I was sitting at the kitchen counter recently when I noticed in my peripheral vision a few freckled bananas. Almost instaneously, I thought of a recipe that I saw not too long ago over at Sassy Radish. I knew that I had to make banana bread.
Last time I saw rapidly-darkening bananas, I made banana bread, but from a Mark Bittman recipe. It was wonderful, rapturous even. In that case, I added walnuts, mini chocolate chips and some flaked coconut that I had sitting around. I blush to think of it!
This recipe caught my eye because of its inclusion of bourbon, and really, I am just not a girl who can turn down a recipe that involves bourbon. I was also piqued by the use of frozen cranberries.
However, I was not to find frozen cranberries. I had already fallen in love with the idea of using frozen fruit in this bread it’s juiciness bursting forth in my mouth among the other flavors. So I paced in the frozen foods aisle looking for a suitable alternative. That’s when I noticed the bright red tart cherries telling me that they were an offer that I could not refuse. I also added 1/2 cup toasted walnuts to the recipe. And there I had it, banana bread. The bananas were so ripe and fragrant that I even licked the spoon despite the raw eggs. I seldon lick the spoon despite raw eggs!
It is amazing to me that this bread could be so different than the other one. I enjoyed it thoroughly. The bourbon gave it a depth and a finishing flavor that could in a moment of weakness leave me digging from the bread pan with a fork.