And by the lily, I mean banana bread. And you should gild it with ganache. End of Post.

No…let’s talk a little bit about this banana bread. For a girl that never really liked bananas, I always liked banana flavored things…like banana bread, and banana nut muffins, and banana cake. As a kid, when I would order a fruit salad out, I would always pick out all of the banana slices. A short tower of pale discs would teeter at the edge of my dish, waiting to either be eaten, or finally just removed by a very forgiving waitperson.

But my mother routinely made a banana bread from Sunset magazine that I loved. She sprinkled sugar on the top of of the batter, causing the loaf to split into two mounds upon baking. The crust was also studded with candied cherries, my favorite part when I was a child. I loved the chewy texture of the cherries, dying the soft, natural color of the bread bright red as they lay nestled in the loaf. I would eat the bread plain, or sometimes with a slathering of butter. Every time my mom made banana bread, I would eat banana bread– but only my mom’s.

I got a hankering for moist, flavorful banana bread recently, but something did not have me scurrying back to Sunset magazine for the recipe. I was ready to try something new. I found this recipe on-line for a sour cream banana bread, and decided to give it a shot.

And I’m so glad that I did. The bread was lovely– the texture, delicate; the crumb, moist; with a subtle banana flavor. The addition of sour cream to the batter was a welcome one; it brought a tang to the taste and an unparalleled richness. I’m sure the bread would have been good all on its own, but I felt it could use a little something more– a touch of chocolate to bring it from cozily ensconced in the breakfast bread realm, to calling out loudly from the dessert table. I made a bit of ganache, and spread this glorious concoction over the loaf. Yum, is all I can say.

For dessert, or if you’re anything like me, even for a naughty breakfast, this banana bread is a welcome change. I guess I will have to make room in my repertoire for more than one banana bread recipe.