Class Calendar
See full class schedule

Gourmandise Classes & Workshops

gourmandise recreational classes
Specialty Cuisines
Join us for one of our popular 3-4 hour classes
gourmandise series courses
Series Courses
Develop your cooking or baking skills or begin a career in food
gourmandise technique skills classes
Technique Classes
Learn solid foundational skills in a particular area of cooking
gourmandise signature classes
Signature Classes & Workshops
Classes focused on a specific culinary specialty
gourmandise teens and kids classes
Kids & Teen Classes
Fun cooking and baking classes for ages 6-17
View Class Calendar

Sort By

Upcoming Classes

RUSTIC BREADS: Boules, Loaves and Preserves

Friday, September 29th

Korean BBQ

Friday, September 29th

Chinese Takeout 101

Wednesday, October 4th

THE SANTA MONICA CHOCOLATE SOCIETY: Matthew Biancaniello Chocolate & Tequila Tasting

Thursday, October 5th

Banana Bread 101

You’ve had terrible banana bread, we all have. Who could tell Aunt Edna that her brick of bananas needed a gallon of milk to wash it down? Not me. She might have- bless her heart- gone with a recipe that called for creaming a good amount of butter with sugar before adding her other ingredients. Our secret to a nice, tall loaf of banana goodness without the heft? Using vegetable oil in place of butter and throwing in a little buttermilk for tang. As for what kind of vegetable oil to go with, try using olive oil- it’s got more fat and less processing than canola (and I promise that you won’t taste the olive). Try this trick to ripen yellow and green bananas in a pinch.

Print this recipe

Ingredients

Banana Bread

2 cups All purpose flour
1 tsp Baking soda
2 tsps Salt
2 Eggs
2 Very ripe bananas
1-1/3 cups Sugar
2/3 cup Olive oil
1/3 cup Buttermilk
2 tsps Vanilla extract
zest of 1 orange (optional)
1/2 tsp Ground cardamom (optional)
1/2 cup Finely chopped chocolate (again, optional, but really not)

Directions

  1. Line a medium-sized loaf pan (about 9"x5") with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 350F.
  2. Stir in the dry ingredients together until just combined.
  3. Mash the bananas with the sugar. Whisk in the eggs, oil and buttermilk and vanilla and all your optional flavors.
  4. Stir in the dry ingredients until just combined. Pour into prepared pan and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until the center no longer sinks when you poke it.