Recipes: Banana Bread, Blood Orange No-Churn Ice Cream, Blueberry-Apple Crumble Bars

Makes 1 (8-inch) loaf.

Note: To toast pecans, place nuts in a dry skillet over medium heat, and cook, stirring (or shaking the pan frequently), until they just begin to release their fragrance, about 3 to 4 minutes. Chocolate fans can substitute 1/2 cup chocolate chips for the pecans. From "The Vanilla Bean Baking Book," by Sarah Kieffer.

• 1 1/2 c. flour

• 1 tsp. baking soda

• 1 tsp. salt

• 1/2 c. pecan halves, toasted and chopped

• 1 c. very ripe bananas, mashed (about 3 bananas)

• 1/2 c. sour cream

• 1 tbsp. vanilla extract

• 1/2 c. (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus extra for pan

• 1/2 c. granulated sugar

• 1/2 c. packed brown sugar

• 2 eggs, at room temperature

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 4- by 8-inch loaf pan and line bottom and sides with parchment paper, with parchment hanging slightly over sides of pan.

In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt and pecans. In a medium bowl, mix the bananas, sour cream and vanilla extract.

In a bowl of an electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter until creamy. Add granulated sugar and brown sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl. Add eggs and mix until combined. Reduce speed to low, add flour mixture and mix until almost incorporated. Add banana mixture and mix until just combined. Scrape down sides of bowl and finish mixing with a spatula until batter is completely combined. Pour batter into prepared baking pan and bake until top is dark brown and a wooden skewer or toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 45 to 55 minutes. Remove from oven, transfer pan to a wire rack and let cool for 20 minutes. Using parchment, lift loaf out of pan, peel off paper and let bread finish cooling on wire rack.

Nutrition information per each of 12 slices:

Calories270Fat14 gSodium320 mg

Carbohydrates35 gSaturated fat6 gTotal sugars20 mg

Protein4 gCholesterol55 mgDietary fiber1 g

Exchanges per serving: 1 starch, 1 ½ carb, 2 ½ fat.

Serves 6.

Note: Blood oranges are a variety with red flesh. This recipe must be prepared in advance. From "The Vanilla Bean Baking Book," by Sarah Kieffer.

• 1 (14-oz.) can sweetened condensed milk

• 1/2 c. freshly squeezed blood orange juice (see Note)

• 1 tbsp. vanilla extract

• 1 tbsp. triple sec or other orange liqueur, optional

• 2 tsp. freshly grated blood orange zest

• 1/4 tsp. salt

• 2 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature

• 2 c. heavy cream

Directions

In a large bowl, whisk the sweetened condensed milk, orange juice, vanilla extract, triple sec, orange zest and salt until completely combined.

In a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk and on medium speed, beat cream cheese until smooth. Reduce speed to low and add cream in a slow steady stream, mixing until combined. Increase speed to medium-high and whisk until stiff peaks form, 3 to 4 minutes.

Add half the whipped cream mixture to the sweetened condensed milk mixture and whisk until completely combined. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in remaining whipped cream mixture until no streaks remain. Pour into a 9-inch loaf pan or Pullman pan with a lid and freeze until firm (about 6 hours). Ice cream will remain fresh if covered, and frozen, for up to 1 week.

Nutrition information per serving:

Calories490Fat34 gSodium240 mg

Carbohydrates41 gSaturated fat21 gTotal sugars41 mg

Protein8 gCholesterol120 mgDietary fiber0 g

Diabetic exchanges per serving: 1 milk, 2 carb, 7 fat.

Makes 12 large or 24 small bars.

Note: This recipe must be prepared in advance. From "The Vanilla Bean Baking Book," by Sarah Kieffer.

For crust:

• 2 1/2 c. flour

• 1/2 c. rolled or quick oats

• 1 c. sugar

• 1 tsp. baking powder

• 1/2 tsp. salt

• 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

• 1 c. (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature, and sliced into 1-in. pieces, plus extra for pan

For filling:

• 5 c. (heaping) blueberries

• 1/2 c. grated sweet apple such as Gala, (about 1 small apple)

• 1 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice

• 1/2 c. sugar

• 2 tbsp. cornstarch

• Pinch salt

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9- by 13-inch baking pan and line bottom and sides with parchment paper, with parchment hanging slightly over sides of pan.

In a bowl of an electric mixer on low, mix flour, oats, sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon until combined. Increase speed to medium, add butter and mix until mixture resembles coarse sand.

Press half the flour-oat mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan and bake 10 minutes.

While crust is baking, prepare berry filling: In a large bowl, mix berries, apple and lemon juice. In a small bowl, combine sugar, cornstarch and salt. Pour sugar mixture over berries and stir gently with a spatula to evenly combine.

Remove pan from oven. Spread berry mixture over the crust. Sprinkle remaining crumble mixture evenly over berry mixture. Bake until crumbly top is light golden brown, about 20 to 25 minutes. Remove pan from oven and transfer pan to a wire rack to cool completely. Refrigerate at least 4 to 6 hours before serving. Bars can be served cold or at room temperature, but are best kept stored in the refrigerator.

Nutrition information per each of 24 bars:

Calories195Fat8 gSodium80 mg

Carbohydrates30 gSaturated fat5 gTotal sugars16 mg

Protein2 gCholesterol20 mgDietary fiber2 g

Exchanges per serving: 2 carb, 1 ½ fat.