Banana Bread II

Ingredients

• 9 Tbsp butter, softened
• ¼ tsp salt
• ¼ cup seedless raisins (optional)
• 2 large ripe bananas (1 lb.)
• 2 cup all purpose flour
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 Tbsp baking powder
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 egg
• ¾ cup unsalted nuts (optional)
• ¼ tsp ground nutmeg, preferably fresh

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Reserve ¼ cup of the most perfectly shaped nuts for the garnish. Chop the rest of the nuts coarsely and toss them with the raisins and 1 Tbs. of the flour. Sift the remaining flour with the baking powder, nutmeg and salt.
3. In a small bowl, mash the bananas to a smooth puree. Stir in the vanilla and set aside.
4. In a deep bowl, cream the remaining butter and the sugar together.
5. Add the egg, and when it is well blended beat in the flour and the bananas alternately, adding about one third of each mixture at a time, and continue to beat until the batter is smooth. Gently but thoroughly stir in the chopped nuts and raisins.
6. Pour batter into a greased loaf pan and arrange the reserved nuts attractively on the top. Bake the bread in the middle of the oven for 50 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. Remove the bread from the oven and let it cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then turn it out on a wire cake rack. Serve the banana bread either warm or cool.