Caramelised Banana Coconut Cake and Making Food Taste Better

Caramelised Banana Coconut Cake

In my mind banana and coconut is a great combination because they both grow in the same climate. Most (or all) countries that grow coconut also grow bananas, and therefore it must go well together. I realise this logic is flawed, pineapple and banana may not go well together, but banana coconut cake is delicious. 

Caramelised sugar and bananas deepens the flavour. The recipe is available here

Today's Favourite Photo

Source: La Mia Vita Dolce

Oreo Cookies and Cream Ice Cream Cake

Today’s Favourite Blog

Source: care2

Studies recently published in the journal Flavour show how spoons, knives and other utensils we put in our mouths can provide their own kind of “mental seasoning” for a meal. Psychologists have found that the color and shape of plates and other dishes can have an impact on the eating experience. For example, that people tend to eat less when their dishes are in sharp color-contrast to their food, that the color can alter a drinker’s perception of how sweet and aromatic hot cocoa is, and that drinks can seem more thirst-quenching when consumed from a glass with a “cold” color like blue.

A study was conducted involving yogurt and a number of volunteers. It was found that:

• People will rate the very same yogurt 15 percent tastier and more expensive when sampled with a silver spoon rather than a plastic spoon or a lighter (by weight) option.

• Combining a heavier bowl with a heavier spoon will tend to make yogurt taste better.

• Plastic packaging or plate ware that’s more rounded will tend to emphasize sweetness.

• Angular plates tend to bring out the bitterness in food, which works well for dishes like dark chocolate or coffee-based desserts, Spence says.

• People will rate cheeses as tasting saltier when eaten off a knife, compared to a toothpick, spoon or fork.

• In general, foods tend to be perceived as more enjoyable when eaten off heavier plates and with heavier cutlery – perhaps because heft is equated with expense.

So, the morale of the story is that if you spend more time in front of the computer reading research and less time in the kitchen cooking, you can make your food taste better.