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After my last experience with Indian bitter melon, I was a little nervous to experiment with my next ingredient. Just like the last time, I scoured the shelves of Berkeley Bowl, looking for something intriguing but not too intimidating. I settled on a purple, prehistoric-looking ingredient known as a banana flower.
The banana flower is also known as a banana blossom or heart, but frankly, I didn't even know banana trees had flowers. My preliminary research told me that it's an ingredient commonly used in Vietnamese and Thai cooking. It can be eaten raw or cooked, and it happens to be a great source of vitamins A and C. Banana flower also happens to be a common ingredient in Ayurvedic cooking, and it's believed to help heal menstrual pain (major bonus!).
As the outer leaves, or bracts, are pulled back, a row of long, black buds reveal themselves. I almost screamed after peeling back the first bract, because the buds were completely bizarre and off-putting. But the fact that those buds actually turn into bananas put me at ease. Once I pulled off enough bracts, I was left with a tender white heart, ready to be sliced up. To find out what I did with this strange ingredient, keep reading.
When it comes to cocktails, sometimes simplest is best. Don't get me wrong; I love a libation with celery bitters or creole shrubs as much as the next person, but often it's nice to enjoy a drink that's satisfying in a simple, understated way. I have a couple rudimentary bar refreshments up my sleeve: for taco nights, there's the tequila and tonic; for celebrations, the Prosecco cocktail. The latest provision to add to my arsenal? This gin sling, which doesn't call for anything beyond gin, vermouth, bitters, and sparkling water, all staples in my wet bar at home. It's layered enough to be interesting, yet easy enough to bust out anytime — no muddler, exotic ingredients, or shaker required. Keep reading for the recipe.
Adapted from justJENN RecipesChocolate-Matcha Mochi Bundt CakeIngredients1 box (1 pound) mochiko (sweet rice flour)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 sticks (1 cup) butter, melted, plus more for greasing the pan
2 cups sugar
1 can (12-ounce) evaporated milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 eggs
2 tablespoons Dutch process cocoa powder
3 tablespoons matcha green tea powder
1/4 cup mini chocolate chips
Confectioners' sugar, for serving
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
1 box (1 pound) mochiko (sweet rice flour)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 sticks (1 cup) butter, melted, plus more for greasing the pan
2 cups sugar
1 can (12-ounce) evaporated milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 eggs
2 tablespoons Dutch process cocoa powder
3 tablespoons matcha green tea powder
1/4 cup mini chocolate chips
Confectioners' sugar, for serving
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Grease the Bundt pan with butter.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the mochiko, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
Stir together the melted butter and sugar, then add the evaporated milk. Add the vanilla and the eggs and mix well. Add the dry ingredients in two to three batches, mixing well after each addition.
Pour half of the batter into another bowl. To the original bowl, add the cocoa powder and chocolate chips and stir well to combine. To the second bowl, add the matcha powder and stir well.
Pour the chocolate batter into the prepared Bundt pan, so that it covers the entire bottom of the pan, then pour the matcha batter over the chocolate.
Place the pan on a baking sheet on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 45 to 50 minutes. Check doneness with a toothpick or wooden skewer. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then invert pan onto rack to release the cake. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, and serve.
Makes one 10- to 12-inch Bundt cake (depending on your pan).
Make sure to slice your banana flower as thinly as possible.
From Camilla Salem, YumSugar
Banana Flower, Poached Chicken, and Mint Salad
Ingredients
1 firm banana flower
1 lime
1 boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 tablespoon salt
1/2 yellow onion, sliced
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup of fresh mint, sliced into a chiffonade
4 tablespoons white vinegar
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 teaspoon chili pepper flakes
3 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons soy sauce
Directions
Prepare the banana flower: Peel back the purple leaves, and remove the buds until you find yourself with the white heart.
Reserve two of the purple leaves for serving.
Cut off the stem and cut the heart in half. Thinly slice each half and immediately place in a large bowl with water and the juice of half a lime.
Poach the chicken: Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add salt and chicken breast.
Cook for about 30 to 40 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and comes apart easily.
Shred the chicken with a fork and set aside.
Cook the onions: Heat up canola oil over medium-high heat in a large pan. Drop onion slices in oil and let them fry up until crispy
Once brown and crispy, remove onions from oil and dry on a paper towel.
Put everything together: In a large bowl, combine vinegar, sugar, salt, chili flakes, and lime juice. Add mint, shredded chicken, and sliced banana flower to the bowl and toss well.
Serve salad in the two purple leaves, top with crispy onions and drizzle with soy sauce. Garnish with mint.
Us home redecorators know that there's nothing more frustrating than pinning paint colors on the wall and having no one to help you choose the right color, or worse yet, being vetoed by your significant other who doesn't share your zest for punchy colors.
Us home redecorators know that there's nothing more frustrating than pinning paint colors on the wall and having no one to help you choose the right color, or worse yet, being vetoed by your significant other who doesn't share your zest for punchy colors.
Well, be frustrated no more — My Colortopia has assembled a team of relatable, Do-It-Yourself bloggers with painting and home-decorating experience who can help you with your questions. From finding the right coordinating colors to creating a mood for your living room, learning paint techniques like wall stripes, adapting design trends, and more, the Colortopia Team has you covered (big score). Submit a question to the advice forum here. Happy decorating!
Could Between the Bread be more spot-on? She's absolutely right; everybody does love sandwiches. Who can resist something like a prosciutto loaf-wich?
Everybody likes sandwiches — at least everybody I know. So to serve a crowd, I love to make a loaf-wich. That is, one big sandwich on a loaf of ciabatta or French bread, sliced into individual servings.
At a recent family gathering, we made two of these ciabatta sandwiches, featuring prosciutto, manchego, fig butter, mustard, arugula, and a mix of fennel and lemon slices, sliced very thin and sauteed. The fennel and lemon combo, inspired by a 'Wichcraft recipe, tastes mild yet zesty and pleases even picky eaters.
If bread is the staff of life, then this cook has been wobbling on shaky legs for much of her culinary career. What is it about baking bread that's so daunting? I suppose I've rationalized my bread-baking evasion by telling myself it takes too long and my spaghetti-noodle arms can't knead well enough. But I recognize those are silly excuses, so this week I set about tackling the easiest bread recipe I could find.
About five years ago, New York Times journalist Mark Bittman introduced the baking-phobic world to Jim Lahey's no-knead bread recipe and — in typical Bittman fashion — wowed us again by reducing the 24-hour process to a mere five hours. Camilla valiantly (and very successfully, I might add) took a stab at the original, but for those of us who can't plan further ahead than tonight's dinner, this may be the closest we'll come to a lovingly leavened, rustic loaf.
Bittman's recipe calls for a wet dough with plenty of yeast and leverages that high water content to steam the dough in a heavy lidded pot before browning the loaf. This process results in that crisp, crackly crust and fluffy, chewy interior that you crave in a rustic loaf, and all this without a single kneading stroke. Someday I'll pursue the weight training that will get my arms in bread-kneading shape. But until then, I thank Mr. Bittman for fostering my lazy side. For the recipe, keep reading.
It's a rare occasion that I venture away from my trusty steamed artichoke recipe, but in the interest of branching out and getting more creative in the kitchen, I set about experimenting with artichokes.
It's a rare occasion that I venture away from my trusty steamed artichoke recipe, but in the interest of branching out and getting more creative in the kitchen, I set about experimenting with artichokes.
The result: a warm artichoke and mushroom salad over a bed of spinach, with some Parmesan shavings, a drizzle of olive oil, and a squeeze of lemon juice. While prepping the artichokes takes some time, it's well worth the effort when you can enjoy the uniquely earthy artichoke flavor. Prepare baby artichokes by removing the outer leaves until you reach the tender, pale yellow leaves, removing the choke, and peeling the outer layer of the stem off with a small knife. Be sure to soak your prepared artichokes in lemon water while you're waiting to cut them up and cook them. This ensures that they won't oxidize and turn black.
For more and this flavor-packed recipe, keep reading.
When it comes to cocktails, sometimes simplest is best. Don't get me wrong; I love a libation with celery bitters or creole shrubs as much as the next person, but often it's nice to enjoy a drink that's satisfying in a simple, understated way. I have a couple rudimentary bar refreshments up my sleeve: for taco nights, there's the 
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