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1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. With a pastry brush, spread 1 tablespoon of softened butter evenly over the bottom and sides of a 9-by-5-by-3-inch loaf pan and set it aside.
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2. Reserve ¼ cup of the most perfectly shaped pecan halves for the garnish. Chop the rest of the nuts coarsely and toss them with the raisins and 1 tablespoon of the flour. Sift the remaining flour with the baking powder, nutmeg and salt.
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3. Peel the bananas, chop them coarsely, and put them into a small bowl. With the back of a table fork, mash the bananas to a smooth puree. Stir in the vanilla and set aside.
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4. In a deep bowl, cream the remaining butter and the sugar together, beating and mashing them with a large spoon against the sides of the bowl until the mixture is light and fluffy.
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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 pecans and raisins.
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6. Ladle the batter into the loaf pan and arrange the reserved pecan halves attractively on the top. Bake the bread in the middle of the oven for 50 to 60 minutes, or until a cake tester or toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.
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7. 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.
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