Pumpkin Chestnut Puree Recipe

I prepared a pumpkin with fresh chestnuts today for baby Aria and she absolutely loved it. The texture was a little too thick, so I thinned it with mashed plantains and a bit of milk. The pumpkin chestnut purée was as nutritious as it was delicious.

Who said "baby" food can't be tasty? I’ve made an effort to prepare homemade baby food ever since Aria started eating solids. She's already 16 months old and loves trying new foods. My motto is that I won’t serve anything to her that I wouldn’t eat myself. She seems to appreciate it and has become quite the little foodie! She even says “mmmmm” when we’re watching The Cooking Channel. Bobby Flay and the Iron Chef are her favorites!

Plantain Stuffing Recipe

We had a little bread left-over from the Superbowl party, and instead of wasting it, I turned the stale bread into a delicious side dish. I added plantains, water chestnuts and green beans, then finished the dish with crumbled goat cheese. I paired the plantain stuffing with veal scallopini.

Savory Cheesecake with Baked Plantain Crust

We had guests over for lunch recently and one of them is gluten intolerant. There are many options available such as rice noodle soups or potato dishes. This time, I tried to think out of the box; I made individual savory cheesecakes for a more refined presentation. But instead of making a gluten-free crust (using gluten-free flour), I used ripe yellow plantains that I molded using mini cake pans. I caramelized them with palm sugar, which enhanced the flavor of the dish and paired wonderfully with the fromage blanc filling.

I served the plantain entrée with thinly sliced radishes and salad greens. It made a wonderfully light and flavorful lunch.

Mashed Plantains (Banana Plantain Puree Recipe)

Unlike regular bananas, plantains require cooking and cannot be eaten raw. They're cooked in the same manner as you would potatoes. Their texture is denser, firmer and starchier than bananas but they still have a mild sweetness. As you let the plantain ripen the skin turns almost black, and it becomes slightly sweeter.

For the plantain purée, I used ripe yellow plantains. I boiled and then pan-fried them to caramelize them and enhance the natural sweetness. Finally, I mashed them and added caramelized onions and various herbs, completing this flavorful savory side dish.

Garlic chives from the garden.

Pan Fried King Bananas

Chuối ngự are Vietnamese bananas that look similar to small plantains. They have a starchy texture and a subtle sweetness. If you look for this particular banana in Asian markets, they're called King, Raja or emperor bananas.

King bananas can be prepared in a lot of ways. Today, I twice cooked them. First, I parboiled them, then I pan-fried the bananas in oil until golden brown. They make great appetizers if you top them with cheese and other condiments, or they also make a wonderful side dish. In this case, I paired them with baked fish.