Paper Palate

The first time I flipped through the March issue of Bon Appetit there was a definite trend in the type of recipes that I gravitated towards.  They were all gooey.  This is actually a feature of this month’s issue entitled Warm, Sticky, Gooey!, but I seem to have found other recipes in the magazine that aren’t in that feature but that fit the bill too.  The gooey funfest begins on the cover with a gorgeous photo of a Grilled Corned Beef Sandwich on Rye that’s oozing with fontina cheese and is carried throughout the magazine.  Gooey cheese reappears in Quesadillas with Greens and Goat Cheese as well as in Grilled Ham and Cheese Sandwiches.  If savoury goo doesn’t get your mouth watering, how about sweet goo like the Caramel-Pecan Upside-down Banana Cake that I made?  The original recipe calls for walnuts, but I happen to prefer pecans so it was an easy switch.  Other sweet gooey recipes include Dulce de Leche and Chocolate Chunk Bread Pudding, and Brandied Apricot Beignets with Chocolate Sauce to name a couple.  And finally, Blogger/author Molly Wizenberg (of Orangette) tells of her trouble with yeast but ultimately provides us with yet another version of gooeyness - a recipe for Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Glaze.

If you’re interested in more than just goo, Bon Appetit also has a feature on potatoes with a few different ways to cook up Russets that will leave you hungry for more.

Prep School this month has tips on peeling eggs, skinning fish and making custard, as well as an anatomy lesson on saucepans.

March means Easter is coming and instead of drowning us in chocolate, Bon Appetit has provided a menu for an old-fashioned Southern Easter, complete with Brown Sugar and Mustard Glazed Ham, Whipped Sweet Potatoes with Honey and a dessert of Cornmeal Cake with Buttermilk Ice Cream and Rhubarb Compote.

Of course, this month’s issue has a special place in my heart because the interview on the last page is with none other than basketball great, (and now restaurateur) Michael Jordan.  Sigh, remember the Bulls in the 90’s?

Caramel-Walnut Upside Down Banana Cake
(Bon Appetit, March 2008)

Topping
Nonstick vegetable oil spray
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
3 tablespoons dark corn syrup
3/4 cup walnut halves or pieces (I used pecans)

Cake
1 3/4 cups cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup mashed very ripe bananas (2 to 3 large)
3 tablespoons sour cream
1 tablespoon dark rum
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Whipped cream or vanilla ice cream (I used homemade raspberry ice cream)

For topping:
Spray 8-inch round cake pan with 2-inch-high sides with nonstick spray. Bring butter, sugar, and corn syrup to boil in medium saucepan, stirring constantly until butter melts. Boil syrup 1 minute. Stir in nuts. Spread topping in prepared pan. Let topping cool completely.

For cake:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Sift first 4 ingredients into medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat butter and both sugars in large bowl until blended. Beat in eggs 1 at a time, then mashed bananas, sour cream, rum, and vanilla. Beat in dry ingredients in 2 additions just until combined. Spoon batter into pan.

Bake cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 55 minutes. Cool 15 minutes. Cut around cake. Place platter over pan. Holding pan and platter together, turn over. Let stand 5 minutes, then gently lift off pan. Cool at least 15 minutes for topping to set. Serve warm or at room temperature with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.