Banana Rum Cobbler

When I think about my perfect dessert, this hits so many of my ideals, it's almost unfair to compare it to anything else.

Then again, I am a huge sucker for bananas, a wild mix of textures, and rummy, caramel goo.

I've written before about my kind of cobbler (cherry, peach), which is basically a buckle. A buckle is so-called because it is essentially a cake that it is buckled with little gorges of bubbly, fruity goodness.

It is a somewhat similar look to the "cobbled" appearance of fruit bubbling up amidst a topping of rounded biscuits--or what I like to call the other type of cobbler.

Whatever you call it, this version takes an old standby out of its Southern-comfort zone and into the tropics with the addition of bananas and rum. Oh my!

Fair warning: Hoosband says this cobbler cannot be served without the requisite vanilla ice cream--something about cloying sweetness, blah, blah, blah. I, however, almost feel like the ice cream just gets in the way. Also, I may have literally licked the bowl. But that's just me.

Banana Rum Cobbler

6 T salted butter
1 1/3 cups brown sugar, divided
1/4 cup spiced rum (I use Sailor Jerry's)
2 semi-ripe bananas, sliced 1/4-inch thick
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp kosher salt (coarse texture, like Morton)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 cup milk

Place the butter in a 9-inch glass pie dish or pan of comparable volume and let melt in the oven while it preheats to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Meanwhile, add 2/3 cup brown sugar and rum to a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, stirring with a heatproof spatula just to dissolve the sugar. Add the sliced bananas, bring to a gentle boil, and cook one minute, using the spatula to stir occasionally, just so the bananas get evenly coated. Set aside.

Remove the pie dish from the oven and gently tilt the dish and swirl the butter so it completely coats the bottom. Set aside.

In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together the remaining dry ingredients. Use a wooden spoon or spatula to make a well in the center of the dry mixture, pour the milk into the well, and stir just until there are no visible dry patches. Mixture may be lumpy.

Scrape the batter into the dish, right over the melted butter, and do not stir.

Pour the banana mixture evenly over the top of the batter, and do not stir.

Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 50 minutes or till golden, bubbly, and just set, rotating the dish halfway through. The cobbler should be cake-y on top, crunchy around the edges, and pocketed with tender bananas and gooey caramel-rum sauce.

Serve warm or room temperature with vanilla ice cream. Leftovers can be stored in a sealed container in the fridge for up to three days and microwaved for 20-30 seconds to reheat.

Thanks for reading. Here's to Being the Secret Ingredient in your life!

Morgan's Country Cornbread: Coloring Outside the Lines

The Setting: It's twenty-nine degrees Fahrenheit and overcast outside, but my apartment smells like Thanksgiving, and the place is cleaner than it was when I woke up, so it's a good day.

The Soundtrack: A very full washing machine.

On The Stove-top: Turkey Stock.

The Scenario: Sometimes different is good.

When Hoosband and I decided to roast our post-Thanksgiving, discount turkey yesterday afternoon, I naturally got to work on some cornbread so we could make a little dressing to go with the bird.

But as the sweet and savory aromas of cornmeal, butter, honey, and a kiss of bacon grease filled the air, I questioned my resolve to transform those ingredients any further.

Pulling the steaming pan of golden goodness out of the oven, I thought, "Now this is alchemy."

Unable to resist taking a bite before dinner, I realized this recipe was simply too good not to share.

But I had some reservations:

While the results are medal-worthy, this recipe has all the finesse of a figure-skating hippopotamus.

The methods are not streamlined or logical or familiar.

The ingredients are contentious.

But I've tried to make my cornbread conform many times before, and, darn it, my way's better.

So read the recipe, ask me questions if you'd like, and try it if you dare.

Morgan's Country Cornbread
Southerners will argue for days over cornbread, as it is one of THE Southern staples. Many folks say the true Southern stuff is strictly savory, calling sweeter versions Yankee, but I find my lightly honey-sweetened cornbread somehow sings of The South even more than the solitarily savory, cast-iron-skillet cornbread I grew up on. Sweet or savory, it's the crispy, bacon-kissed crust and moist, buttery crumb of this perfectly balanced cornbread that makes it a Southern country classic worth trying wherever you live.

3 T melted rendered bacon fat, plus any little browned bits, the fresher the better
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup yellow stone-ground cornmeal (I use Bob's Red Mill)
1 tsp kosher salt
2 tsp baking powder
1 cup skim milk
1/4 cup honey
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter
1 large egg

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Place the bacon fat in a 7"x11" pan, and gently shake to coat evenly.

In a medium-large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, salt, and baking powder. Set aside.

Place the whole stick of butter in a microwave-safe glass and microwave for 30 seconds (butter should be half-melted).

In a smaller bowl or 2-cup Pyrex measuring cup, whisk together milk, honey, and all of the butter. This is where things get weird.

The butter should start to separate and get clumped up in the whisk. Gently tap off any excess liquid on the side of the bowl, and then transfer the butter clumps to the cornmeal mixture, knocking the whisk on the side of the cornmeal bowl to help release them. Repeat to retrieve any large remaining butter clumps if necessary. Set the milk mixture aside.

Use the whisk to cut the butter clumps into the dry ingredients, knocking large clumps out against the side of the bowl as necessary, until the mixture is the consistency of coarse sand and the largest pieces are roughly pea-sized. Make a well in the center of the bowl.

Whisk the egg into the milk mixture.

Pour the milk mixture into the cornmeal mixture, using a wooden spoon or rubber spoonula to combine. Mixture should be a little lumpy but there should be no visible dry patches--do not over mix.

Transfer mixture to the greased pan and bake at 425 degrees F for 18-20 minutes or until the top is gently domed and light golden, the edges are deep golden, and the center is set. You will be tempted to cut into it immediately, but it will be even better if you let it cool completely.

Spicy Cheddar Snowflakes and the Lean, Mean, Cookie-Flipping Machine Giveaway

The Setting: Large white flakes falling outside an uncharacteristically quiet apartment.

The Soundtrack: Only the blissful striking of the keys as the melody of my one-handed typing takes life. I am attempting to curb the amount of television exposure Oia gets, per the AAP's request. They request that she gets none. I generally allow a full day's worth. Today is a compromise.

Steaming up the oven: Remaining batches of Hoosband Cookies, Homemade Graham Crackers, and Spicy Cheddar Snowflakes.

The Scenario: Wrapping up the baking for tomorrow's sale.

I love to bake...in case you couldn't tell.

Hoosband sometimes complains that his pants don't fit as well as they should, which is my signal to cut back on the regular production of mass sweetness. I received just such a signal recently.

But then came the bake sale.

Suddenly, to my great joy, was an excuse to bake and bake and bake and not (necessarily) expand the waistlines of those residing in Casa de Crumm.

I had visions of French almond macaroons, stunning layer cakes, delicate pastries, and a myriad more never-get-to-bake delights.

But then a realization came over me:

Woman, you have a four-month-old, nipple-munching time-suck (whom of course you love and adore, but) who negates your ability to be Wonder Woman with a whisk.

Simpler fare would be in order.

Cookies, peppermint bark, and incredibly simple spicy cheese wafers.

All was going according to plan.

Doughs were made and frozen ahead of time; cookies were baked in batches between playtimes and feedings.

Then came time to bake off the cheese wafers.

In my personal-chef days I used to make these in great variation all the time for parties and functions. I was pretty sure I new what I was doing and could bang them out from memory, no problem.

Turns out I should have searched harder for my recipe.

In the place of the savory, shortbread-like cookies I had envisioned pulling out of the oven were sizzling cheddar tuiles.

Flavor? Excellent.

Texture? Fragile...a little crisp...a little chewy.

Appearance? Thin, delicate, each one a little bit different...a little like...snowflakes.

C'est la vie!



Spicy Cheddar Snowflakes
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened slightly at room temperature
1 T hot sauce
1/8 tsp ground cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
8 oz shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup all-purpose flour, plus a touch extra for sprinkling

In an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat butter with hot sauce and seasonings until soft and fluffy. Add cheese and flours. Beat till well-combined.

Turn dough out onto a large piece of plastic wrap sprinkled with flour. Sprinkle a little extra flour on your hands, roll the dough into a log about 1 1/2 inches in diameter, and wrap in the plastic. Chill for at least 1 hour or up to 1 week in fridge or freeze for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 weeks.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Allow the dough to sit out at  room temp for 15 minutes if frozen solid. Slice the log into 1/4-inch rounds and place rounds 2 inches apart (and not too close to the edges) on the the cookie sheet. Bake at 425 degrees F for 8 minutes or till golden, sizzling, and crispy on the edges.

Want a lean, green, cookie-flipping machine like mine?

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