Whiskey Soaked Fig & Apricot Banana Bread

I love it when I forget about my bananas and stumble upon them a week later deliciously brown and bursting with extra banana-y flavour. It means one thing - banana bread. It's great because it really is compulsory, otherwise the bananas will go to waste, so I have no choice but to bake a loaf. Banana bread is also wonderful for experimenting with. This time I had a bottle of whiskey that was taking up space in my booze cupboard but only had a couple of tablespoons left in it, so I decided I had better use that up too (to make more space for other things!). 

If you're a banana bread lover, make sure you check out my super special Chai Banana Bread.

Whiskey Soaked Fig & Apricot Banana Bread

Ingredients

1/4 cup chopped dried apricots

1/4 cup chopped dried figs

3 tbsp whiskey (you can also use brandy or rum)

1 banana, mashed well (should make about 1/2 cup, a bit more or a bit less is fine)

1/2 cup sugar

1/3 cup canola oil (to make a healthier loaf you can substitute 1/3 cup apple sauce and 1 tbsp canola oil)

2/3 cup soy milk

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1 1/4 cups wholemeal flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp bicarb soda

1/4 cup almonds, halved

To Make

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees (if your oven is fan forced then reduce to 170).

2. Place the chopped apricots and figs in a bowl with the whiskey and let soak for about 20 minutes.

3. Combine the banana, sugar, oil, soy milk and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl and whisk to combine.

4. Sift in the flour, baking powder and bicarb into the batter and mix well. You'll have lots of little wholemeal husks left in your strainer after sifting, but you can just throw those in too.

5. Stir in the soaked fruit and the almonds. If there is any whiskey left in the bottom of the bowl just throw that in too. 

6. Line a 22cm/9inch long loaf tin and line with greaseproof baking paper. Pour in the batter and bake for 40-50 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the middle comes out clean.

Makes 1 loaf.

I've entered this dish in the Vegan Virtual Linky Potluck.

Mint Julep for Southern USA Month

Quite exciting news - December is here! That means summer has arrived, Xmas is close and another year is almost over. I love December. But there is another exciting thing happening this December - Southern USA Food Month. Requested by a reader, initially I was surprised to have the US suggested. Not that I have anything against the US, it's just that most of what the rest of the world sees of US food is cheeseburgers, ribs and fast food in general. Not really my cup of tea. But, he went on to specify - not just anywhere in the US, he wanted Southern USA food. 

It's a good thing that he specified because it seemed to me that once I started looking I found all sorts of region specific food. USA is a BIG country so I would never be able to do justice to all the regional foods. So, for those of us who don't live in the USA (yes, I had to google this) - what exactly does Southern USA encompass? 

This is just a map I got from google images, not sure why PR is on there.

There are a few different definitions of which states make up Southern USA (or I should really say - South Eastern USA). Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Delaware, Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, Tennessee, Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas. That's what I'm going with this month, although I won't have time to showcase cuisine from each state.

As the majority of my readers are from the USA, I'd love you to offer up some suggestions as to what I should cook. My initial reading has yielded some great ideas that I will be giving a try, and I was very pleased to find reference to several classic Southern USA cocktails. I'm always keen for an excuse to try out a new cocktail, so I noted them down to try. The easiest one was a Mint Julep, apparently popular particularly in Kentucky, where they use spearmint. 

I recalled reference to a mint julep in one of my old cocktail books, so I dug it out and had a look. It's pretty straightforward. Smashed mint with sugar, bourbon and crushed ice. I made up the first one according to my cocktail book. But I was underwhelmed, in fact it felt like drinking straight bourbon on ice. More mint needed! So I went back and changed it around quite a bit - I don't know if that means it's no longer authentic, so I apologise if any American Cocktail fanatics take umbrage at my changes!

Ingredients

1/2 bunch fresh mint

3 tbsp castor sugar

2 tbsp water

4 measures bourbon

Crushed Ice (Note: crushed ice can be hard to come by if you don't have an ice crusher or snow cone maker. I don't have either. You can put some ice in a ziplock bag, cover with a tea towel and smash it up with a sturdy rolling pin or meat tenderiser).

To Make

1. Tear up the mint and put in the bottom of a cocktail shaker with the sugar and the water. Smash the mint into the sugar. I use the end of a large wooden spoon for this, but I believe bartenders have a specific tool for this sort of ingredient-smashing. Use whatever you like, just make sure the mint is well smashed up. It should form a bit of a pulpy paste with the sugar and water.

2. Add the bourbon, put the lid on and shake. 

3. Fill 2 glasses (or a pewter cup, which is what a mint julep is traditionally served in) with crushed ice and pour the whiskey evenly between them. Drink immediately.

Serves 2.

This month I'm featuring lots of delicious food from Southern USA!

Check out my other recipe posts:

Peach and Bourbon Cobbler

Vegan Chili Pone (Chili Cornbread Casserole)

Succotash

Pecan & Molasses Pie with Spiced Pumpkin Whipped Cream

Candied Sweet Potatoes

Mushroom and Bean Jambalaya

Vegan "Fried Chicken" and Waffles

Home Made Smoky BBQ Sauce

Vegan Cranachan (Scottish Whiskey Cream with Raspberries and Oats)

You can't really go wrong with raspberries and whipped cream, right? But I'll tell you what you can do - make it even better! What could be a better addition than whiskey, toasted oats and almonds? Oh, and some more whiskey on top :) This is a vegan version of a Scottish dessert called Cranachan, with some personal touches.

There are two options on how to finish it off, you can use the whiskey syrup (below), or if you are a real hardcore whiskey fan you can just drizzle a teaspoon of straight whiskey over the top (although, this gives it rather a kick!). I tried both and I did prefer to use the whiskey syrup.

It's also wheat free, dairy free, egg free, peanut free, tree nut free (if you omit the almonds), sesame free and soy free. So bring on the dessert, allergy sufferers!

Ingredients

2 tins coconut cream, chilled in the fridge for at least 24 hours (the longer the better)

2 tbsp soft icing mixture

3/4 cup rolled oats

2 cups fresh raspberries (or frozen is fine)

2 tbsp scotch whiskey

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Toppings:

Slivered almonds, as many as you like! (optional, leave off to make nut free)

1/4 cup scotch whiskey

2 tbsp raw sugar

To Make

1.  Refrigerate the 2 tins of coconut cream over night (minimum- I prefer to leave for 2-3 days).

2. When you open the tin you will notice that the top is a very solid thick cream. Scoop out all of the solid thick cream on top (you can reserve the rest of it to use in another meal – like a curry).

3. Put the thick cream into a bowl and mix well using a hand held electric mixer. Move the beaters up and down to try and get as much air into the cream as possible. Add the sugar and beat until it pretty much resembles thick cream.
4. Whip in the whiskey and vanilla.
5. Heat a non-stick pan and add the dry rolled oats. Toast for 2-3 minutes, stirring them frequently to prevent burning. Generally keep your eye on them as they burn quickly. Allow to cool.

6. To make the whiskey syrup, place the whiskey and sugar in a small saucepan and heat gently. Bring to a low simmer and simmer for 5 minutes, uncovered. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

7. Fold the cooled toasted oats and raspberries into the whipped cream. Distribute amongst 8 bowls. Top with slivered almonds and 2 tsp cooled whiskey syrup.

Makes 8 servings.

I'm featuring lots of recipes from the United Kingdom,

Check out my other recipe posts here:

Vegan Cauliflower Cheese

Summer Pudding

Mushroom & Guinness Pie

Treacle Tart

Vegan Bakewell Tart

Roasted Love Apple and Wine Soup

Orange and Lemon Vegetables

Scottish Vegan Oat Scones

Swede & Parsnip Mini Cottage Pies