Recipes from The New American Cooking

1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs, slightly beaten
3 medium, ripe bananas
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup chopped salted macadamia nuts

1. Preheat oven to 350F and grease a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan.
2. Cream butter with sugar. Add eggs, bananas and vanilla. Mix until blended.
3. Dissolve baking soda in 2 tablespoons water and add to banana mixture. Process for a minute or so. Sift together the flours, salt and baking powder. Fold into banana mixture. Pour into loaf pan.
4. Sprinkle macadamia nuts on top, gently pressing them in. Bake for 60 to 70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Reprinted with permission from Joan Nathan's New American Cooking (Alfred A. Knopf, 2005). "This and That, "March 2006