homemade – Jellybeans in the City

#QuarantineCookbook: Easy Banana Crisp

Sure, banana breads has become more popular lately as newly minted home bakers have tried their hands on making this ubiquitous pastry.

Well, how about another sweet incarnation of banana as a dessert, say a banana crisp?

A crisp is a dish of baked fresh fruit with a streusel topping that typically includes oats. As the dish bakes, the oats will crisp up, adding another level of texture to the dessert, hence the name.

Unlike banana breads that require overripe fruit, banana crisps need the bananas to be just ripe.

This is a makeshift banana crisp recipe that I improvised with ingredients that I already have on hand when I was struck with one of my cravings for something sweet again.

Check it out:

Ingredients:

4 bananas sliced into thin circles
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup instant oats (my substitute for rolled oats)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp salt
4 tbsp butter, softened

Procedure:

To make the topping,combine the flour, sugar, oats, cinnamon and salt a medium bowl. Add in the softened butter and work the mixture with your hands or a whisk until crumbly. Set aside.

Evenly distribute the banana slices into two cake tins. Cut up some of the bananas to fill in the smaller spaces in between slices.

Sprinkle the topping mixture over the bananas, enough to cover the fruit.

Place inside the oven pre-heated at 205 deg C (400 deg F) and bake for ten to twelve minutes until the topping becomes firm and gets a golden brown color.

Serve while still warm from the oven.

Enjoy as is or topped with vanilla ice cream (see my recipe for Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream).

Try this recipe out and let me know what you think.

Looking for other easy-to-cook dishes to try out while in quarantine? Check out my other kitchen adventures:

#QuarantineCookbook: Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream

Hey, foodie!

Come on, let’s list the uses for vanilla ice cream!

A dessert on its own
A topping for dessert pies and crumbles
The thing that floats in a root beer float
The thing that makes milk shakes extra decadent
The thing that’s sandwiched when you typically make ice cream sandwiches

I’m sure there are lots more that good ole’ plain vanilla ice cream can contribute to the enjoyment of foodies everywhere.

Surprisingly, I’ve been having trouble finding vanilla ice cream in my neighborhood grocery and convenience stores the past few days. And with the modified enhanced community quarantine just around the corner, I can be sure that ice cream deliveries to these local stores will be delayed.

This is quite unfortunate as I have hankering for pies and shakes that include this treat.

Since necessity is the mother of invention, I decided to make vanilla ice cream myself.

Here’s how:

Ingredients:

1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup milk + 1/2 cup all-purpose cream (my substitute for the 1 cup half-and-half that the original recipe called for)
1/2 cup sugar
1 tbsp vanilla

Procedure:

Combine the milk, all-purpose cream, sugar and vanilla in a bowl. Mix until well blended.

In a separate bowl, whip the heavy cream until it begins to double in volume or form stiff peaks.

Mix in the vanilla mixture until well combined.

Freeze overnight.

Now, I have vanilla ice cream ready to use for pies and milkshakes!

Try this recipe out for yourself!

Looking for other easy-to-cook dishes to try out while in quarantine? Check out my other kitchen adventures:

#QuarantineCookbook: Homemade Avocado Ice Cream Cake

Relief from this summer’s oppressive heat and humidity is few and far between.

It makes me want to cool down with some frozen treat. How about you?

Well, since I recently learned how to make homemade ice cream, I set about learning how to add a twist to it: make it into a cake!

And of course, I just had to try it with my favorite fruit: the avocado!

This fruit has been having quite a resurgence lately, appearing in a variety of trendy and previously unheard-of dishes from toasts to pastas. However, the avocado’s real siren call to me is as a dessert. Its rich and creamy texture, as well as its earthy flavor make the avocado absolutely sensational when sweetened, making it a great showcase ingredients for desserts such as this homemade avocado ice cream cake.

It turned out to be so easy!

Ingredients:

For the crust:

2 cups crushed Christia toasted bread (can be replaced by an equal amount of crushed Graham crackers)
1 stick of softened butter
3 tbsp white sugar

For the ice cream:

1 cup avocado puree (made by pureeing the flesh of two ripe avocados in a blender)
1 300ml can of condensed milk
2 cups heavy whipping cream

Procedure:

In a bowl, combine the crushed Christia toasted bread, butter and sugar. Press the crumb mixture onto the bottom of two 6″ x 2″ cake tins then set aside.

In another bowl, mix together the avocado puree, the condensed milk and heavy cream at low speed until the ingredients are well-combined and the mixture begins to thicken.

Increase the mixer speed to medium and continue mixing until the mixture forms stiff peaks.

Transfer the mixture into the prepared cake tins, gently pressing the mixture into the containers and smoothing out the top using a spatula.

Freeze for at least six hours or overnight.

What you get is a wonderful creamy blend of avocado sweetness and crumbly buttery crust with each spoonful. My kids (and I!) absolutely love it!

Well, it sure looks like I’ve got new favorite dessert!

Plus, wouldn’t you know it! You can use this recipe to make other fruit-based ice cream cakes! You might need to adjust the amount of condensed milk you use depending on the native sweetness of the fruit you’re using. Check them out:

Mango!

Banana!

Strawberry!

If ever you need to bring dessert to a potluck party or want to give out ice cream cakes as gifts, you know you can always whip ’em up in a jiffy.

Which fruits would you like to make into homemade ice cream cakes? Try this recipe with your favorite fruit and let me know how it turns out.

PS: Truth be told, the recipe originally called for Graham crackers but after scouring through three supermarkets looking for this out-of-stock item, I decided to use Christia toasted bread as a substitute. It had a buttery flavor and a more crumbly texture that went well with the ice cream. Still, if you want a more conventional crust for your ice cream cake, you may opt to stick to the crushed Graham crackers.

Looking for other easy-to-cook dishes to try out while in quarantine? Check out my other recipes: