Writer's Block: Get in my belly

[nyteflyer]

[Error: unknown template qotd]

My mother was a servicable cook, but not someone who was into it, by any means, and she had no interest whatsoever in trying new recipes.  By the time I was 10, I did most of the cooking at our house.  However, she did have the touch when it came to fried chicken (it had this amazing, crumbly crust) and pot roast -- neither of which I can make worth a fig. 

My grandmother, on the other hand, was a freakin' genius in the kitchen.  She didn't cook anything fancy, just good, stick-to-your-ribs southern country fare done to perfection.  Paula Dean would hide her face in shame next to Grandma!  She never drank a drop in her life, but believed bourbon enhanced the flavor of just about any recipe -- and that if adding a little was good, sloshing in a lot was better!  She believed in four basic ingredients: salt, sugar, bourbon, and lard.  And somehow she still lived to be 93....

Her signature recipe?  Banana salad -- sliced or chunked bananas layered with a sweet peanut butter sauce.  (Yeah, I know.  It doesn't sound much like a salad, does it?  But she always served it as a side dish rather than as a desert, so I'm not gonna argue with tradition.)  I don't even particularly like bananas, but this stuff is to die for!  And yes, I make it all the time.  My kids would kill for it...or at least mutiny if we ever had a family dinner without it.  Every time I take it to a potluck or cookout, at least 3 or 4 people demand the recipe.  And since I seem to be in a recipe-sharing mood today, here 'tis.  If Grandma were the one sharing this, the only measurements given would be "a right smart amount" and "til it looks right."  I try to be at least a little more specific.



Grandma's Banana Salad

2 eggs, well-beaten with a fork
1 1/2 cups sugar
cold water
1 28-oz jar of peanut butter (either smooth or crunchy will do, depending on your taste)
8 or 9 bananas, sliced
 
Pour first the eggs, then the sugar, into a medium saucepan and add just enough cold water to cover the sugar.  Stir together, then cook at medium heat, stirring constantly, until it boils.  (Depending on your stove, you may have to raise the burner temperature to medium high as you go, but always start out at medium so the eggs don't clump.)  Allow mixture to boil, still stirring constantly, for 2 minutes.  Remove from heat and add the peanut butter, stirring until mixture is smooth.  Place 1/3 of the sliced bananas into a large serving bowl and top with 1/3 of the peanut butter sauce and continue layering.  Serves bunches!  For smaller groups, you can cut the recipe in half, of course, or save back half the sauce for the next day and only use 4 or 5 bananas.  Extra sauce keeps just fine in the fridge and is microwavable. 

* If you're not a banana fan, the sauce makes a great dip for sliced apples.  Kids, however, generally think it's an even better dip for little fingers....

Comments

[lovewizards.livejournal.com]

This must be food week.

I love my mother dearly, but a cook she never was.

Both my grandmothers passed when I was a little boy. But my mother says her mother was a great cook.

Your grandmother would put Paula Deen to shame? That's pretty impressive. Therefore, I will be trying this recipe.

[nyteflyer.livejournal.com]

Grandma's fruitcake was so unique and impressive that when my cousin, who had an office in the White House during the Reagan administration, told the White House chef about it, he demanded the recipe and served it to the Prez et al during a xmas bash. Needless to say, it was swimming in bourbon. The thing weighed in at 9 lbs, cost over $50+ to make last time I took on the task of making one up back in the early 80s, and was packed solid with dried fruit and nuts.

And bourbon. Did I mention the bourbon??? You spent the first half of the day chopping up fruit and nuts, steamed it for the second half of the day, let it cool, doused it with more bourbon, then wrapped it up and let it "cure" for a month before eating it. Every week or two, you unwrapped it long enough to pour more bourbon on it. It was incredibly rich and yummy and probably raised your blood alcohol level to the point where you shouldn't drive for a few hours after eating it. And it would keep for months. Hell, you could embalm a corpse with the amount of bourbon that went into that thing. If it started to dry out a little, you just splashed on some more...well...you know....

Needless to say, it wasn't even faintly related to those burnt bread and candied fruit horrors everyone gives to people they don't really like all that much at xmas time. It had more of an Olde World, faintly pagan quality about it -- though Grandma, a strict Southern Baptist, would turn over in her grave if she knew I'd described it that way.

On the other hand, the banana salad thing isn't anything so fancy...just pure, ultra simple and very sweet, kid-friendly comfort food.

[lovewizards.livejournal.com]

That is some fruitcake. The real thing as you say.

Not drive for a FEW hours? I'd by under the table after eating a slice or two of that.

[lil-1337.livejournal.com]

Your grandmother sounds like she was an awesome lady.

[nyteflyer.livejournal.com]

She was an incredible woman and a good friend. She's been gone for 21 years and I still miss her....