Chocolate! Everyone Loves Chocolate!

I can't think of a single person who doesn't like chocolate.  From the creamy white chocolate (which isn't really chocolate at all) to the dark, decadent chocolate, chocolate is a sweet eaters dream.

The beginnings of chocolate were found in Mesoamerica, where the beans of the Theobroma cacao were ground and roasted and made into beverages, dating back to 1900 B.C.  The Mayan and Aztec cultures also are known in chocolate history.  Priests in those cultures presented cacao seeds as offering to the gods and served chocolate drinks during their religious ceremonies.  Later, Europeans sweetened and fattened it up by adding refined sugar and milk.  The Europeans used it as a dessert or sweet rather than as a diet item (as in the case of the Mayan's and Aztec's).  It was John Cadbury, in the 19th century, that developed the emulsification process that made solid chocolate thus creating the modern chocolate bar of today.

Many of today's most popular desserts are made from chocolate.  From cakes to cookies, puddings to ice cream, chocolate seems to have risen to the top of the sweets and dessert industry.  Not all the desserts are chocolate alone, however.  Chocolate can be combined with many other ingredients, like fruit and nuts, grains like oatmeal, or even simply used as a garnish to make many varied and delicious desserts.

Here is a recipe for a banana loaf (made with chocolate chips) that includes a host of various ingredients.  It is a favorite at my house and I'm sure it will please you too!

Banana Coconut Chocolate Chips Bread

3 ripe bananas

½ cup white sugar

½ cup brown sugar, packed

1 egg

1 1/4 cups flour

1/2 cup oatmeal

¼ cup melted butter

1 tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. salt

¾ cup chocolate chips

¾ cup shredded coconut

In food processor, process bananas until smooth.  Add all other ingredients (except coconut and chocolate chips). Add melted butter last, drizzling in from top.   Process until smooth.  Open lid of food processor and stir in chocolate chips and coconut until well combined.  Turn mixture into a greased and floured loaf pan.  Bake at 350° F. for about one hour, until toothpick inserted in centre comes out clean.

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Caribbean Cooking - Conch Fritters

If you have ever travelled to the Caribbean, you are sure to be a fan of Caribbean cooking.  Caribbean cooking embodies its own unique flavors with each Island, from Jamaica to Cuba to the Dominican Republica, as well as all the others.  Traditional to Caribbean cooking is some sort of rice and beans dish as the main staple, the beans typically a gungo bean or kidney bean, and added to the rice flavor is coconut. 

Of course, being in the Caribbean, fish and seafood is typical Island fare.  Here is a recipe straight from the Caribbean Islands that you may enjoy:



Conch



Conch Fritters

1 lb. conch meat (you can buy it canned)

1 onion

2 stalks celery

½ each red & green pepper

¼ cup buttermilk

¼ tsp. hot sauce

Salt & pepper

1 egg

1/3 cup self-rising cornmeal

1/3 cup flour

1 tsp. baking powder

Oil for frying

Process conch in food processor.  Add onion, celery and green pepper and process again.  Add salt, pepper and egg and mix together well.  Mix flour and cornmeal together and add to conch (mixture will be thick).  Add buttermilk and hot sauce. 

Heat oil in a large skillet (oil should be about ½” deep).  Drop a large tablespoon of conch mixture into hot oil and fry until golden on both sides.  Remove from heat and place on paper towel to remove excess oil. 

Serve with sauce of your choice.

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