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This jam is delicious on biscuits, toast, scones, yogurt, ice cream and is another great use for ripe bananas!
Banana jam? Oh my goodness, YES!!
Back in March, I received a really fun email. It was an invitation from KitchenAid to "a retreat" in Nashville. It didn't take me long to RSVP to the awesome opportunity. I mean really, who (if they have any kind of culinary affection) wouldn't love to spend a few days immersed in all things KitchenAid?
So, in mid-April, I packed a suitcase and headed to Music City. There were twelve bloggers in attendance from all over the country, and it was really fun getting acquainted with these talented foodies. The two days we spent together were beyond incredible; we not only experienced the wonderful food scene in Nashville, but were given the opportunity to learn about all the latest equipment the ingenious team from KitchenAid had been dreaming up.
One of the highlights of the retreat was the day we spent at The Food Sheriff, a state-of the-art test kitchen, equipped with all the latest KitchenAid equipment. The morning was spent with Chef Jonathan Waxman, who has received the 2016 James Beard award; Best Chef: New York City for his restaurant, Barbuto. He gave us a wonderful cooking class and prepared an amazing meal for everyone to enjoy. We also had the pleasure of visiting Adele's, Jonathan's Nashville restaurant one evening. I'll be sharing my favorite recipe from Adele's in a future post.
And the afternoon? It was almost too good to be true. Try to envision the fun that would result from twelve foodies loose in a kitchen with every dream machine imaginable! That's how we spent the afternoon. The wonderful folks from KitchenAid had arranged to have all kinds of fresh and staple ingredients available for us to work with.
They gave us free reign in this incredibly equipped kitchen. We mixed, shredded, blended, pureed, simmered, sautéed, diced and baked our way through the afternoon. Had you been a little birdie in the room, you might have laughed at the excitement as we tried each new piece of equipment. You also might have gone crazy over the delicious aromas wafting from The Food Sheriff that day.
My friend Julie, from Lovely Little Kitchen (check out her blog, it's "lovely"!) worked together in creating some Blueberry White Chocolate Cookies as one of our projects that afternoon. Everyone thought they were quite tasty!
After Julie returned from Nashville, she shared the recipe on her blog. She also caught a few fun pictures from The Food Sheriff that day:
What about the Caramelized Banana Jam? Oh yes, you definitely don't want me to forget that!
The morning we arrived at The Food Sheriff, there was a fabulous breakfast awaiting us, catered by a delightful Nashville restaurant called Biscuit Love. The spread was amazing; fresh fruit, yogurt, granola, eggs, candied bacon and tall, tender, flaky, melt-in-your-mouth biscuits. There was butter and several kinds of jam to go along with the biscuits. One of them was an intriguing caramel color and was labeled "Caramelized Banana Jam". Hmmm... I took a little scoop. I make lots of jams and jellies, but I'd never heard of banana jam.
Oh my! - no one at our table could believe how delicious it was! We remarked that it tasted like Bananas Foster, but in jam form! I made a mental note to try to figure out this amazing condiment once I returned home.
I didn't get to it right away, but several weeks ago, I remembered the wonderful jam. I figured there would be lots of experimenting to do in order to get it right, but guess what? I discovered that Biscuit Love had actually shared the recipe with The Cooking Channel and it was available online. Woohoo! I didn't waste much time before I was whipping up a batch..
The jam was as delicious as I remembered and we've enjoyed it with our morning yogurt, on Ridiculously Easy Buttermilk Biscuits, scones and spooned (warm) over ice cream and sliced, fresh bananas (amazing!). I've also given it as gifts and everyone seems to love it.
The recipe calls for about 3 cups of ripe bananas, water and sugar. The water and sugar are combined and cooked till caramelized, then the bananas are added and the mixture is simmered till thick and beautiful. After cooking, a splash of vanilla and fresh lime juice is added. It's a seemingly simple procedure but the caramelizing can be a bit tricky. The water/sugar mixture can easily crystalize and, if you aren't keeping a super close eye on it, can turn from beautifully caramelized to badly burned, in the blink of an eye (I know both of these from experience!). I played with the recipe a bit and came up with an easier way to caramelize the sugar. I used my microwave, and found it's much less likely to crystalize and/or burn.
Banana bread, move over! You've got a rival - now there's another delicious way to use up ripe bananas!
Whip up a batch. I have a feeling you'll also be saying, "Oh my goodness, YES!!"
P.S. I've been using and loving KitchenAid equipment since the mid 1980's when Scott got me my first stand mixer. I was thrilled and stayed up all night, playing with it. I've had lots of other KitchenAid equipment since, and have loved them all. Over the years, I've called myself, "A KitchenAid girl" - now it's official, I got this fun little badge in Nashville!
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Caramelized Banana Jam
Ingredients
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- ½ cup water
- 5 medium ripe bananas*, see notes
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Combine sugar and water in a large (2 quart) microwave safe (pyrex)** bowl. Stir gently to combine. Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap***, then poke 6-8 holes in plastic wrap to creating venting. Place bowl in microwave and cook on high power for 10 minutes.
- While the sugar/water mixture is cooking in microwave, thinly slice bananas. You want 3 cups total. Place bananas in a medium-large pot.
- After 10 minutes, mixture in microwave will be just barely turning color. Continue cooking for 2 minutes at a time until mixture is golden brown. Watch carefully during these last 5 minutes. Amount of time will depend on your microwave. Mine takes around 14-15 minutes to cook to a beautiful golden brown color.
- When mixture is golden brown, CAREFULLY remove from microwave with oven mitts. Mixture will be very hot! Holding bowl away from your face, pull back plastic wrap and immediately pour mixture into pot with bananas. Do not try to scrape the bowl as there may be some sugar crystals on the edges of the bowl. Just pour in as much as you can.
- Set empty bowl aside to cool for a 10 minutes, then fill with hot water and soak to clean.
- Cook banana mixture on medium heat till bubbly then reduce heat to a constant but low simmer and cook till jam is thickened and bananas begin to break down and become translucent. This usually takes about 15-20 minutes.
- Add the salt and remove from the heat. Stir in the lime juice and vanilla. Allow to cool slightly, then transfer to small clean jars. Serve with warm biscuits, toast, yogurt, ice cream… The jam will keep in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.
- Yields about 3 cups of jam.
Notes
* You want the bananas to be ripe but not soft and mushy. They can have lots of brown sugar spots but shouldn't be black. Don't try to use bananas that are still green in spots. They don't make a good banana jam.
** After one reader tried the recipe and her bowl broke, I'm amending the recipe to say microwave safe "pyrex" bowl. Pyrex is made for to be heat proof and safe in the microwave. The only thing you want to be careful of with Pyrex, is not submitting it big temperature changes, for example from the microwave to the freezer.
*** I recommend using a high quality plastic wrap that is suitable for the microwave. Most of the name brand wraps you find in the market have been test and will be labeled microwave-safe. You could also lay a piece of parchment paper over the top of the bowl for a similar effect.
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Caramelized Banana Jam. Do you perhaps have any label for this you could send me please
Hi Michelle, we do not have labels for this recipe at this time.
Great recipe , i found it easier to use the stove top to cook the sugar mixture , i also found it easier to just add the bananas to the sugar mixture instead of pouring the sugar mixture into the bananas it still clumped but was far less messy with much less waste. Really enjoyed this one.
THanks so much for sharing your results, Dwayne!
Love this recipe! It's great in my oatmeal. The only thing I did different was added some ground cardamom. Thank you for sharing!
Oh! That sounds wonderful to serve this on oatmeal! Thanks for sharing your results, Colleen!
Made this yesterday and hubby had some on toast this morning and he said it was excellent!! I only had one issues. After 10 mins in the microwave, the sugar and water combo. I had a solid rock of candy when i poured over the bananas. Quickly removed and boiled some sugar and water on the stove and did it that way. Wrote on my notes, when i make again, to check after 6 minutes when in the microwave. Maybe my microwave was set too high??? Easy recipe. Thanks for sharing
Hi Juanita, thanks for sharing your review. Yes, microwaves definitely differ in strength so that was probably the issue. I'm happy that, in the end, this worked out well for you.
Way too sweet for a jam for me so I’m going to use it for a cheese cake topping or for a layer cake filling. It’s sitting in my freezer waiting for the right occasion 💕
Question. How long would it last if canned in cooker.
Hi Jeanette, I haven't tried canning this jam so I can't say for sure.
Jeanette did you ever can this? I want to try and make it for Christmas gifts, but they have to ship so I was wondering about canning it in a hot water bath.
Thanks for the recipe! I went out and bought some crunchy peanut butter and plain yogurt and made some of this jam today! It's good but very sweet, and I look forward to trying it in yogurt. The sugar took longer to caramelize in my microwave but it worked well and was easier than doing it on the stove (I'm going to try the microwave method for flan in the future). Also I forgot to buy lime so I subbed lemon juice. Does anyone have any serving ideas besides toast, yogurt, etc.?
Hi JS, Thanks for sharing your results. We love this jam on biscuits!
Can you make 1/2 the recipe
Yes, you definitely could!
I have a modestly sized B&B, and our guests love this jam on waffles with toasted pecans and whipping cream.
I have now made this recipe three times, and the results have been consistently wonderful. I have now reprinted the recipe and laminated it, since I plan on making it often, and the previous, paper copy is sticky!
As directed, I used the microwave to caramelize the sugar, and have had great results, with the sugar turning a lovely golden color. When I pour the caramelized sugar into the hot bananas on the stove, the sugar clumps into a big mess and each time, I am sure U have ruined everything. I have found that if I can keep from panicking, and keep stirring, it all works out. I put the jam into the smallest canning jars, lid them and put the jars in the freezer. The jam stays firm, and comes out of the freezer beautifully. I pull out one small jar at a time. That way, I don't have to worry about how long to keep the jam in the refrigerator. In fact, a jar never lasts a weekend at the Inn, and I often need to get out another jar before the weekend is through. I wouldn't suggest boiling water-canning this jam. I am not sure there is enough acid to keep it safe.
Thanks, Sally! I love that you use this jam at your B&B. Your pancakes sound delicious! Thanks so much for sharing your technique and method of storage.
Time taken says 9 hours 28 mins! I hope that’s a typo error. I would love to definitely try this recipe. Will post again once done.
Hi Sreekala, that's not a typo but it is an error. I switched recipe plugins a while back and it messed up all my recipe times. I'm working my way back but with over 1100 recipes, it's taking awhile.
I'm afraid I'm old-fashioned and don't possess a microwave, so I did it in the traditional style and cooked the sugar on the stove top until I had a nice, dark golden syrup... I then added the bananas, and proceeded as instructed in the recipe. Phenomenally good.
Thanks for sharing your results, Alexandra! So happy you enjoyed this jam too!
Wanted to say thank you so much, I'm so glad this was the first comment for me because I wanted to make this but I also don't own a microwave. I was assuming it could be done on the stove, but it's nice to hear it does definitely work! 🙂
Do you think squeezed fresh lime makes a difference rather than bottled lime juice?
Hi Janice,
I think you could use the bottled juice in this recipe if you were in a pinch.
In the recipe, you call for granulated sugar, and then to microwave the sugar and water for 10 minutes until it starts to turn color. Do you mean brown sugar?
No, it's granulated sugar. It will caramelize and turn to an amber color.
I microwaved the sugar and water for over 20 minutes. It barely turned cream color. Turned it over to empty pot to cook till golden and it immediately began to completely crystalize. Soo dissapointed.
So strange... I'm wondering if your microwave is pretty low power.Yes, the sugar/water does tend to crystalize more easily on the stovetop.
I have a crop of bananas we are waiting to ripen *yes a whole banana plant's worth!) so I am thinking of making as Christmas gifts. How would I make this without using the microwave? How long do you think that this will last without freezing?
Wow, a whole banana plant's worth! You are rich, girl! 🙂 I haven't made this without the microwave, but I would just caramelize the sugar and water till it's a nice amber color, then add the bananas and cook for another 10-15 minutes till it's a good consistency. This should keep for 3-4 weeks in the refrigerator.
I recommend just using a sauce pot and cook it on the stove instead of the microwave , just keep it medium temp and don’t stir . Take it off the heat when it’s caramel coloured.
Can you pasteurise it for longer shelf life?
Hi Marina, you probably could. I haven't though as I just freeze mine till I'm ready to use it.
Is this ok for canning for longer shelf life
Hi Anne, I haven't tried canning it so I'm not sure about that. I always keep my jam in the freezer for longer shelf life. Let us know if you try canning it.
Lovely, I hate throwing food away. I just put those overripe bananas in the freezer, and make a batch of jam now and then. I do it the old way, with hysterical cleanliness just like my granny did, so the best before date should be a few years from now. Today I let it simmer on the stovetop for some hours, and I even used a genuine vanilla pod.
How long does this jam keep for?
Hi Deborah, it will keep for several weeks in the fridge and a few months in the freezer.
I made the jam this morning and it is delicious! I confess I'm not the biggest fan of bananas, I've probably eaten one banana in the last 5 years outside of banana pudding. I guess you'd say why make it if you don't like bananas all that much but it just sounded so different I had to try it.
I sliced some french bread, buttered the bottom, put peanut butter and this jam on top and baked in the oven until it was all warm and melty and served it to my daughter and fiance. It was beautiful and they loved it. Would be good just on biscuits too. Thank you!
So happy you enjoyed it Angela, even with not being huge banana lover. I love your idea with the French bread and peanut butter. Sounds like a match made in heaven! 🙂
Love bananas Foster, had to give this try...after all, I have 5lbs of ripe bananas to use up! I tripled the recipe, but cooked it in my huge enameled cast iron dutch oven - worked out great! I did add a stick of butter at the end w everything else. Hot jars on the counter as I write, looking forward to seeing my son's face when he tries this (he loves bananas too!)
PS; I had quite a bit of "scum" when simmering the fruit, so skimmed it and carried on...
So glad you enjoyed the recipe Zeo! It definitely turns heads when you get people to try it!
I made the caramels end banana jam today & it is WONDERFUL. Your instructions were very easy to follow. My cooking times for the microwave and the stove top ended up less than the recipe but it was relatively easy to determine when it was ready. Thanks so much. This will be a favorite for special occasions.
I'm afraid the word caramelized was changed on spell check !!!
Thanks Becky, it's a very special, unique jam, for sure!
Would love to try this banana jam recipe. Didn't know you could use bananas for jam. My problem is I don't like using microwave oven. Is there another way I could make this?
Thank you so much. Love your recipes
Christina
Thank you Christina, you could follow this recipe: http://www.cookingchanneltv.com/recipes/biscuit-love-banana-jam.html It's the recipe I adapted this jam from.
That was an amazing opportunity and thank you for sharing it with us. I would be lost without my KitchenAid stand and hand mixer, they are my favorites. I get the feeling that this banana jam is going to be a favorite also!
This jam looks "to die for" but would like to know if it can be cooked on the stove. Thank you
Hi Christina,
Yes, the jam could definitely be cooked on the stovetop. I would follow the directions from this site:
http://www.cookingchanneltv.com/recipes/biscuit-love-banana-jam.html
how amazing for you and yes I am very jealous but that has calmed down a bit by this yummy recipe, love love love 🙂
Wow, I would love to try this jam, it is definitely something I've never had before. And I would love such a Kitchen Aid day as well...
What an amazing way to spend time in Nashville! You must have loved every minute playing with those Kitchenaid toys 🙂 I do love Bananas Foster so I know I'd love this Banana Jam too!
This jam looks incredible! I'm dreaming of Saturday morning pancakes topped with a heaping spoonful... yum!
Wow, Chris...what a fabulous time you had in Nashville! I remember receiving my first KitchenAid stand mixer, I adored it. I know I'd adore this jam too. you've presented it so beautifully. Pinned!
Wow! what an amazing experience, a Kitchenaid test kitchen amazing experience. Love this banana jam, pinned for later.
I've been lucky enough to eat a Barbuto -- great place. How much fun to have Waxman teaching you! But the banana jam that you had at The Food Sheriff? Wow! What a neat idea. Totally fun (and tasty!) dish -- thanks.
We always have bananas in the house because my girls love them, I definitely need to try make them into this jam!
As a word of advice, if you take the glass dish out of the microwave and set it on your antique wooden sideboard, and the glass bowl immediately cracks and the bottom separates from the rest of the bowl, don't panic. Yank the trash can over and carefully pick up the bowl with the silicone side of two potholders and gently place it and the potholders into the trash. Then with other potholders carefully slide the boiling-caramel-filled bowl bottom into an old rectangular metal cake pan and allow to cool. Throw away later. Then as the caramelized sugar melts into the cracks of said sideboard, wait patiently until it cools enough for you to begin to remove the platters, pancake griddle, mezzaluna, and pizza stones stored on the shelves which are now coated with dripped hard caramel and spiderwebs of spun sugar. Soak all the candied dishes and wipe sideboard down repeatedly with warm water to dissolve caramel. Regain your sense of humor, and be thankful that you didn't get burned and that the workout you got from cleaning it up was better than the twenty minutes you spent on the ski machine this morning...and all you lost were a few dishes and the manicure you got yesterday. Then laugh it off, toss those sad-looking sliced bananas waiting in a pot into the trash and go run your errands, and vow to make this delicious-looking caramelized banana jam another day.
Oh my gosh! So sad! You do have a good sense of humor. I guess it wasn't a microwave safe pyrex bowl. Yikes, I will amend the recipe and say it should be a pyrex bowl. I've made the jam at least 6 times in Pyrex with no problem!
Such a great experience for you in Nashville, Chris! I can only imagine the excitement in that kitchen. I would have been positively giddy. I love that this jam has come out of your trip and we get the benefits 🙂 I know I'd love this on my yogurt. Beautiful!
I love Kitchen Aid. I have my grandma's mixer and I know it must be at least 40 years old. Works like a charm but my whisk attachment just broke so i have to see if I can get a new piece. What fun you must have had. Love that fridge! And I would love some jam to put in it!
I am definitely adding this to my list to make asap! I can just imagine the flavour and I'm loving it already 🙂
What a wonderful trip and fabulous experience. You are one lucky lady! Love this jam - who knew you could do this with bananas - brilliant!
What a dream trip!! This would be beyond my wildest expectations! I have seen Jonathan Waxman on T.V. several times. He is a super famous chef. This jam looks so unusual and delicious! I may have to eat it straight out of the jar. Or at least on vanilla ice-cream.
This looks delicious! I first tasted Bananas Foster at Brennan's NOLA when I was but a young thing. Then it became my go-to company dessert for years. We sometimes used to eat the leftovers on biscuits, but since it had rum and banana liqueur in it, I never made it just to be jam for biscuits. I must try this! Lucky you to have had this experience -- I am sure it was fun and informative! I wonder why you never see Bananas Foster on menus any more?
What wonderful memories we have! Nicely done with the banana jam, Chris. What a treat!
I was just in Nashville this weekend visiting my daughter, and we ate at Adele's on Saturday night! The short rib was the best I've ever tasted. Their chicken was a little on the dry, flavorless side and could benefit from brining, but their caramel ice cream was dreamy, as was the beet salad. And I love Biscuit Love from a previous visit. Thanks so much for this Banana Jam recipe. Got to go get some bananas to ripen!
You had me at caramelized! This sounds like heaven in a jar.
All those KitchenAid beauties!!! What a great experience!!! Have never had a banana jam...sounds so fun!
Would this work with ripe frozen bananas?
I just have one question: can you can this? It sounds so tasty, I'd love to be able to give it as a gift for Christmas (I know, a little early but that's me).
I haven't tried canning it. I'm not an expert in canning so I don't want to say.
I'm in banana and Kitchenaid heaven after reading this post --- you are so lucky to have had that opportunity! Your jam looks so thick and rich, and I can just imagine the flavor from those caramelized bananas, I can't wait to give it a try Chris.
Thank you Sue for such a sweet comment. It was a wonderful opportunity.