Next weekend is Purim, one of the merriest and noisiest of Jewish holidays. Children dress in costumes and run around swinging “groggers,”which are, essentially, very, very noisy noisemakers. Grownups are commanded to “make merry,” which usually involves an alcoholic beverage.
Some of my friends are baking hamantashen, the classic Purim cookie, 3-cornered and filled with jam or fruit puree in the center. They’re getting very creative with them: date-almond, chocolate-coconut, among others. Another friend has even created a video showing how to shape the classic hamantashen.
But I am not making hamantashen this year. I am making banana bread. Of course. Because I always make banana bread.
One of the most important Purim traditions is giving away food to the poor and to friends and family. So this year my gifts will be banana bread.
I usually make banana bread because I always have too many bananas around the house. This time was different. I didn’t have enough bananas! A first for me!
But I did have a mango.
So here is the result of my tinkerings. Banana-Mango Bread. I threw in some chocolate chunks because, well, it can’t hurt right?
Guess you’ve already guessed: this freezes well.
Banana–Mango Bread with Chocolate Chunks
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon grated fresh nutmeg
1 teaspoon grated fresh orange peel
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
1/2 cup coconut oil
1-1/2 cups sugar
3 medium ripe bananas, mashed
1 mango, flesh pureed
3 large eggs, slightly beaten
1/2 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup chocolate chunks
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 10-inch (8-cup) bundt pan. Mix the flour, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, orange peel and baking soda together in a bowl. In the bowl of an electric mixer set at medium speed, beat the shortening, coconut oil and sugar until well blended. Add the bananas and mango puree and blend in thoroughly. Add the eggs and beat well. Stir in the coconut milk and blend thoroughly. Add the flour mixture and beat until batter is well blended. Stir in the chocolate chunks. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 60-70 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Remove to a cake rack to cool completely.
Makes one bread, serving 16-18