Tag Archives: white miso

Miso Pecan Banana Bread

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How about a banana bread that is moist on the inside, with a crunchy bite around the edges? While banana bread has been around for decades, the dish is now a global mainstay. Morning with coffee, noon as a quick bite for lunch, or after dinner shared with a scoop of ice cream—it doesn’t really matter what time of day you indulge. My personal preference is a warm slice with a dab of ghee, or a schmear of peanut butter; or let’s face it, just by itself is perfectly fine.

In this recipe, the crunch of pecans complements the bread’s softness, while miso (which we always have on hand) adds complexity alongside the banana’s sweetness. Be sure to utilize the ripest bananas you can find because it really will make a difference. This banana bread can hold for several days on the counter or in the fridge—if you have any left.

“Banana-bread recipes over the decades have in common bananas, sweetener, a chemical leavener, some fat and flour. But beyond that they can differ wildly.”

PJ Hamel

Banana bread is extremely flexible: If this recipe doesn’t work for you, just change it. Add a little more miso. Maybe lighten up on the sugar. Or toss in another half cup of pecans until you’ve adjusted it to suit your own preferences. I followed the directions without any alterations (other than what I did with the toasted pecans), and loved the results!

“Banana bread is both striking and unremarkable, simple and staggering, found on the counters of coffee shops and apartment bar tops and tiny cafes globally. A corner piece can shift your entire day. Or maybe your choice is a slice from the middle, full of flavor without the baggage of a crust. Or perhaps your ideal banana bread is whichever iteration is available — YouTube’s code sags under the weight of banana-bread recipes, and they’re each as delicious as the impulses behind them. It’s a dish as perfect as it is malleable.” — Bryan Washington

For the topping, you can add all of the chopped pecans to the batter, and place 8 or 9 whole roasted pecans to the top once in the loaf pan; or do half and half as instructed below. The indicated baking time of 60 to 80 minutes didn’t pan out for us. It took 1 hour and 35 minutes in the oven before the thin metal skewer stuck into the center came out clean.

Miso Pecan Banana Bread

  • Servings: 1, 9 to 10-inch loaf
  • Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

  • ½ tsp. vegetable oil, plus more for pan
  • 1 cup pecans
  • 1 tsp. fine sea or table salt
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
  • ½ tsp. ground nutmeg
  • ½ tsp. baking soda
  • ½ tsp. baking powder
  • ½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1 cup packed brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
  • 3 Tbsp. milk
  • 2 Tbsp. white miso
  • 1 Tbsp. honey
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 4 very ripe bananas, mashed (1¾ cups)

Directions

  1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly oil a 9- or 10-inch loaf tin, then line the base with parchment paper. Also, grease and flour a loaf pan.
  2. Toss pecans on a parchment-lined baking sheet with salt and oil. Bake until fragrant, 7 to 10 minutes. When cool, chop to your desired consistency.
  3. While the pecans cool, whisk together flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda and baking powder in a medium bowl.
  4. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar using an electric mixer until creamy, 3 to 4 minutes. Beat in eggs, milk, miso, honey and vanilla extract until well-combined. Gradually beat in dry ingredients until just combined.
  5. Using a spatula, stir bananas into the batter to combine evenly. Add half of the pecans (and any salt on the pan) to the batter and mix to combine evenly throughout. Add batter to the prepared loaf pan, smoothing when complete. Sprinkle the remaining pecans evenly on top.
  6. Bake until a wooden skewer inserted in several areas around the center comes out clean, 1 hour to 1 hour 20 minutes (ours took 1 hour 35 minutes). Tent with foil if it starts to darken too much on top before the middle is baked through.
  7. Let bread sit in tin for 10 minutes before removing and setting on a rack to cool for 60 minutes. Serve with coffee, ice cream or entirely by itself.

http://www.lynnandruss.com

Adapted from a recipe by Bryan Washington for NYTimes Cooking

Strip Steak with Umami Butter Sauce

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If you’re looking to add a bit of a kick to your usual steak routine, this creamy fusion of butter and Sriracha sauce starts with a base of caramelized miso, which deepens its savory-nutty flavor, and adds body to the finished dressing. It brings tang and a gentle pulse of heat from the vinegary Sriracha. 

Words to the wise: There was an abundance of sauce for the amount of steak. You may want to cook more steaks or cut the sauce ingredients by half. If you do have leftovers, it’s also fantastic on any other protein like tofu, chicken, or even fish. 

Strip Steak with Umami Butter Sauce

  • Servings: 2-3
  • Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

  • 2 1″-thick New York strip steaks (about 12 oz. each)
  • Kosher salt
  • 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil or vegetable oil
  • 5 Tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into pieces, divided
  • 2 Tbsp. white or yellow miso
  • ½ cup Sriracha
  • ¼ cup water
  • 2 scallions, thinly sliced

Directions

  1. Heat a dry large heavy skillet, preferably cast iron, over medium-high. Season steaks generously with salt, then coat with oil. When skillet is very hot, cook steaks, turning every 2 minutes or so, until deeply browned and an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part registers 120° for medium-rare (internal temperature should climb to about 130° as steaks rest), 8–10 minutes.
  2. Transfer steaks to a wire rack set inside a rimmed baking sheet and let rest 10 minutes.
  3. Meanwhile, melt 1 Tbsp. butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add miso and cook, stirring and scraping bottom of pan constantly, until miso darkens a few shades and smells very toasty and nutty (it will stick to pan), about 4 minutes.
  4. Pour in ¼ cup water and whisk until incorporated, scraping bottom of pan to release any browned bits. Add Sriracha and remaining 4 Tbsp. butter; cook, whisking constantly, until butter is melted and sauce is smooth. Season with salt.
  5. Transfer steaks to a cutting board and slice against the grain. Arrange on a platter and spoon some butter sauce over; top with scallions. Serve remaining butter sauce alongside.

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Adapted from a recipe by Chris Morocco for Bon Appétit

Corn Sauté with Miso and Scallions

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To create this corn side dish with rich, toasted flavor, strip the corn from the cobs when they are raw and then cook the kernels in a nearly smoking skillet. It is important not to stir the corn for a few minutes to give it a chance to brown. Once the corn is cooked, mix in plenty of salty, savory ingredients to balance the sweetness. Finally, an acidic component rounds out the dish.

Because fresh corn can vary in sweetness, the recipe calls for seasoning with a range of rice vinegar. We made it twice so far, and prefer the version with just 1 tablespoon of rice vinegar. When browning the corn kernels in a nonstick skillet, we found it took longer to get that caramelization, nearly three times longer! But so worth it because it was delicious and paired well with our grilled baby back ribs.

Corn Sauté with Miso and Scallions

  • Servings: 4-6
  • Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

  • 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
  • 6 scallions, white parts minced, green parts sliced thin on bias
  • 1 tsp. grated fresh ginger
  • 2 Tbsp. white miso
  • 1 – 2 Tbsp. rice vinegar
  • 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
  • 4 ears corn, kernels cut from cobs (4 cups)
  • Salt
  • 1 Tbsp. mirin
  • 1 Tbsp. toasted sesame seeds

Directions

  1. Melt butter in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add scallion whites and ginger and cook, stirring frequently, until scallions are softened, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer scallion mixture to large bowl and whisk in miso and 1 tablespoon vinegar. Wipe out skillet.
  2. Heat oil in now-empty skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add corn and sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cook, without stirring, until corn is browned on bottom and beginning to pop, about 3-5 minutes. Stir and continue to cook, stirring once or twice, until corn is spotty brown all over, 2 to 3 minutes longer.
  3. Add mirin and cook until evaporated, about 1 minute. Transfer corn to bowl with scallion mixture.
  4. Stir in scallion greens. Season with salt and remaining vinegar to taste. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve.

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Recipe from Cook’s Illustrated

Garlic-Miso Butter Mashed Potatoes

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In the most recent issue of Bon Appétit Magazine, the minute I saw this recipe I knew we had to make them. Then serendipitously, while deciding our weeks menus, The Hubs came across a Braised Asian-Style Pork Shank entree which we knew would pair well with these potatoes—and we had shanks in our freezer!

But back to those potatoes. The original serves eight, so we cut it in half for just the two of us (with leftovers). After rereading the recipe numerous times, and the fact that I’ve made mashed potatoes for decades—and am pretty darn good at them—I instinctively knew there was WAY too much butter and cream, resulting in potato soup. After I made them my way, I went back to the online comments and sure enough, many disappointed reviewers noted that fact.

For example, the BA recipe called for 1 1/2 cups heavy cream which I cut back by 2/3, to only a 1/2 cup. The butter was listed as two full sticks, cut that by at least 50% and use only one stick, or less, if making the full recipe. And I always like to use ground white pepper in my potatoes, but that’s a personal preference. Ground pepper of any kind is a must.

“A couple of spoonfuls of miso adds a little extra umami and saltiness to these spuds, a subtle bridge between the roasted garlic and dairy that nobody will quite be able to put their finger on. And yes: These potatoes are actually mashed. I’m not going to stop you from pulling out a ricer or food mill if supersmooth is your thing, but I personally like a bit of texture—a few bits of intact potato remind you that you’re actually eating, you know, potatoes.” —Brad Leone

NOTE: You can either make the garlic paste ahead (Steps 1 through 3), or if you already have some in the fridge, you are way ahead of the game. You’ll save an hour and a half on dinner day.

In the end, even with my diminished amounts of butter and cream, I still found the mash too loose, especially the reheated leftovers, so consider scaling back even more… although they were indeed delicious!

The silver dish on the left holds the homemade silky garlic paste.

Garlic-Miso Butter Mashed Potatoes

  • Servings: 8
  • Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

  • 2 heads of garlic
  • 1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
  • Kosher salt
  • 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 2 Tbsp. white or yellow miso
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 4 lb. medium Yukon Gold potatoes (about 8 spuds)
  • ½ cup heavy cream

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°. Cut ½” off top of each head of garlic to expose just the tops of the cloves inside. Place on a 12″-square piece of parchment paper or foil. Drizzle with oil and season with salt. Drizzle 1 tsp. water over.
  2. Bring edges of parchment up and over garlic and fold together to make a packet and seal. Place on a small rimmed baking sheet and bake until very tender, 60–75 minutes.
  3. Let garlic sit until cool enough to handle, then squeeze out cloves into a medium bowl. Add butter and mash together into a paste with a wooden spoon or stiff rubber spatula. Add miso and mix well. Season garlic-miso butter with salt and pepper; set aside.
  4. Peel and quarter potatoes. Place in a large pot and pour in water to cover by 1″; season generously with salt. Bring water to a boil over medium-high, then reduce heat and simmer gently, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are very tender (a tester or paring knife should easily slide into flesh), about 20 minutes from the time water starts to simmer. Drain potatoes and let sit 5 minutes to dry out; reserve pot.
  5. Bring cream to a simmer in reserved pot over medium-high. Remove from heat and return potatoes to pot. Set aside about 3 Tbsp. garlic-miso butter for serving and add remaining garlic-miso butter to pot. Using a potato masher (or use a potato ricer or food mill if you prefer a silkier texture), smash potatoes until mostly smooth; taste and season mashed potatoes with salt.
  6. Transfer mashed potatoes to a large shallow bowl. Top with reserved garlic-miso butter and season generously with more pepper.

Do ahead: Mashed potatoes can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and chill potatoes and reserved garlic-miso butter separately. Reheat potatoes over medium, stirring often and adding 1 tablespoon milk at a time to thin if needed.

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Recipe loosely adapted from Brad Leone for Bon Appétit

Ginger-Miso Filet Mignon

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You will adore this lickety-split sauce of butter, green onion, and ginger, which adds an Asian-style final touch to this steak recipe. With its crisp pan-seared exterior and succulent juicy center, and quick cooking time, you’ll find you’ll want to make this recipe often. And you can mix it up by using filet tips like we did.

In the original version from Better Homes & Gardens, the recipe calls for four filet mignon steaks. But we had 14 ounces worth of filet tips in our freezer, which had thick and thin areas, so cooking them was a little tricky. Once the meat was medium-rare, they were plated and covered while the sauce was made; then thinly sliced and laid over a bed of steamed rice. This actually stretched the portions to three with less than a pound of meat!

The most-time consuming portion of this recipe is the wait. The meat has to be seasoned and refrigerated for 2 hours, then taken out to room temperature for another 30 minutes. The actual cooking time is only about 15 minutes. If you are serving rice too, make sure to time it correctly so that is ready when the sauce is.

Omitting any rice keeps the dish low-carb and keto-friendly.

Ginger-Miso Filet Mignon

  • Servings: 4
  • Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

  • 4 beef tenderloin steaks (filet mignon), cut 1- to 1 1/4-inches thick
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 
  • 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil 
  • ⅔ cup rice wine
  • 2 Tbsp. white miso paste
  • 2 Tbsp. reduced-sodium soy sauce
  • 2 Tbsp. butter
  • ¼ cup thinly sliced green onions
  • 1 tsp. grated fresh ginger
  • Toasted sesame seeds
  • Jasmine rice, cooked according to package directions (optional)

Directions

  1. Season beef generously with salt and pepper. Place on a plate. Chill, uncovered, for 2 hours. Remove and let stand 30 minutes. Heat a heavy 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. To check when hot enough, add a large drop of water (1/8 teaspoon) to the skillet. When it rolls around the pan like a bead of mercury it is ready. This will take 2 to 3 minutes.
  2. Remove from heat; add oil. Swirl to coat bottom of skillet. Return to medium-high heat. Add beef. Cook for 5 minutes or until a crust forms (be patient; the beef will release when it’s ready to be turned). Turn and cook for 2 to 4 minutes more or until done at 135°F.
  3. Remove beef from skillet to a clean plate; cover loosely. Remove skillet from heat. Carefully add wine, miso, and soy sauce (mixture will spatter).
  4. Return to heat. Bring to boiling, stirring to scrape up browned bits and whisking to incorporate miso. Remove from heat. Whisk in butter, green onions, and ginger.
  5. Spoon sauce over beef to serve. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.

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Adapted from a recipe By Colleen Weeden for Better Homes & Gardens

Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Kale-Miso Salad

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Sweet potatoes roasted until deeply browned and tossed with a touch of paprika are a great foil for the savory, minerally notes of a miso-dressed kale salad, as noted in Milk Street magazine. The char on the potatoes provides a note of bitterness that balances the richness of the miso. Scallions and cilantro add fresh herbal notes and toasted nuts add crunch. (I switched out pistachios for the walnuts which The Hubs can’t stand.)

This was a perfect side dish for our Deviled Pork Chops entrée. Problem was, the chops took so much longer to cook than the recipe suggested, our sweet potatoes were way overdone by the time the meat was finally ready. And without white miso on hand, we incorporated red miso. Even so, it was still a fabulous pairing.

Don’t dress the salad until just before serving. If left to stand, the kale will turn limp and soggy.

Our potatoes were huge so after peeling them, I first cut them in half vertically before slicing into wedges.

Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Kale-Miso Salad

  • Servings: 4
  • Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

  • 4 medium orange-fleshed sweet potatoes (about 2¼ pounds), peeled, halved crosswise and cut into 1-inch wedge
  • 6 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided
  • ¼ tsp. sweet paprika
  • Kosher salt and ground black pepper
  • 1 small garlic clove, grated
  • 4 tsp. sherry vinegar
  • 1½ tsp. white miso
  • 5 oz. baby kale
  • 3 scallions, thinly sliced on bias
  • ½ cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro leaves
  • ½ cup chopped walnuts or pistachios, toasted

Directions

  1. Heat the oven to 425°F with a rack in the middle position. Line a rimmed baking sheet with kitchen parchment. In a large bowl, toss the sweet potatoes with 4 tablespoons of the oil. Spread the potatoes in an even layer on the baking sheet and roast until tender and the edges begin to darken, about 30 minutes.
  2. Stir the potatoes, return to the oven and increase to 500°F. Roast until dark spotty brown and slightly crisped, about another 10 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl. Sprinkle with paprika, ½ teaspoon each salt and pepper, then toss.
  3. While the potatoes roast, in a small bowl, stir together the garlic and vinegar. Let stand for 10 minutes to mellow the garlic. Whisk in the remaining 2 tablespoons oil, the miso and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Set aside.
  4. When the potatoes are done, in another large bowl, toss together the kale, scallions, cilantro and half the walnuts. Pour in the dressing and toss. Divide the sweet potatoes among serving plates and top with the salad. Sprinkle with the remaining walnuts/pistachios.

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Recipe adapted from Milk Street