Banana Walnut Bread

I am a sucker for traditions, and banana bread is one of those desserts I look forward to making when I feel the need to relish the goodness of basic quick baking. It's the perfect time because I seem to have enough bananas in the freezer that always seem to go ripe overnight.

Tip: Ripe bananas (black) are the key to success. Save ripe bananas still in their skins and freeze them in a plastic freezer bag until you have enough to make a full recipe. 

The crumble topping is optional. For a lower-fat Banana Bread recipe, replace butter in part or all with applesauce. 

Banana Walnut Bread

Makes 1 loaf or 10-12 muffins

chefgeorgehirsch.com | George Hirsch Lifestyle

For the Crumb Topping:

1/3 cup light brown sugar

2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 Tablespoons walnuts or pecans, chopped

1 Tablespoon sweet butter

In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and nuts. Blend butter in with a fork until the mixture is crumb-like.

For the Loaf Mix:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 cups about 3-4 large very ripe bananas, mashed

1/2 cup pure cane granulated sugar

3 Tablespoons honey

1 egg, beaten

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 cup walnuts or pecans, chopped into 1/4 inch pieces

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon grated orange zest

1/2 cup sweet butter, melted, Or replace with part/ all applesauce

Lightly grease the loaf pan.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. SEE DIRECTIONS BELOW

In a large bowl, mix together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In another bowl, beat together bananas, sugar, honey, egg, cinnamon, vanilla, nuts, and melted butter. Fold in by hand with a spatula the banana mixture into the flour mixture until just moistened. 

Place batter into loaf pan; and if using the optional crumb topping sprinkle on top of batter. 

Bake for 45-50 minutes. Test with a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf. Done when it comes out clean.

Sold out

13 EPISODES on 4 HD-DVD Disk Set, season one

$19.95

Add to Cart

Gather 'Round the Grill Cookbook, Vintage (new)

$50.00

Add to Cart

George Hirsch Living it UP! cooking & lifestyle book

$24.95

Add to Cart

Easter Muffin

The Blueberry Muffin is the most popular muffin, and with Easter this weekend, my Blueberry Nut Muffins are ideal to serve for breakfast or include in your Easter Brunch. Make-n-bake in under an hour. 

No sweat if fresh blueberries are in season in your neighborhood; a good quality frozen berry will do just fine.

Tip: Stock up your freezer with extra blueberries for recipes like this. Store whole fresh berries in sealed plastic storage bags for up to six months. 

Tip: Did you know that tossing blueberries with flour before adding them to the batter will prevent them from sinking to the bottom of the muffin during baking?

Blueberry Nut Muffins

Recipe by George Hirsch | Makes 10-12 muffins

For the topping:

1/3 cup light brown sugar

2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 Tablespoons nuts, walnuts, or pecans, chopped into 1/4-inch pieces

1 Tablespoon sweet butter

Mix brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and nuts in a small bowl. Blend butter in with a fork until the mixture is crumb-like.

For the muffin mix:

1/2 cup sweet butter, room temperature

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 Tablespoon flour for coating blueberries, plus greasing muffin cups

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups fresh blueberries

1 cup pure cane granulated sugar

2 large eggs, beaten

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon grated orange zest

1/2 cup milk

Grease a regular-size 12-cup muffin pan with butter and dust with flour, banging out excess flour, or use muffin cup liners.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 

Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. 

In a separate bowl, use a mixer to cream butter and sugar at medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add vanilla and orange zest to beaten eggs, then add eggs one at a time, mixing until eggs are absorbed. 

With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture and milk in three stages, mixing until all are incorporated. Do not overmix. 

Toss blueberries in a fine strainer with about one Tablespoon of flour to lightly coat. Using a rubber spatula, fold in 1 1/2 cups of the blueberries. Place batter into muffin cups with an ice cream scoop or large spoon, filling each cup to three-quarters full. Add the remaining 1/2 cup of blueberries on top of the muffins and divide the crumb topping over the muffins.  

Bake for about 25-30 minutes, until muffins are golden brown. Check muffins halfway through and rotate if the oven temperature is uneven. Test with a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin; it should come out clean, or when touched lightly, the muffin should have a slight resistance to finger pressure.  

Remove from oven and allow muffins to cool in pan for 10 minutes, then remove muffins from pan.

Sold out

13 EPISODES on 4 HD-DVD Disk Set, season one

$19.95

Add to Cart

Gather 'Round the Grill Cookbook, Vintage (new)

$50.00

Add to Cart

George Hirsch Living it UP! cooking & lifestyle book

Add to Cart

Holiday Breakfast: Popovers & Scrambled Eggs

It is said the American style popover originated in Portland Oregon derived from the Yorkshire Pudding origins of Yorkshire county in Northern England. Whether true or not the principle of a good Yorkshire Pudding or Popover derives from using a crepe-like batter dough. To make a popover, change the beef fat drippings (from the roast) to butter- for a more updated flavorful batter. Whatever style you prefer to make, just remember don’t open the oven door and peek in the oven- if you want a tall pop-over from this crepe-like muffin. 

Yorkshire Pudding or Popovers are usually served with roasted meats. A dear friend recently shared with me that he serves popovers with scrambled eggs for breakfast or brunch. Great idea!

Popovers & Yorkshire Pudding  

Makes 12 popovers

Adapted From Adventures in Grilling Cookbook

by George Hirsch with Marie Bianco

5 Tablespoons butter, melted

2 eggs, beaten 

1 cup milk

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon hot sauce

1 cup all-purpose flour

pinch of freshly grated nutmeg and black pepper

Optional: 1 teaspoon fresh chopped thyme, rosemary or chives

Grease and flour a 12 cup muffin or popover pan. Add a teaspoon of melted butter to each cup of a 12-cup muffin pan.

Mix flour, eggs, milk, 1 Tablespoon melted butter, sugar, and salt. Beat in the flour a little bit and add herbs if using; the mixture should be smooth. Do not over mix the batter, or the gluten will overdevelop, and the popovers will be tough. Let batter rest for fifteen minutes. 

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Place empty/ unfilled muffin pan in a hot oven to preheat the pan for two minutes or until smoking hot. 

Carefully remove the hot muffin pan from the oven and fill each cup halfway. Bake for 15-20 minutes, then reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees, and continue baking for 15-20 minutes more, or until popovers are puffed and browned.  

Remove Popovers from pan immediately and serve hot.

PERFECT SCRAMBLED EGGS

Tips:

If serving scrambled eggs with popovers, begin to cook eggs 5 minutes before removing popovers from the oven.

Do not open the oven to check popovers until they have baked for at least 30 minutes. 

To test for doneness, tap the outside of Popover; it should sound hollow. 

Sold out

13 EPISODES on 4 HD-DVD Disk Set, season one

$19.95

Add to Cart

Gather 'Round the Grill Cookbook, Vintage (new)

$50.00

Add to Cart

George Hirsch Living it UP! cooking & lifestyle book

$24.95

Add to Cart

George's Irish Scones

Even as a stranger, you'll be made to feel like a regular local. Where's that? Any pub in Ireland. The local pub in Ireland is the heart of any village. It's where to catch up on local chit-chat or good craic, listen to live music, and enjoy excellent hearty food. See for yourself how Ireland's warm-hearted culture brings me back time and time again.

A scone is a quick bread, but it is unclear of the true origin—be it from the Scots, Brits, or Germans. I like the word scone as it may have derived from the Gaelic term "sgonn," meaning a shapeless mass or large mouthful. Although some are hexagonal, scones are usually round in shape, as this shape provides for space-efficiency while baking. Other forms include triangles and squares.

Why Buttermilk? Using Buttermilk instead of cream makes for a lighter, more bread-like scone. The scones are baked at a higher oven temperature which produces a darker, crispier crust. Using Buttermilk will also result in a more tender, creamy texture with a rich buttery taste and a bit of tang, somewhat similar to a good Greek yogurt. TIP: Not to worry if you are just plum out of Buttermilk; regular milk + vinegar will provide the same results. 

Start with the best ingredients, and the results will provide tastier, better results—specifically, use good quality flour.

Easily prepared, baked, and enjoyed in under an hour—have a good cup of hot tea and jam with my Irish Scones.

George's Irish Scones 

Makes 8 scones in a 9-inch round pan 

chefgeorgehirsch.com | George Hirsch Lifestyle

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 cup (1 stick) very cold sweet butter, cut into small pieces 

1/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoons pure cane granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup milk, *made into buttermilk

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

1 cup raisins, **plumped

1/4 teaspoon white vinegar for making milk into buttermilk

*Add white vinegar to milk to make the buttermilk. Allow to sit for 5 minutes to sour. 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. 

Mix flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Add cold butter to flour and blend in by hand until the butter resembles fine crumbs. Add granulated sugar and mix into flour. 

Combine beaten egg, vanilla, and milk. Add milk mixture to flour mixture, toss in plumped raisins, and mix by hand until a dough forms. It will take about one minute of kneading until the flour is absorbed. Turn scone dough onto a floured surface. Form in the shape of a ball, do not over knead. With a rolling pin, flatten out the dough to one inch thick.

Place the round scone dough into a 9-inch cake pan. With a bench scraper or knife cut through the dough across four times dividing into eight equal pieces. Immediately bake for about 16-18 minutes until the dough sounds hollow, a sign it is fully baked. 

Serve warm with jam and clotted whipped cream. 

**To plump raisins, add 2 tablespoons of water and heat in the microwave for 30 seconds. 

Sold out

13 EPISODES on 4 HD-DVD Disk Set, season one

$19.95

Add to Cart

Gather 'Round the Grill Cookbook, Vintage (new)

$50.00

Add to Cart

George Hirsch Living it UP! cooking & lifestyle book

$24.95

Add to Cart

Classic Brownie Cookies as seen on George Hirsch Lifestyle

a Classic, cookies, and milk on George Hirsch Lifestyle

Chocolate treat, under 30 minutes - mixing and baking. But can you wait 24 hours? Probably not, but just save a few because these cookies actually taste even better a few days after baking. Eyes go wide open on the first bite. Try my recipe for yourself, and you'll agree. For best results, use a good-quality cocoa powder.

Classic Brownie Cookies

Makes 3 dozen large or 6 dozen small 

chefgeorgehirsch.com | George Hirsch Lifestyle 

1 1/3 cups butter

1 cup sugar

2/3 cup brown sugar

1 Tablespoon vanilla

2 each eggs

2 1/4 cups flour

2/3 cup cocoa

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2teaspoon salt

3 Tablespoons milk

1 1/2 cups pecans, chopped 

1 cup mini chocolate chips, semi sweet, or chopped chocolate

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar one minute, or until creamy.

Add eggs, one at a time, beating lightly after each.

Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Add to creamed mixture alternately with milk beating at low speed about 1 minute, or just until blended.

Stir in nuts and chocolate chips.

Drop dough with cookie scoop (heaping 2 Tablespoons) on parchment paper lined baking sheet. 

Bake at 350F for 10 to 12 minutes. Cookies will still appear soft and moist when baked, but firm up on cooling.

Cool slightly, then remove to cooling rack. About 3 dozen cookies.

Tip: Smaller cookies can be made using 1 Tablespoon dough for each cookie, baking for 8 to 10 minutes.

Sold out

13 EPISODES on 4 HD-DVD Disk Set, season one

$19.95

Add to Cart

Gather 'Round the Grill Cookbook, Vintage (new)

$50.00

Add to Cart

George Hirsch Living it UP! cooking & lifestyle book

$24.95

Add to Cart