Do Bananas Freeze in Panama?

These bananas certainly look frozen to me, but even the below freezing temperatures on top of Volcan Baru wouldn’t freeze Panamanian bananas. No, these were frozen in my freezer overnight and they are hard as bricks.

Now the problem is how to peel them. I stuck the bananas in the freezer, peel and all, I didn’t want to take the time and trouble to peel them and bag them.  Besides, why use bags when bananas come with peels, nature’s perfect packaging?

When I’m ready to use bananas, I take them out of the freezer and let them frost up for a couple minutes.  In the meantime, I get out my favorite big knife and cut off the tips. I cut off enough so I can see the banana-colored flesh. It’s not sickly brown or mushy like it would be if I had peeled it before freezing.

Then, holding a half in my left hand (right hand if you’re left-handed), I split it slowly lengthwise into 2 pieces.  These pictures show David actually peeling our banana.  Look at that color, just like a real banana and just as firm as if it hadn’t been frozen.

Now, holding a piece in my left hand and beginning at the top, I ease my thumb between the peel and the flesh and slowly move my thumb down the banana.  It’s easy to do if you do it smoothly.  The inside releases itself and comes out all in one piece, ready to use in your favorite cakes, pies or frozen drinks.

Did you see my recipe for Banana Daiquiris I posted last week?  Carrie and Jonathan came over to try a Banana Daiquri made with my frozen bananas.  Everyone loved them, the second daiquiri was even better than the first!

Nuts for Bananas, Bananas and Nuts!

What do you do when you have so many bananas you don’t know what to do with them? This big stalk is only one of many that are ripening this month on our property in Boquete, Panama.  Our guests can only eat 8 or 10 bananas per day and everyone who comes to visit gets a bunch for their parting gift. There are over 100 bananas on this one stalk alone.  Banana Daiquiris are good, but how many can we drink?

Maybe making a Banana Cake with a Channel of Walnuts would be a good use for some of our bananas.  My favorite cookbook is written by New Zealand cook, Alison Holst, “The Ultimate Collection”.  Alison always has creative ideas for using fresh fruits and she has a couple of banana recipes that look really good.  Her banana cake recipe is perfect for using up my bananas, and I’ll add a walnut-filled channel to it, kind of like the Panama Canal.

This is how I made it:

Turn on the oven to 350 degrees and line a ring-shaped cake pan with baking paper or spray with Pam.
Process in your food processor until smooth:
4 ripe bananas
1 stick of butter
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Whisk in a separate bowl:
1 1/2 cups flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda

Chop 1 cup walnuts or pecans.

Add the flour mixture to your processor and pulse until barely combined. It’s OK if not fully blended, because you can stir it a bit as you fill your prepared ring pan. Using a large spoon, press the middle of the batter to make a dent and while holding the spoon down in the batter, fill the dent with nuts. Continue dragging the spoon around the ring and filling the indentation with nuts as you go. The nuts fill a channel inside the cake and become the surprising highlight of your cake after it’s baked.  Bake 35-40 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean. Cool and invert on a lovely cake plate, dust with powdered sugar, slice and serve to your delighted guests.

Now – - let’s get back to the Banana Daiquiris, we still have lots of bananas leftover.

To make the perfect daiquiri, use your drink blender.
Blend 1 cup crushed ice
2 shots favorite rum
1 shot lime juice
1 rounded tablespoon sugar
1 peeled banana
Blend 10 seconds and serve in a champagne glass and top with a cherry!
Keep those bananas coming!