Cardamom Scented Banana Bread with Strawberries

Well, Lindsey has been in DC for the last few weeks, and seeing as my cooking slags when she's gone (I am just not motivated to cook for one...) Mostly I've been listening to terrible pop music and rap and quilting (which I will post pics of once they are done... don't fret). There's something about listening to Rihanna and Diddy-Dirty Money* while ironing blocks of fabric that really takes the whole mundane factor out of the routine. 

I have however made a few things, including an awesome coconut curry, which I will get around to posting the recipe for in the next few days, and a totally awesome banana bread. I've made the banana bread recipe from the PPK a few times, and it really is my favorite. The bread is dense, smooth and sweet, but not in a "sugar-shock that sends one into a coma" way. It's da bomb. In fact, this banana bread makes me have love like woe for Isa.

The PPK Banana Bread Recipe

I threw in 1/8 tsp of ground cardamom with the cinnamon and allspice, and once I had mixed the wet ingredients with the dry and the batter was smooth, I added in 1 cup of dried strawberries (sweetened with apple juice). You could, I suppose, add fresh strawberries, but I like adding the dried ones because it keeps the moisture level down and biting into a concentrated strawberry flavor surrounded by warm banana bread is heavenly. 

Ghetto picture of the last bit of banana bread. 

*Actually, I don't consider Puffy terrible (though maybe I should... but that's another rant), but once Usher and Pitbull start coming through the speakers there's no turning back on that road of musical armageddon. At least Cee Lo agrees to ride shotgun and keep me company...

Valentine's Day 2011 with Isa's Chocolate Berry Creme Tart

The featured post up over at at the Post Punk Kitchen for the last two weeks or so is the Berry Creme Tart With Cocoa Olive Oil Crust and I have been drooling over the damn thing since it was posted on the 2nd. But I needed an excuse, and I'm really not that into Valentines Day, in fact, the only thing you can count on from me during the holiday is to wear a shirt that has "fuck hallmark" stenciled on it. I also don't have a tart pan, but when I was invited to a pie party (in which I had to bring a pie) the party and the pan became the excuse I needed.

So I walked my happy ass down to the market and into my most favorite kitchenware store where purchases are far and few between, and picked out an 11" tart pan. Oh, the joy that filled my heart at the prospect of not having to make a tart in a pie pan. Plus, I found little heart shaped sprinkles for a whopping 50% off, so you know those went into the bag.

Isa's recipe was easy to follow and worked like a charm (though, because I was making an 11" tart instead of tartlettes, I upped the Agar Agar powder to 1 Tbs. I also used dutch cocoa powder and the crust was a much richer, dark chocolate). It takes a fair amount of time, and maybe the swirl in the tart isn't as clean as it could be, but it's worth the commitment, and the result is a smooth and creamy berry filling with a rich crust. bar far one of the best things that I have made, dessert-wise, in a long long time. Thanks PPK, for always being totally brilliant and trustworthy.