going bananas

Banana Pecan Cake

makes 1 small 7" Bundt cake

INGREDIENTS
1 cup flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 stick (1/2 cup or 112g) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 eggs, room temperature

1 tsp vanilla extract
2 ripe bananas, mashed

1 cup (8 oz) sour cream
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)

METHOD:
1. Preheat your oven to 325F (160C or 150C Fan). Grease a small 7" Bundt or tube pan. Set aside.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together dry ingredients. Set aside.

3. In the bowl of your mixer, cream butter and sugar on high speed until soft and fluffy. Scrape down the sides with a spatula. Add eggs one at a time, beating well in between and scraping down as needed. Add vanilla, bananas and mix well.

4. Add half the flour mixture and mix on low. Add sour cream and continue to mix on low. Remove bowl from mixer and fold in remaining flour and pecans. Do not overmix.

5. Scoop batter into greased pan. Bake for 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.

6. Cool cake in pan for 30 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. You may need to run a knife around the pan edges to help remove the cake. Serve warm or at room temperature.

gingerbread in cake form

Guinness Gingerbread Cake

makes 1 small 7" Bundt cake

INGREDIENTS:
1 + 1/4 cups (180g) flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp allspice
1/8 tsp ground cardamom (optional)

1 cup (200g) dark brown sugar

1 1/2 sticks (150g) unsalted butter, softened

1 egg, beaten

1/3 cup (75ml) Guinness or substitute with 1/2 cup (100ml) milk 

METHOD:
1. Preheat oven to 325F (160C or 150C Fan). Grease a small 7" Bundt or tube pan. Set aside.

2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together all dry ingredients.

3. Add brown sugar, butter, egg and mix well. Fold in Guinness/milk until just combined. Do not overmix.

4. Pour batter into greased pan and bake for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. Rotate pan halfway through baking.

5. Cool cake in pan for 10 minutes. Then invert onto a wire rack to cool completely, about an hour.

crackling

Crispy Pork Belly

serves 8-10

INGREDIENTS:

4 lbs whole pork belly slab, sliced lengthwise into 4 pieces 

distilled white vinegar

1/4 cup Kosher salt

For the marinade:

juice of 1 lemon

1/8 cup honey

1 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

METHOD:

1. Marinate the pork belly the night before. In a shallow dish large enough to hold the slab of pork belly, combine marinade ingredients.

2. Place pork belly in dish with the skin side up. Rub skin with vinegar and pat a layer of Kosher salt on top. Cover with foil and marinate in fridge overnight. 

3. The next morning, remove pork belly from the fridge and set aside the foil cover for a later use. With the pork still in the marinade dish, use a piece of paper towel and remove the salt. It’s okay if some of the salt falls into the marinade.

4. Transfer the pork belly to a cutting board and use a sharp knife to score and prick the pork belly skin; about a 1/4 inch apart. Cut through the skin and fat, but not into the meat. Then cut each of the 4 pieces of pork belly in half so that you have 8 fat pieces.

5. Place the pork belly back in the marinade dish uncovered and return to the fridge so it can rest until ready to roast later, about 6 hours or more.

6. On a baking sheet large enough to hold the pork belly, place the unused foil on top. Add a wire rack on top of the foil. Set aside. 

7. Preheat oven to 350F (180C or 170C Fan). Transfer pork belly from marinade dish and place on top of the wire rack with the skin side up. Roast for 1.5 to 2 hours or until the meat is tender and golden brown all over.

8. Increase heat to 425F (220C or 210C Fan) and roast for another 20-30 minutes until the skin is extra crispy. Remove from oven and let rest for 10 minutes before slicing.  

9. Slice thinly, using the cuts as guides. Serve with crunchy vegetables, lettuce wraps, pickled onions, kimchi, Dijon mustard and/or other preferred condiments to offset the richness of the meat.