Banana Date Muffins and California Dreamin'

Here we are in the last few days of winter! Even though it will officially be spring by the end of this week, and temperatures are starting to warm a bit, our heat is still on and evening temps hover around freezing. There are signs of spring, however, and I see tiny sprouts of scilla and crocus popping up through the cold, wet soil, which is a feast for the eyes after our long, snowy winter. 

The last week of February and first week of March, my husband and I were very fortunate to escape the Wisconsin winter and traveled to Palm Desert, California where we enjoyed golfing, hiking, green grass, flowers and palm trees with a group of close friends.  This trip to California and California dates were the inspiration for my recipe, which you will find below.  

On our first hike, we returned to one of our favorite places to visit, Joshua Tree National Park.  Last year, we hiked the Hidden Valley Trail and this year we decided on the Barker Dam Trail.  Here we are in front of the pond created by Barker dam which was built by local cattlemen in 1900.  The water was originally a catch basin for natural rainfall and springs and the dam helped to retain the water.  The water attracts a variety of desert wildlife and birds.  Cattle ranching is not longer viable in this area since rainfall has decreased and springs have dried up.      

As you can see by the way we're dressed, it's much cooler in Joshua Tree than in the valley where we were staying due to the difference in elevation of almost 3,000 feet.

You can tell how high the elevation is at Joshua Tree by seeing the snow-capped peaks in the distance which weren't that much higher!  

An iconic view of sand, boulders and Joshua Trees. Bouldering is very popular in this part of the park and we saw several young people with their bouldering 'mats'.

One of the most interesting things to see on the Barker Dam trail are the 1,000-year-old Indian petroglyphs hidden within the rock formation above.

As you get to the opening in the boulder, the shelter of the overhanging rock is filled with petroglyphs (which are different from pictographs as they are carved into the stone rather than painted on the surface).

Unfortunately, the petroglyphs were vandalized at some point and someone painted over them.  I read one version of the story which said it was a Disney film crew that painted them to make them show up better while filming a movie in 1961 but I can't say if that story is true as I only found one mention of it. 

Our other hike took us to the Thousand Palms Oasis Preserve, not far from where we were staying.

Above is the McCallum Pond, which is a true palm oasis and desert wetland in the middle of the sandy desert. The oasis was formed by a branch of the San Andreas Fault. Water has found it way up to the surface by weaknesses in the earth caused by the fault, creating this beautiful and natural habitat, which provides water and shelter for a variety of wildlife.

Within a few hundred feet from the oasis the desert was in full bloom! We were so fortunate to see the desert flowers in bloom because of recent rains. It was a glorious sight and the scent of the flowers filled the air.  

 Native verbena and bright yellow brittlebush carpeted the hillsides where we hiked.

My husband and I hiking the Moon Country Trail where we also saw wild campanula, desert daisies and wild lupines in bloom.

The bounty of the Coachella Valley finally brings me to my recipe for Banana Date Muffins!

This part of the California desert, and stretching to Yuma, Arizona, produces the majority of dates available for purchase in the United States.  Date palms were brought to the United States in the late 1700s by missionaries but superior crops weren't introduced until the USDA went looking for crops to plant that would thrive in the U.S.  The temperatures and soil in the Coachella Valley are so similar to the arid Middle East and Sahara Desert that offshoots of those highly productive trees were planted and cultivated in California around 1900.  Now date palms are grown on over more than 6,500 acres and produce more then 40,000 pounds of dates harvested per year.  I brought home both Medjool and Deglet-Noor dates from our trip. As you might guess, I LOVE dates!

The smaller dates on the left are Deglet-Noor and the huge ones on the right are Medjool, both sweet and delicious but I've never seen such large Medjool dates available for purchase here.  Despite their higher calories, dates are highly nutritious and have antioxidant value which you can read about here.

I've been making this banana bread recipe for over 20 years and it still remains my favorite.  I decided to switch up my recipe and add some of my precious California dates, spices and fresh orange zest.  I love how they turned out.  

Banana Date Muffins

Printable Recipe

Yields 11-12 muffins (depending on how you fill the cups or 1 - 9" x 5" loaf, recipe is easily doubled.

6 tablespoons butter, softened
3/4 cups granulated sugar
2 eggs, beaten
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1-1/2 cups mashed overripe bananas (about 3-4)
1/2 teaspoon (packed) grated orange zest
1/2 cup finely diced pitted dates

Topping:

1 cup chopped pecans
2 tablespoons brown sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin pan with paper liners or lightly butter a loaf pan (or use a baking spray with flour added). Mix topping ingredients of chopped pecans and brown sugar together and set aside.

In a large bowl, or stand mixer, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs and mix well. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cardamom, cinnamon and salt. Add alternately with bananas to egg mixture, then mix in orange zest. Fold in chopped dates.

Pour into prepared muffin cups or loaf pan and top with the pecan/brown sugar mixture and bake in 350 degree oven for about 25 minutes for muffins or about 60 minutes for loaves, depending on the size of the pan you are using. Check to make sure a toothpick inserted in the centers out clean as all ovens are different.

Cool in pans 5 minutes and then remove to a rack to cool completely.

Date and Nut Cake

Here is a very simple and unique date nut cake that you can whip together in no time at all and doesn't need any embellishments whatsoever. 

You could dust it with powdered sugar but I chose not to so you could see the meringue-like topping to this cake.  The texture of this cake is so interesting and delicious! The recipe was found in one of my oldest cookbooks.  It's called, American Cooks by the General Federation of Women's Clubs and was recommended to me by a chef who married my college roommate.  I would venture to say that it's still one of the most valuable cookbooks in my collection!

I also have some flower ideas for your spring buffet or table.  Take a shallow dish and put some water in it.  Add any flowers you like, trimming the stems as necessary, and cover with a pretty clear bowl or upside down vase. 

Use pretty wine glasses to display blooms.  Here is a glass I saved from my mother's home that brings back wonderful memories of her. 

Another favorite is to use egg cups as vases.  They make charming little floral displays.   

If you have some early spring blooms in your yard, this is a great way to use them!

Date and Nut Cake

Printable Recipe

1 cup presifted flour (I used AP flour)
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
2 cups coarsely chopped pecans
16-24 ounces dates, pitted and chopped (I used 16 ounces)
4 eggs, separated
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 9-inch square baking pan and line the bottom with parchment paper or waxed paper.

In a large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Stir in the pecans and dates.

In a small mixing bowl, beat the egg yolks and vanilla until light yellow.

In large mixing bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff but not dry. Fold egg yolk mixture into egg whites. Fold in the flour mixture and pour out into the prepared pan.

Bake in preheated oven for 40 to 45 minutes. Cool 10 minutes and remove onto a wire rack to cool completely. (Place wire rack upside down over pan and tip both over to remove cake).

Cut into squares and serve.

The Best Fall Slaw!

There are perks to living near a city with several of James Beard Award-Winning Chefs.  Outside of the obviously great food at their restaurants, one of them writes a witty food column for our Sunday newspaper's food section.  Even though Sandy D'Amato no longer lives in Milwaukee and has sold his restaurant Sanford to his Chef de Cuisine (and recent James Beard Award winner as well), he still writes his weekly column. More than a few times, he shares a recipe that I simply have to be make right away. 

Such was the case for this amazing autumnal slaw. Celeriac, apples, celery, red onion and dates tossed with a cardamom dressing.  Doesn't that sound great? 

If you're not familiar with celeriac (also called celery root) and wouldn't know what it looked like if one was staring you in the face, it reminds me of a small ogre's head. Yup. Certainly not the beauty queen of the produce aisle, but, peeled of it's outer knobby and warty-looking brown exterior, it's a wonderful, mild vegetable. I've used it cooked and mashed in lieu of potatoes (delicious and low starch) and also in soups, but this was the first time I've used it raw. Not related to celery at all, celeriac is a relative of fennel, carrots, parsley and parsnips. 

My husband started 'tasting' the slaw before our fish was grilled that evening and before the end of dinner the entire bowl (more than you see here) was gone. It won high praise from my husband and we both gave it two thumbs up. It is the best fall slaw!

The Best Fall Slaw

Adapted from Chef Sanford d'Amato
Printable Recipe

1 pound celery root (celeriac)
½ red onion
2 crisp apples (such as Gala or Fuji)
2 ribs celery, cleaned and cut on the bias ¼ inch thick
6 to 8 pitted dates, cut into ¼-inch pieces
1-¼ teaspoons kosher salt
¾ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves, or mint, chopped

Lemon cardamom dressing:

Zest of ½ lemon
¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
¼ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons honey (my addition)

To prepare the lemon cardamom dressing, combine the lemon zest and juice in a small saucepan over medium heat.  Reduce to 1 tablespoon liquid. Cool to room temperature, then add the remaining dressing ingredients and blend well.

Peel the celery root to yield about 10 ounces. Cut into ¼-inch slices, then cut the slices into thin, julienne strips and cut those in half. Place in a large bowl.

Peel and core the onion, then slice very thin. Rinse under hot water, then in cold, and drain. Add to celery root in bowl.

Cut the apples in half, core, and cut into quarters.  Cut each quarter into ¼-inch-thick slices from stem to bottom. Add to bowl.

Add sliced celery, dates, salt, pepper and parsley or mint. Mix in reserved dressing. Toss well, cover and chill in refrigerator until ready to use.