Cooking With Carolyn: Baking: It's not as bad as I thought !

I have always HATED baking! I mean, I really, really did not like to bake........

About 5 yrs ago, I mentioned this to one of the chefs I worked with at Google. He thought this would be a good time to have me bake a (very large) cake for an important event. I was so nervous, I couldn't conceive the idea of performing such a task. This is when I met Miss Shanon, the pastry chef at Google at that time. Let me tell you about Shanon, talk about "Sunshine" that's her! Always happy, and smiling, kind, and patient, and best of all non-judge mental (lucky for me.) She helped me the entire time with that cake, all the while she was baking cookies, and breads for hundreds of hungry Googlers, she was so at ease the whole day.

Although I didn't take to baking right away, she instilled a confidence in me I never knew was there. She removed the fear I had, and replaced it with "you can do it." And I did just that; but not right away.

Moving on to present time:

I recently met Miss Becky (through Shanon of course!) Becky and I literally had an "instant connection" like nothing I have ever had. She is bright and cheery and full of energy with such wonderful, inspirational ideas. She is a natural when it comes to baking.

So because of Shanon, and Becky, I have gained not only the confidence, but the excitement to bake! Shanon took the fear out of baking, and Becky ignited the desire within me to bake, that I didn't know existed. How did I become so fortunate to have these two wonderful ladies in my life? This, I don't know. What I do know is that because of them, I no longer fear baking, and I am now passionate, excited, and proud to bake.

The good news: I have created a "platano bread" (recipe to follow) which tastes similar to banana bread.

The bad news: I don't have a photo because each time I bake one, it's gone before I can take pictures! (Which is also good news) :)

Update: photos added.

Carolyn's Platano (Plantain) Bread:

2-3 black plantains (over ripe)

1/2 cup sour cream or plain yogurt

2 lg eggs

3/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups AP flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon (Kosher) salt / use less if you use table salt

10 tablespoons (room temp) butter

Cream together the plantains, sour cream, eggs, sugar and vanilla.

Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt, add the butter. Mix together with your hands until the butter is well incorporated. Add flour/butter mixture to the wet ingredients 1/3 at a time until just blended.

Pour the batter into a buttered loaf pan and bake at 350' for 1 hour and 20 min.

Tip: After the first 35 min. of baking, I cover the top with foil, and continue baking. After 1 hour and 15 min, if an inserted knife comes out clean, it's done. If not, bake another 5 min. You might have to do this a couple of times.

Serve warm, (although none of the platano breads I have made, have made it to "warm" yet!) ;)

Thank you Shanon and Becky!

xoxo