A Semi-Sweet Secret

This secret is probably not going to make the headlines, but I love chocolate. DARK CHOCOLATE. I always have a bag of semi-sweet morsels in my freezer for weekly cravings. A quick handful is usually enough to quench this desire.

Monday night I went shopping for a hostess gift at Churchill's, a locally owned gourmet grocery store on Salisbury Road. While I managed to pick up a lovely bottle of Cote du Rhone, I also decided to check out the chocolate aisle in the name of "blogging research". I found a great selection of baking and eating chocolates. European, South American and eco-friendly brands are available. But I honed in on the Scharffen Berger and managed to walk out of the store with a 9.7 oz box of semisweet, 62% cacao, pure dark chocolate.

Scharffen Berger is very special chocolate. It has not been around very long. Founded in 1996 by wine and champagne maker John Scharffenberger and physician turned chocolatier Robert Steinberg, it is the first American chocolate manufacturer founded in the last fifty years. However, it is consistently rated as one of the best cooking chocolates on the market for its properties when tempered.

Terrific! Great to know!

I make chocolate souffles on rare occasions. Usually as a finale for a small dinner party. I still haven't tackled a recipe for pot de creme. The box clearly says, "perfect for baking & eating". So I can just eat it, right?

I barely made it through the party that night. I was there for three hours, drinking wine, laughing and eating as little as possible. After three hours, I couldn't wait another minute and graciously exited. I was able to make it back to the privacy of my own home before ripping open the box and nibbling on this giant bar of chocolate heaven.

I managed to consume about an ounce of chocolate during the first sitting.

I feel great. I feel happy. I feel patriotic eating premiere American chocolate. I feel like a crazed lunatic who gave up a social occasion to sit quietly by herself and savor a new box of chocolate.

I need to keep my semi-sweet secret to myself.

“Glass City Gourmet” is a chronicle of one woman's attempt to cook, eat, diet and entertain with both flair and whimsy while based in Toledo, Ohio. I encourage you to read on as the "Glass City Gourmet" attempts grand recipes, samples locally owned restaurants, visits indigenous markets and humbly pursues her quest to be formally recognized as the official "Glass City Gourmet".

BananaRama

I must admit that I have a unique relationship with the banana, and it's NOT sexual. As a small child, I collected bananas...Specifically glass, wood, pottery, limoges, kitchen utensils, magnets, ceramic jars, just about anything shaped like a banana or with a banana on it. There are no monkeys in this collection. Something about the sunny yellow color of a banana and the fact that they are shaped like a smile really appeals (horrible pun!) to me. Now that you know someone who collects banana crafts you will start seeing them everywhere. My collection of nearly 60 bananas is now carefully wrapped and boxed. As an adult, it's just too weird to keep around the house. The last time I had it displayed, circa 1994, my boyfriend at the time called it "quaint". Needless to say, that relationship lasted for awhile.

It's been a very long time since I've let any bananas get brown. Usually, I slice them up on a bowl of Grape Nuts or put them on toast with cream cheese and cinnamon. This week was one of those weeks. So I mashed them with a fork and whipped up a loaf of banana bread. This is an old recipe from my Mom who swears that the sour cream is what keeps the bread moist. She also throws in a little lemon juice so the bananas don't turn totally brown. I recommend slathering a slice with cream cheese or canned chocolate frosting (Yup, I said "canned". Duncan Hines is best!) before eating.

1 1/2 c. flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 c. sugar
1/2 cup (or one stick) of sweet butter
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. lemon juice
3/4 c. mashed bananas
2 tbs. sour cream
1/2 c. chopped pecans

Mix together the flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Set aside. Work the butter until soft, then work in the sugar, a little at a time, until smooth. Beat eggs, one at a time, add the vanilla, lemon juice and bananas. Stir into the flour mixture alternately with the sour cream. Last of all, mix in the nuts. Pour into a greased loaf pan and bake in a preheated 350*F oven for 1 hour or until a toothpick tested in the center of the loaf comes out dry. Remove from pan and cool on a rack. Cut in thin slices and serve.

“Glass City Gourmet” is a chronicle of one woman's attempt to cook, eat, diet and entertain with both flair and whimsy while based in Toledo, Ohio. I encourage you to read on as the "Glass City Gourmet" attempts grand recipes, samples locally owned restaurants, visits indigenous markets and humbly pursues her quest to be formally recognized as the official "Glass City Gourmet".