IN THE KITCHEN WITH: Pam and David DeFratus

Pam and David DeFratus grow over 700 bananas each year from their yard on Longboat Key. They brought the banana plants from Georgia where Pam’s father originally planted them, and they planned for them to be more decorative than anything. But now they have so many bananas they don’t know what to do with them. They’ve come up with a long list of recipes. Their neighbors tend to stop by and steal a few as well.

The Defratuses make eight batches or so at a time, and give the loaves to their friends and neighbors. When they cook, the whole block smells like bananas. A few neighbors stopped by to help with the process.

Banana Coconut Bread with Lime Glaze
Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup granulated sugar
¼ softened butter
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups mashed ripe banana
¼ cup plain low-fat yogurt
3 tablespoons Myers rum
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup flaked coconut
½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans
cooking spray
3 tablespoons flaked coconut
½ cup powdered sugar
zest of one lime
1 ½ tablespoon lime juice

Method:
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2) Combine well: flour, baking soda and salt.
3) Cream together sugar and utter in mixing bowl at medium speed one minute
4) Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each.
5) Add banana, yogurt, rum and vanilla; beat until blended.
6) Spoon into 9-by-5 inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray and sprinkle with 3 tablespoons of coconut
7) Bake for one hour in metal pan (65 minutes if using a glass loaf pan) or until wooden toothpick comes out clean. Cool ten minutes in pan on a wire rack; remove from pan.
8) Stir together powdered sugar, zest and juice and drizzle over warm bread.

May be served at room temperature or toasted in a skillet without any additional butter. Freezes well.