after i got home from my most recent (as in second ever) european trip, i began an earnest search for a good source of delightful bakery goods. i visited each of the bakeries in the area that claimed to be “european.” some were sore disappointments (4×4″ brownies with a half inch of bright green frosting are not european), some were just focusing on a different part of europe than paris, say…germany or poland. the closest i came to a patisserie seemed to be in the bakery of whole foods market. until today. today, i re-visited a local european bakery because i had a coupon for buy one get one free loaf of bread that expires on saturday. they had won me over before with their pain au chocolat, but there are other pain au chocolats closer to home. now, they have a new refrigerated dessert case! and since it’s new, they have a special going on all weekend where the desserts inside the case are buy one, get one free! so…i purchased a pear in creme brulee item and a lemon tart. i am practicing delayed gratification and not eating them until i get home. to hold me over, i bought a slice of the “italian plum tart” that they had there and i’m munching on that. it’s seasonal, so not around for very long (“hurry, buy now!”). i’d say it’s very tasty. it’s not necessarily “heavenly,” but it does a nice job of featuring the flavor of the plums without gooping it all up with too much sweet stuff. i’ll update this post once i’ve had a chance to taste the other two.

“bananas are my favorite food to eat. [bananas, bananas, bananas]
they’re long and yellow and i think they taste pretty sweet. [bananas, bananas, bananas]
i have to say they’re my favorite after-school treat. [bananas, bananas, bananas]
bananas are my favorite food to eat. [bananas, bananas, bananas]”
–jim gill, “bananas” from jim gill sings the sneezing song and other contagious tunes

brad, you’ll appreciate this:

i’m having a banana snack and i just thought, y’know, bananas are the perfect food. they come in their own packaging. you don’t have to wash them, you don’t have to use any utensils. you don’t even have to get your fingers all messy by touching the food directly (unless you want to). they’re yummy. they have lots of potassium and provide much energy for exercise. they taste delicious with peanut butter. they also taste delicious (this i learned from mr. rogers) with a slice of cheddar cheese wrapped around them. the best banana i ever ate was one i bought from some kid on the street in the dominican republic. it was the most amazing banana and it made me realize that the stuff that we eat in the states must be the equivalent of a tomato in february. the dominican banana had obviously stayed on the tree longer than the average grocery store banana and it was so sweet and amazing tasting. i also love how very ripe bananas are perfect for banana bread. the blacker the better–just use it before the fruit flies start burrowing into the peel. oh, and have you ever made a banana dog? you take a hot dog bun and spread peanut butter in it, then put a peeled banana in the bun instead of a hot dog. you can add jelly or raisins or syrup or whatever you want for toppings. delicious! or, have you ever done that thing while camping where you split a banana lengthwise (in the peel) and stuff it full of chocolate and marshmallows (and peanut butter if you want) and wrap the whole thing up in tinfoil and cook it on the fire until the banana is soft and sticky with chocolate and melty goodness? you should try it.