Maple Roasted Bananas with Cinnamon Whipped Cream

I have begun a lifelong love affair with maple syrup. It started with pancakes, gravitated towards desserts, and found its way to savory foods (maple syrup is just fantastic on asparagus). But today we aren't talking about pancakes or savory foods. We are talking desserts. And this one is certainly a doozie.

When I set out to make these maple roasted bananas, I had no idea of the surprises in store for me. When you start to invent your own recipes, a little surprise here and there is bound to happen (though you never anticipate it). It started out innocently enough, with beautifully cut bananas drowning in maple syrup and brown sugar. What can I say? I let my guard down. So I put them in the oven, set the timer, and started putting away ingredients. About 4 minutes in, I smelled burnt sugar and rushed to the oven. The bananas were perfectly fine, oh yes they were, and I let out a brief sigh of relief. But the extra sugar in the pan had decided to boil and burn something awful. So, being completely practical, I turned on the broiler to harden the sugar on the bananas.

The fire alarm forced me to stop my experiment.

My bananas turned out perfectly despite this. My pan may be charred black, but who can care about that when these gorgeous bananas are staring you in the face? Some sugary syrup had been spared, so I drizzled this over the roasted bananas and added a dollop of cinnamon whipped cream. Oh. My God. I ate more than my fair share and licked my plate clean. Licked it spotless.

The cinnamon whipped cream keeps the sugar in check, so it is not overwhelming. Both the maple syrup and banana flavors shine. I could gush longer about how good this is, but I think its better if you just find out for yourself, don't you?

(Don't worry, I adjusted and tested the recipe so your baking venture will be a little less exciting).

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Strawberry Shortcake

I grew up with a deep love for strawberry shortcake. I am not sure how or why it started but, by the age of five, I absolutely insisted to be served strawberry shortcake on my birthday (and for every birthday thereafter). I didn't need a sugar laden cake. No neon colored frosting. Just some simple cake, strawberries, and whipped cream and I was all yours.
This is the first time I made true shortcakes instead of a using a sponge or angel food cake in its place. The first batch I forgot the baking powder and ended up with delicious smelling rocks. Sigh. My second attempt lent me dense shortcakes (I should have realized whole wheat flour isn't particularly light). But these little shortcakes were so fantastically delicious that I ate two before I remembered these were even supposed to served with strawberries.

My little whole wheat shortcakes, you are more than good enough for me.

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