Recipes by Nancy Johnson | Wine Commentary by Gary Twining
The secret to banana bread is to make sure the bananas are over-ripe; the riper they are, the sweeter they will be. You can substitute walnuts for the pecans or leave out nuts entirely. Add a teaspoon of cinnamon to the mixture, if desired.
2 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3 large very ripe bananas
6 TBS butter, melted and cooled
2 large eggs
1/4 cup sour cream or plain yogurt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped pecans
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Grease an 8 1/2-inch loaf pan. Dust lightly with flour.
In a large bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt. Set aside. In a separate large bowl, mash the bananas with a potato masher or a fork. Whisk in the melted butter, eggs, sour cream or yogurt, and vanilla. Fold the banana mixture into the flour. Fold in walnuts. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top with a spatula. Bake 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few crumbs attached. Serves about 8.
Gary: With less sweetness in this dessert, a slightly drier dessert wine can be tried. The Amontillado and Oloroso Sherries, with their nuttiness, will echo the nuts in the recipe. Any late-harvest white wine, Moscato, or softly-sweet sparkling wine will work, as will wines mellowed by oxidation, such as Rutherglen “Stickies” and Tawny Porto.
