Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Chard and Dessert

Yep, 2-for-1 today. I had plans to post about chard, then I got a case of bananas and was really excited when I thought of a new, exciting dessert. So, without further ado...

I told the boys to go out and gather a head of chard. According to my research, chard is the edible top leaves of an inedible (or maybe just plain nasty) variety of beet. (My dearly beloved claims that all varieties of beet are inedible, but that's another story). Also, if you cut the tops off with a knife, new tops will grow, or so my book says. Yes, it's my 1930s Encyclopedia of Cookery to which I refer.

This was not much of a pile of chard, and I knew it wouldn't do much when they brought it in. Nonetheless, I didn't wish to scold, and they were eager to try it. So I cut out the center ribs and stems, steamed the leaves for about 5 minutes with just a touch of salt, then chopped them and stirred them in with pasta, diced tomatoes (canned), fresh ground pepper and heavy cream. I did try the chard before I added it to the pasta, as did the boys, and we found it to have a pleasant taste. Next time, if they bring in more, it will make a perfectly dandy side dish.

Then came.....dessert!

Last night being Tuesday, it was Brownie Tuesday night. The kids had their standard brownies with pudding, bananas and sprinkles on top, and I made a wondrous concoction for my dearly beloved. I even ate some, but this was filling!

BANANAS IN CARAMEL SAUCE

1/4 cup butter

2 bananas, sliced
1 tsp cornstarch
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp corn syrup
1 tbsp heavy cream

In a skillet, melt the butter. Add the bananas, and saute about 3 minutes, until the outsides begin to soften. Stir in the cornstarch, until no lumps remain, then add the brown
sugar, corn syrup and cream. Stir until it turns liquid, then begins to thicken. Serve over hard frozen ice cream - this is hot, and will begin to melt your ice cream! My dearly beloved ate 2/3 of this, and spent the evening groaning in joy. Paula, note, this is safe for your baby!

Thor will be back tomorrow, I promise! His mom won't be a lazy bum weasel and not fit enough hours into her day this week!

13 comments:

tavolini said...

Hahaha--you are NOT a lazy bum weasel by any means!

The pasta dish looks good--I'm always shocked at how a pot full of greens can be reduced to just a small bowl. That banana and ice cream looks EXCELLENT!

Katherine Roberts Aucoin said...

I'm sure Thor is probably tired anyway from the Mystical Ball at The Pond yesterday - lol.

Your pasta and the ice cream both look so wonderful Marjie! The ice cream is totally calling my name!

The Blonde Duck said...

I want brownie Tuesdays. I need to find out if I'm still allergic to chocolate.

SissySees said...

Now THAT is chard I might eat... but I'd rather have the brownies, and the Knight will want the banana dish.

Anonymous said...

Ummm I tend to agree with you dearly beloved about beets...........my mother used to feed us chard and we called it the slimeys:( The dessert looks wonderful though.

Christo Gonzales said...

bum weasel? are they good to eat - when are they in season? I love bananas - not a case of them but a good couple of hands will do..this dessert is 5 star!

Lakeland Jo said...

Marjie don't do this to me. I have gall stones at the moment and can't eat any of this type of delicious food. I haven't heard of Chard before.

Pam said...

Yum. The whole meal looks tasty - but especially the fancy banana dessert. You have a very lucky husband!

Mickle in NZ said...

The chard and pasta dish looks lovely. Over here we have a chard called silver beet - thick white stems and dark, glossy greens leaves.

I can't eat it anymore, but can still have spinach (pesky deer - choosing the most lucious greens from your garden).

And the dessert.... I'll drool from afar.

buffalodick said...

Bananas in caramel- I'm in sugarbuzz heaven!

pam said...

I love chard and always use it mixed in my pasta.

The bananas sound amazing!

grace said...

i'm sorry--i can't fully appreciate your chard-y dish because i'm infatuated with those bananners. what decadence! forget banana bread and banana pudding and any other use for the things--this is the way to go!

~~louise~~ said...

I've never been able to warm up to Chard. However, I must say, it sure looks good on that pasta! AND, those bananas, I've suddenly got a craving for bananas foster. My very best favorite dessert EVER!!!

Thanks for sharing, Marjie

P.S. August is National Brownie Month!