Too many bananas

Bananas are a funny old fruit. I don't like them as it happens, which I often regret. I find myself every now and then wanting to eat a banana. They are the perfect snack - wrapped in a colour-coded skin that lets you know exactly how sweet it will be, an individual portion of high energy, high fibre nutritious food. If I'm starving hungry just before dinner I think to myself how perfect a banana would be - an energy boost to get me through the food preparation without it spoiling my appetite. Nonetheless, whenever I try them I only confirm that I don't like the texture nor the flavour. What's funny is, I like banana flavoured things such as milkshake, and I like bananas in food such as banana cake.

So the ever present bananas in my fruit bowl are there for my children and my husband and so whenever any of them say, "I'm hungry," I can reply, "Have a banana." But I find that some weeks they snaffle the lot and in other weeks they slowly turn brown without even a sniff of interest. Apparently you have to be in the right mood for a banana.

Last week was a definite 'off' week and when we set off to Granny's for the Easter weekend there were 6 bananas in the fruit bowl already showing their first flecks of brown. When we arrived at Granny's we discovered that she too had filled her fruit bowl with a fine hand of bananas. Despite the occasional nibble over the course of the weekend, by the time we were packing the car Monday morning there were still 4 bananas left. As always Granny busied herself with loading a bag full of various bits and pieces of food from her cupboard (she hates to think we might go hungry!) and I knew it was likely the bananas would find their way into the bag too. But as it happened just before we left I was met with calls of "I'm hungry!" and you can guess what I suggested!

Back home the 6 bananas in my fruit bowl were very definitely ripe and I figured if they stayed there much longer the fruit flies would start to circle! So the next day when I went shopping I bought some extra thick double cream and by the afternoon 3 bananas were magically transformed into banoffee ice-cream.

Banoffee Ice-cream

1½ oz (45 g) brown sugar
1½ oz (45 g) butter
2 tablespoons of golden syrup
3 large over ripe banana
7½ fl oz (210 ml) milk
10½ fl oz (300 ml) double cream

In a saucepan or in the microwave, melt together the sugar, syrup and butter then set aside to cool. In the meantime, blend the banana with 100 ml of the milk in a food processor until smooth. Pour this mix into the remaining milk, add the toffee mix and the cream and stir well until fully mixed. Pour into suitable containers and place in the freezer for 2 hours. Remove from the freezer and beat then return to the freezer. Repeat every two hours until solid.

By the next morning the remaining 3 bananas had been used to make a banana loaf. What a fantastic fruit the banana is - a handy snack and a versatile cooking ingredient.

Banana Loaf

7 oz (200g) plain flour
2¼ teaspoons bicarbonate of soda
Pinch of salt
¾ ground cinnamon
4 tablespoons wheatgerm or oat bran
2½ oz (70g) margarine
4 oz (110g) caster sugar
3 ripe bananas, mashed
2 eggs, beaten

Preheat oven to 180°C (gas 4). Grease and line a loaf tin. Sift together flour, bicarbonate of soda, salt and cinnamon. Stir in the wheatgerm. In another bowl, cream together the margarine and the sugar until light and fluffy. Add the mashed bananas and eggs to the creamed mix and stir well. Add the dry ingredients and blend evenly. Spoon into the loaf tin. Cook for 50 to 60 minutes and check by inserting a skewer. Cool in the tin.