Secret to these sick-day banana muffins: Start oven at 500 degrees to help them rise
There’s comfort food for any time — and there’s comfort food when you’re sick.
If we haven’t seen the sun for a week or it’s been particularly damp and chilly, I crave ramen from my favorite spot in town. A rich, umami broth, tender noodles, a soft-boiled egg — this dish is layered with flavor and texture.
But if I’m compelled to pick up instant ramen from the grocery store, I know I’m about to be hit with a cold. It’s like when my grandmother’s knee would tell her it was about to rain.
When my nose is stuffy, I can’t taste the intricacies of a good ramen — the heat and salt from the packaged stuff is what my body thinks it wants.
However, if I’ve planned ahead and frozen some homemade chicken stock, my grocery store ramen will be so much better (and better for me).
I also love a super-spicy tom kha soup, with lots of chile, lime juice and lemongrass — but only if someone else makes it for me.
Around the world, parents and grandparents stir up different dishes to feed and care for their cold-stricken families, but mostly, they are stirring soup. Creamy cauliflower soup in Norway, silky congee in China, borscht in Eastern Europe, Scotch broth in Scotland (barley, lamb, root vegetables). A steaming hot bowl of something can help clear nasal passages, replenish fluids and make even the stuffiest patient feel a tiny bit better.
Here in Wisconsin, the gray days of winter are here. This year there’s been more mud than snow but still lots of chilly winds and cloud cover. And yes, the inevitable cold virus. My family has been remarkably healthy up to now, but my 8-year-old finally succumbed and started sniffling.
He earned a day of recovery at home, and I asked him what he’d like to eat. This little guy’s sick-day comfort food requests were chamomile tea with honey, matzoh ball soup and banana muffins.
I got to cooking and we snuggled in for the day with books, a few video games, hot soup and these tender, warmly-spiced muffins. These muffins will use up overripe bananas languishing on your counter, but they cook up more quickly than an entire loaf of banana bread. The cardamom and ginger add a warm spice note.
Years ago I adopted a muffin-baking technique from King Arthur flour that achieves nicely domed muffin tops: Heat the oven to 500 degrees, but drop it right when you put the muffins in. They rise perfectly every time, no matter the muffin recipe.