chunks and a salad.

Banana Flower Salad

Ingredients

  • 1 banana flower or bell* (about 500g)
  • 2 teaspoons oil
  • 1 onion, sliced
  • 2 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 1 tablespoon shredded ginger
  • 500g lean rump steak, finely sliced
  • 2 tablespoons lime juice
  • 2 tablespoons good soy sauce
  • 3 tablespoons mint leaves
  • 3 tablespoons coriander leaves
  • 1 – 2 red chilli, seeded and chopped

Method

  1. Discard tough outer leaves from banana bell and then finely shred the rest. I keep the outer shells for serving . Heat oil in a wok or frypan over high heat. Add onion, chilli, garlic and ginger and cook for 3 minutes or until golden.
  2. Add shredded banana flower and cook for 8 – 10 minutes or until banana flower is tender. Add beef and cook for 5 minutes or until sealed.
  3. Add lime and soy and cook for 2 minutes. Toss through mint and coriander and serve. Instead of beef a lot of times I simmer a chicken breast in coconut milk and fine shred, or use prawns fish whatever your fancy even fried tofu.Note: when shredding the flower keep in lemon juice and water to stop it browning till you have finished shredding when ready dry on a paper towelHint: crushed roasted peanuts are wonderful sprinkled on top

*On commercial banana farms chemicals are routinely injected into the bell. You must only use flower/bells from a chemical-free source.

Banana Cake

Ingredients

  • 115g butter
  • 1/2 teasp vanilla
  • 170g sugar
  • 1/2 teasp bicarb soda
  • 3/4 cup mashed ripe banana
  • 1/3 cup milk
  • 2 cups SR flour
  • 4 tsp cornflour
  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 teasp salt

Method

  1. Cream butter and sugar well, add mashed bananas and beat until evenly blended.  Beat in egg.
  2. Dissolve bicarb in the milk, add vanilla.
  3. Stir into mixture alternately with sifted flour, cornflour and salt.  Mix well.
  4. Pour into greased 20cm lined square tin.
  5. Bake in 180-175 C oven for 40-45 minutes. Served with butter.

Banana Chutney

Ingredients

  • 12 medium sized bananas, firm but not too green
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • 2  1/2 cups malt vinegar
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 3/4 cup dates, halved and stoned
  • 1 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/4 cup sultanas
  • 1 tablespoon cinnamon
  • 1 cup raisins
  • 2 teaspoons turmeric

Ingredients

  1. Peel and slice bananas. Place into a large saucepan. Add half the vinegar, bring to the boil, then simmer, stirring for 5 minutes.
  2. Add remaining vinegar, stir over low heat for 3-4 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and continue cooking gently, stirring occasionally for about 1 hour.
  3. Pour into hot, clean jars and seal.

Banana Spread

Ingredients

  • 3 bananas, mashed
  • 50g butter or margarine
  • 1 lemon, juice and rind
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 2 beaten eggs

Method

  1. Stir all together over low heat until thick. Do not boil.
  2. Store in fridge and use on toast, scones, icecream

Bananas Caribbean

Ingredients

  • 6 bananas
  • 1/4 teasp cinnamon
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 teasp nutmeg
  • 1/2 cup orange juice
  • 1/2 cup sherry
  • 30g butter
  • 4 tab rum

Method

  1. Peel bananas and arrange in a flat, greased baking dish.
  2. Combine brown sugar, orange juice and rind, cinnamon, nutmeg and sherry in a saucepan.  Heat to dissolve the sugar then spoon over bananas. Dot with butter. Bake at 180C for 10-15 minutes until tender.
  3. Just before serving, heat rum, set alight and pour over bananas.

Warm Fruit Salad

Ingredients

  • 4 bananas, peeled and sliced
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 2 punnets of strawberries, hulled
  • 1 cup orange juice
  • 3 mandarins, peeled and thickly sliced
  • 4 pears, peeled and cubed

Method

  1. Place mandarin segments and pear slices in pan.
  2. Combine sugar and orange juice in a jug and pour over fruit. Heat until sugar has dissolved, then add bananas.
  3. When juice starts to bubble, add strawberries and stir gently.
  4. Remove from pan and serve with cream or ice cream.

Banana Butterscotch Pudding

Serves 4

Ingredients

  • 125g plain flour
  • pinch of salt
  • 115g caster sugar
  • 3 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 banana (mashed)
  • 250ml milk
  • 5g unsalted butter (melted)
  • 1 egg (lightly beaten)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Vanilla ice cream to serve

Topping Ingredients

  • 140g soft brown sugar
  • ¼ cup golden syrup
  • 250ml boiling water

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F/Gas 4).
  2. Sift the flour, salt, sugar, and baking powder into a bowl.
  3. Add the banana, milk, butter, egg and vanilla extract and whisk together until well combined. Pour into a greased 2.5 L baking dish.

Topping Method

  1. To make the topping, place the brown sugar, golden syrup and water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil.
  2. Pour the boiling mixture carefully over the pudding, then bake for   30 – 40 minutes or until cooked through when tested with a skewer.
  3. Serve with vanilla ice cream.

Green Banana Curry

Serves 2

Ingredients

  • 5 green bananas (plantains or Bluggoe)
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
  • ½ teaspoon chilli powder
  • 1/4 cup oil
  • 2 cups coconut milk
  • 1 small onion, finely diced
  • 2 green chillies, sliced in half lengthways
  • 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
  • ¼ sprig curry leaves
  • 4 cinnamon sticks
  • 1 lemon or lime

Method

  1. Peel the bananas, and cut them into large chunks (2 cm). Rub them with salt, turmeric and chilli powder.
  2. Heat oil in small frying pan and fry the banana pieces a few at a time, until they are golden brown. Set aside.
  3. Heat a little oil in a saucepan and add the whole spices and cook for a few minutes. Add onions and sauté until soft, about 10 minutes.
  4. Add the coconut milk and cook for a few minutes, about 5 or 6 minutes. Season to taste.
  5. Serve with rice, chapattis and pappadums and a squeeze of lemon or lime.

Banana Pikelets

Serves 4

Ingredients

  • 1 cup self raising flour.
  • ¼ tsp. bicarb soda
  • 6 dessertspoons sugar
  • ¾ cup of milk
  • 1 tsp.vinegar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 dessert spoon butter or margarine (melted)
  • 2 bananas (mashed)

Method

  1. Sift together the SR flour, bicarb soda and sugar.  Then add milk, vinegar, egg and melted butter.
  2. Combine all these ingredients with a wooden spoon and let stand for 1 hour.
  3. Add the mashed bananas. Heat the pan and place half the mixture in the frypan. Allow to cook until bubbles appear on the top surface and then turn.
  4. Serve with butter, cinnamon & caster sugar.

Banana Cream Pie

Serves 6

Ingredients

  • 1 pre made pie crust
  • 1/3 cup custard powder
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • 2 cups milk
  • 2 bananas, mashed
  • 1 ½ cups cream, whipped
  • 1/3 cup pecan or walnuts, for garnish

Method

  1. Bake the pie crust according to the directions. Remove from oven and cool.
  2. Place custard powder, sugar and enough of the milk to make a paste in a medium sized frying pan. Add remaining milk and whisk for 3-5 minutes or until custard is very thick.
  3. Stir through banana and pour into pie crust. Place in fridge until cool and firm. Cover with cream and top with chopped nuts.

Banana Ice Cream

Ingredients

  • 150 ml milk
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • ½-1 tsp vanilla essence
  • 150 ml double cream, half whipped
  • 2 small bananas, mashed

Method

  1. Heat the milk and sugar and pour on to the egg, stirring.
  2. Return the mixture to the saucepan and cook it over a gentle heat, stirring all the time until the custard thickens; add the vanilla essence.
  3. Allow to cool, fold in the half-whipped cream and mashed bananas.
  4. Pour into a freezing tray and freeze.

Banana Tarte Tatin with Nutmeg Ice-Cream

This recipe is from the cookbook Matt Moran (Lantern) by Matt Moran

Tarte Tatin

  • 175g caster sugar
  • 50g unsalted butter, diced
  • 6 bananas
  • 2 sheets frozen puff pastry

Nutmeg ice cream

  • 500 ml milk
  • 1 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 125g egg yolk, from 7-8 eggs
  • 110g caster sugar
  • 125ml pouring cream

Method

  1. First, make the nutmeg ice cream. Bring the milk and nutmeg to a simmer in a small saucepan, then turn off the heat and leave to infuse for 30 minutes.
  2. Whisk the egg yolks and sugar in a bowl until thick and pale, and then stir into the milk. Cook this custard over low heat, stirring constantly, until it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
  3. Strain the custard into a bowl sitting in a larger bowl full of ice, so that it cools rapidly. Stir in the cream, then churn in an ice-cream machine, according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
  4. Preheat the oven to 180C. Make the caramel base for the tarts by combining the sugar and 50ml of water in a small heavy-based saucepan over high heat.
  5. Cook the syrup until it is golden, then remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the butter. Divide the caramel among 6 tarte tatin pans.
  6. Cut the bananas into 5mm slices and place them on top of the caramel, arranging the slices in a single, slightly overlapping layer.
  7. Cut out 6 puff pastry rounds to fit, and place one in each pan, tucking the edges in, then bake for 20 minutes or until golden.
  8. Gently turn out by tipping upside-down and tapping the bottom, it should slide out easily. Place a tart in the centre of each plate, top with a scoop of nutmeg ice-cream and serve immediately.