The Mighty Bûche

fig. a: the look of xmas 2010

In case you didn't get the memo, it is that time of year again. Time to deck the halls with boughs of holly. Time to get lit on egg nog. Or if you're feeling especially adventurous, time to contemplate making your very own bûche de noël.

Now, here at AEB, we've been known to lean toward pastries that have a bit more of a Central and Eastern European inflection during the holidays, but there are exceptions. Plenty of them, actually. And most of them involve candied fruit in one way or another: there's panforte, panettone, and stollen, plum pudding, mincemeat tarts, and fruitcake. But one Christmas dessert that has never really been a big part of Michelle's repertoire is the traditionally French (and by extension, French-Canadian) bûche de noël, the yuletide log in pastry form. Michelle learned to make a professional-caliber bûche de noël in pastry school, of course--Quebec's pastry schools are nothing if not classical--but when she bakes Christmas goodies for our home, she dreams of sugar plums and crescent moons, wasps' nests and infant Jesuses.

All that said, when Ève Dumas of La Presse approached Michelle with an intriguing proposition--what if you were to re-imagine the bûche de noël to reflect your family roots--she couldn't pass it up. Suddenly the mighty bûche took on new relevance.*

In terms of appearance, Michelle modeled her bûche de noël after the beautiful white birches (les bouleaux) that are such an important part of our forests here in la Belle Province (and in the Northeast in general);

fig. b: white birch

and in terms of taste, she gave it a torte-like character that drew from her Central European heritage.

The result was a walnut cake with mocha filling, one that came liberally spritzed with rum and iced with a white meringue with beautiful brûlé accents. It looked like this:

fig. c: birch bûche 1

The recipe ran in La Presse at the end of November, but Michelle wasn't crazy about the accompanying photograph. The photographer chose a low angle, probably to highlight the cake's "tree rings," but in doing so he lost most of the cake's birch-like qualities.

fig. d: birch bûche 2

Which is why we decided to run the recipe again here, with new photographs.

Feeling inspired? Here's the recipe as it appeared in La Presse (with translation courtesy of Yours Truly):

Gâteau à rouler/cake roll (10 personnes)

Ingrédients

2 oeufs/eggs

3 jaunes d'oeufs/egg yolks

1/4 de tasse de sucre/cup of sugar

4 c. à soupe de farine/tbsp flour

4 c. à soupe de fécule de maïs/tbsp corn starch

1/2 t. de noix de Grenoble/cup walnuts

Préparation

Mélanger la farine, la fécule et les noix dans un robot culinaire pour faire une farine et réserver. Chauffer les oeufs, les jaunes et le sucre dans un bain-marie en brassant, jusqu'à ce que ce soit chaud. Fouetter jusqu'au ruban (lorsque le mélange tient sa forme en tombant) avec une mixette ou un batteur sur pied.

[Preheat oven to 350ºF. Blend the flour, starch, and walnuts in a food processor until powdered and well mixed, then set aside. Heat the eggs, the yolks, and the sugar in a double-boiler, stirring constantly, until the mixture is hot to the touch. Whip with a mixer or a standing mixer until the egg mixture "holds a ribbon."]

Ajouter les ingrédients secs avec une maryse en faisant attention de pas trop mélanger. On ne veut pas faire tomber l'appareil. Étendre sur une plaque à biscuits (18" x 13") couverte de papier parchemin ou d'un tapis en silicone.

[Add the dry ingredients and fold in with a spatula taking care not to overmix so that lose volume. Spread on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet or a Silpat™.]

Cuire de 8 à 10 minutes à 350°F, jusqu'à ce que le gâteau soit doré. Couvrir tout de suite avec un linge humide et laisser refroidir.

[Bake 8 to 10 minutes, until the cake is golden. Cover with a damp towel and let cool.]

Crème mocha/mocha cream

Ingrédients

1 t. de chocolat noir haché/cup of chopped dark chocolate

1/4 de tasse d'espresso chaud/cup hot espresso

1/2 c. à thé d'espresso en poudre (de type Nescafé)/teaspoon powdered espresso (such as Nescafé™)

1/3 de livre de beurre mou/pound softened butter

1/3 de tasse de sucre à glacer/cup icing sugar

2 jaunes d'oeufs/egg yolks

Préparation

Dans un bain-marie, faire fondre le chocolat avec le café et le café en poudre. Réserver à la température de la pièce.

[In a double-boiler, melt the chocolate with the espresso and the espresso powder. Set aside and keep at room temperature.]

Avec une mixette, battre le beurre et le sucre jusqu'à ce qu'il soit léger. Ajouter les jaunes et mélanger. Ajouter le chocolat fondu et mélanger encore jusqu'à ce que ce soit homogène.

[With a mixer, beat the butter and the sugar until they are fluffy. Add the yolks one at a time and mix. Add the melted chocolate mixture and mix some more until thoroughly combined.]

Glaçage meringue/meringue icing

Ingrédients

4 blancs d'oeufs/egg whites

1 t. de sucre/cup of sugar

Préparation

Faire chauffer les blancs et le sucre au bain-marie, en brassant.

[Heat the egg whites and the sugar in a double-boiler, mixing all the while.]

Fouetter jusqu'à formation de pics moyens.

[Place mixture in a mixer and whip until it forms medium peaks.

Assemblage/assembly

1 oz de rhum brun (ou plus!)/ounce dark rum (or more!)

Feuilles de laurier fraîches/fresh bay leaves

Canneberges fraîches/fresh cranberries

pine branches

Démouler le gâteau à l'envers sur un morceau de papier parchemin et enlever l'autre morceau de papier avec délicatesse. Couper les bordures pour faire des côtés droits. Badigeonner le gâteau avec le rhum brun.

[Unmold the cake onto a piece of parchment paper and remove the other piece of parchment paper carefully. Trim the edges to make right angles. Brush the cake with the dark rum.]

Étendre le glaçage chocolat avec une spatule coudée. Couvrir toute la surface.

[Cover the entire surface of the cake with the chocolate cream using an offset spatula.]

Lentement, commencer à rouler le gâteau dans le sens de la longueur. Le papier va vous aider.

[Slowly roll the cake lengthwise. The parchment paper should make this process easier.]

Couvrir la bûche avec la meringue. Pour obtenir l'effet bouleau, adopter un mouvement de côté à côté, et non en longueur.

[Cover the bûche with the meringue icing. To get the birch effect, use a side-to-side motion, instead of applying the icing lengthwise.]

Faire colorer la bûche avec le chalumeau. Commencer tranquillement, sinon ça va faire l'effet d'une bûche dans le foyer! Si vous n'avez pas de chalumeau, saupoudrer de la poudre de cacao (dans un tamis fin) au-dessus de la bûche pour créer une texture.

[Use a torch to give the bûche its brûlé highlights. Start gently, otherwise you might get a burnt log effect instead. If you don't own a torch, you can dust the surface with cacao powder instead to give it some texture and highlights.]

Disposer les feuilles de laurier autour, puis les canneberges.

[Garnish with bay leaves, cranberries, and pine branches according to desire.]

Servir la journée même. Sinon, faire le gâteau et le remplir la veille. Bien emballer et mettre au frigo. Finir avec la meringue le lendemain.

[Serve the cake on the day you make it. If you'd rather make it the day before, make the cake, fill it, and roll it, then wrap it tightly with plastic wrap and keep refrigerated. Ice the cake with the meringue and decorate it the next day.]

Makes one bûche, roughly 18" in length.

Now, once you've made your very own bouleau de noël/yuletide birch, the only thing left to do is to invite some folks over for the log-sawing ceremony. Make a batch of punch or some egg nog, some mulled wine or glögg, and send out invitations to friends and family.

Our AEB ceremony looked like this as things got underway.

fig. e: sawing log

What you can't see are the 20+ ravenous souls who were standing/sitting/crouching off-camera, just waiting for their own slice. Within an hour or two, there was nothing left of that 3-foot monster bûche but the branches.

aj

p.s. Thanks to all those who helped us burn through our log in record time!

p.s. No time? Holidays got you frazzled? Get your very own ever-so-stylishly deconstructed bûche from Pâtisserie Rhubarbe.

* For one thing, there was no reason it had to look so Smurfy.

Some Candy Talking, 2nd rev. ed.

fig. a: the set-up

If you couldn't attend last night's class on candying fruits and holiday baking led by Michelle and hosted by Natasha, Bernie, and Dépanneur Le Pick Up, and you're curious about what it looked like, well, the scene was something like this as Michelle launched into her introductory remarks.

fig. b: Michelle in effect

We're happy to report that attendance was 100%, in spite of the chaos and headaches that inevitably accompany the season's first real snowstorm. Plus, everyone showed up with their "A" game--they were eager, enthusiastic, and ready to roll up their sleeves and do some cookin'. The class was loose, fun, participatory, and it finished with the distribution of the night's booty, which included wedges of panforte, slices of stollen, cookies, and jars of candied fruit.

fig. c: who's that girl?

Michelle has posted quite a number of recipes, ideas, helpful hints, and other tidbits of information regarding the making and using of candied fruits here in the pages of AEB over the years. So, if you're interested in the topic, you weren't able to attend (space was extremely limited), and/or you're prepping for the holidays, you might want to check out the following links:

candying Meyer lemon peel

making fruitcake with exotic fruits

making homemade panettone

making panforte

making the world's most expensive marmalade

and last, but certainly not least, making quince paste

Finally, thanks to Natasha for organizing, to Bernie and the Dep for hosting, and especially to everyone who took part in the course. The idea is that Michelle's class was the kick-off to a cooking class series at Dépanneur Le Pick Up, so stay tuned to these two blogs for any and all information about upcoming events.

am/km

p.s. If you're interested in a somewhat less biased (and much more thoroughly photographed) account of Michelle's night of candied fruits, check out this link to the Gastronomeal blog. You won't be disappointed.

p.s. 2 Still hungry for more photographs? Check out the extensive coverage at Dépanneur Le Pick Up's blog!

Hear, ye! Here, ye!

Wow, that was quick.

fig. a: MM @ CBC #2

For those of you who missed Michelle being interviewed on yesterday's edition of All in a Weekend, you're in luck--the interview's already available. Just click here, and you'll be taken to the CBC's "Listen Again" archive.  Scroll down the list, click on the appropriate tab next to the words "Michelle Marek," and you'll get to hear Michelle and Jeanette Kelly having a chat about desserts, candied fruits, holiday baking and more.

And for those of you who'd like to see the dessert that Jeanette was sampling during the interview, it looked something like this,

fig. b: apple x 3

minus the dulce de leche ice cream (which would have melted en route).

However, if you'd like to actually try the dessert Jeanette tried, sorry, no link, no photograph will do. You're just going to have to go and visit Laloux (or Pop!) in person.

aj

AEB @ CBC

fig. a: Michelle! Live!! On Air!!!

Actually, it was more like "MM @ CBC," because that's where Michelle was to be found today at about 7:40 am: on air, with the CBC's Jeanette Kelly. I was in-studio, too, but only to lend moral support (and to snap a photograph or two).

The occasion? Well, Michelle has a cooking class on candied fruits and how to use them tomorrow evening at Dépanneur Le Pick Up, and when the good folks at All in a Weekend caught wind, they asked her down to the studio to say a few words about candied fruits, holiday baking, being in the restaurant biz, and how she got into this pastry chef racket in the first place.

If you're thinking to yourself, "what's the point of telling us after the fact?," well, Michelle specifically asked me not to advertise her guest spot on AEB. She told me she was shy. Then she went ahead and tweeted all about it, unbeknownst to me. Go figure.

Anyway, I bring up the matter only to tell you that if you're interested in taking Michelle's class, you might still be able to. The class was SOLD OUT, but as of this morning, there was one spot available because some unlucky soul had to cancel. So if you contact Natasha at "natasha DOT pickowicz AT gmail DOT com"--in a hurry!--you might just be able to join us for the fun. And, if you missed this morning's broadcast, our friend Graham at "All in a Weekend" told us that they'd be archiving Michelle's interview later this week, so we should be able to post the link sometime soon.

How'd the interview go? Great. Michelle was a little more buttoned-down than usual, and 7:40am is a little early for a pastry chef/night owl like her, but she loved talking to Jeanette, and Jeanette really enjoyed talking to Michelle, and the fact that Michelle brought in some treats (ginger cookies!) didn't hurt either.

Can't make the class? Missed the radio show? Feeling shut out? Well, you can find an AEB-approved recipe for panforte (with candied fruit) here.

Now we're back at home, having a coffee, enjoying the morning, and listening to Michael Hurley sing about having tea and listening to the CBC...

aj

Top Ten #38

1. Metal Mountains, "Structures in the Sun" (Amish Records)

2. Errol Morris' First Person: The Complete Series



3. Tartine basic country bread

4. W. Somerset Maugham, Of Human Bondage



5. Destroyer, "Archer on the Beach/Grief Point" 12" (feat. Tim Hecker and Loscil) (Merge Records)

6. Kermit Lynch, Adventures on the Wine Route: A Wine Buyer's Tour of France



7. Michael Hurley, Blue Hills (Mississippi Records)

8. Soirée Choucroute, Pop!, feat. James MacGuire, Nov. 29, 2010

9. Anvil: The Story of Anvil, dir. Gervasi



10. Black Mountain, Wilderness Heart (Jagjaguwar)

aj

only the strong survive

Ever wondered what it takes to judge a cupcake competition?

Well, the sight of Michelle adjudicating one of the design categories (Montreal theme) at last week's Cupcake Camp Montreal 2010 festivities looked something like this:

fig. a: nice app

armed with an iPhone with some kind of special cupcake judging app (no joke), Michelle made her way down a long, cupcake-covered table, assessing each and every entry, entering her data into her portable computing device, and trying vainly to avoid being blinded by the veritable barrage of camera flashes that were popping off around her. Rabid fans of "...an endless banquet"? Hardly. The slim gentleman to Michelle's left was none other than Ricardo Larrivée.

Most of the judges didn't get swarmed the way Ricardo and Chuck Hughes did. But all the judges had to find a way to pace themselves through the tasting of dozens upon dozens of cupcakes. Michelle came home with a truly legendary sugar high, but overall she fared quite well. After all, as a pastry professional, she inhabits a world of sugar, and her tolerance is now remarkably high. A solid meal, a glass of wine, some water, and she came back down to earth relatively gently. Others, whose professions are somewhat less sugar-centric, had a much tougher time. It's not everyone who can binge on 15 or 16 cupcakes in a single afternoon and live to tell.

Congratulations to all the winners in the various taste, design, and theme competitions (including C., who took Best Pro Taste!*). And congratulations to Cupcake Camp Montreal for having raised an astonishing $34,500 (!).

For more on judging cupcakes and Cupcake Camp Montreal more generally, check out Cupcake Camp Montreal's post-camp round-up.

aj

* "I smell a rat! Conflict of interest!," you declare? Yes, Michelle is both a good friend and a colleague of C.'s, and, yes, Michelle was there when C. was announced as the winner, but the system that was used to judge the Pro Taste category was so blind, so thoroughly objective, that Michelle had no idea which cupcake C. had actually made until she came back home and called her with the good news. The same went for all the other categories, as well. Each of the individual judges knew who they'd voted for (obviously), and they learned the names of the winners when they were announced over the P.A. at the end of the afternoon, but they didn't necessarily know if the cupcakes they'd voted for corresponded with the winning entries.

Michelle! Live!! @ Le Pick Up!!!

From our friend Natasha at Popcorn Plays comes the following exciting (and flattering) announcement about a special guest appearance by Michelle (what can I say? the girl's unstoppable!) at Dépanneur Le Pick Up.  If you've ever wanted to take a class with Michelle, here's your chance:

Montreal readers — check this out!

Join us at the Dépanneur le Pick Up for an interactive evening with talented chef Michelle Marek, the head pastry chef at Montreal restaurant Laloux. Michelle also runs the mouthwatering food blog ...An Endless Banquet with her partner AJ Kinik.

On Monday, December 6, we will be exploring ways to incorporate candied fruits into unique winter desserts. The workshop will include a presentation and execution of:

Panforte with spices, chocolate + candied fruits

Stollen with marzipan + candied fruits

Crystallized fruits

Ginger cookies

The workshop will begin promptly at 7:30pm. Each participant will be making his or her own desserts to take home, with guidance and instruction from Michelle. Come early for hot cider! The registration fee is $30 and will cover all costs for the desserts presented. The Dep is located at 7032 Rue Waverly.

The Dep is a cozy, intimate space — please register soon as there are only 15 spots. Cash only, please. To register, email me at natasha DOT pickowicz AT gmail DOT com.

We think you’ll leave inspired and ready for the holidays!

Get it? Got it? Good.

Yes, that's right, that's a whole lot of value for 30 bucks, and it promises to be a whole lot of fun too, so make a reservation, and mark your calendars.

aj

In a Golden State 2: Oysters

fig. a: simple pleasures

Quite simply the very best oysters either of us have ever had, and we had them in August, which, as you may have noticed, is one of those months that does not contain a letter "r." "They" said it couldn't be done. "They" obviously never visited Tomales Bay.

fig. b: TBOC HQ

When you find oysters labeled "Tomales Bay," there's a good chance they were harvested by the Tomales Bay Oyster Company in Marshall, CA, which, as you can see if you read the fine print, celebrated its centenary last year, in 2009.

fig. c: Drake's Bay, Tomales Bay

Not sure where either Tomales Bay or Marshall, CA are? Well, they're about 50 miles north of San Francisco, and just a few miles north of Point Reyes Station, in an area for its proximity to Point Reyes National Seashore and its associations with Sir Francis Drake.

fig. d: Tomales Bay

And if you visit the Tomales Bay Oyster Company, you'll see that it's still a very small operation perched directly on Tomales Bay, exactly as you'd expect it to be.

fig. e: TBOC picnic area

There are a couple of small buildings (huts, really), including the business office, but occupying center stage is a massive tank behind a counter where the catch of the day is kept in cool salt water. You sidle up to the counter, decide how many oysters you'd like to purchase, and strike up a deal. There's no restaurant, no table service. Just the counter, the tank, the oysters, a stretch of pebble beach, and a bunch of picnic tables and barbecues. You buy your oysters, ask for an oyster knife or some Tabasco sauce, if you need some, and make your way to the picnic table of your choice.  If you're a regular, you'll know that the smart thing to do is to make an honest table out of that picnic table by actually bringing along a picnic.  Some beers, a bottle of wine, a salad or two, a loaf of bread, perhaps, some charcoals and a charcoal chimney, and possibly some limes or lemons--that kind of thing.  Then you have the option of having your insanely delicious Tomales Bay oysters raw or grilled, and when you do, you'll have plenty of nice things to accompany them and/or wash them down with.  With or without a picnic, they're still going to be insanely delicious.  You probably won't have to limit yourself to six or twelve either, because the utter lack of a middleman means that these oysters are incredibly inexpensive. Hell, get 50.  It'll only set you back $35-$70, depending on the size you choose. Think about it: an oyster festival, every day of the year.*

Neither of us were regulars, which means it never occurred to us to bring a picnic.  It also means that we had our oysters pretty much straight-up, with just a dash of Tabasco sauce or a squeeze of lime every now and then to add a little something to oysters that were already the freshest, sweetest, most perfect oysters we'd ever had.  Easily one of the best meals of the last decade.

fig. f: surf's up(-ish)

And the fact that I'd gotten to swim with a sea lion off Stinson Beach just a few hours earlier,

fig. g: Golden Gate, golden light

and that we drove back toward San Francisco through a truly legendary sunset,

fig. h: Vladimir's

and that we had big steins of Pilsner Urquell in a "Czechoslovaki" pub across the bay from Marshall in Inverness, CA,

fig. i: Ms. Marek finds her dream house

and that Michelle found that the dream house that she'd first spotted in 2005 was still very much available, well, they all added up to the kind of overall experience Lou Reed once labeled a Perfect Day.

Tomales Bay Oyster Company, 15479 Hwy. 1, Marshall, CA, (415) 663-1242

Vladimir's Czech Restaurant, 12785 Sir Francis Drake Blvd., Inverness, CA, (415) 669-1021

Looking for "In a Golden State 1: Coffee"? You can find it here.

aj

* This being California, with cool, cool waters and temperate weather pretty much all year round, the Tomales Bay Oyster Company is open 365 days a year. But if you're planning on going there for a Thanksgiving Day feast, keep in mind that their hours will be shortened: 9 am - 2 pm. Plenty enough time to pick up a few dozen for your oyster stuffing!

November/Novembre/Noviembre

fig. a:  "Bring on the cupcakes!"


1.  In spite of the fact that The New York Times announced earlier this week that it's "time's up" for the cupcake, the good people at Cupcake Camp Montreal are soldiering on, fully determined to prove to the world that although the cupcake may soon be yesterday's food fad, those little, iced mindbombs can still generate a whole lot of revenue for a good cause or two.


Last year, Cupcake Camp Montreal resulted in 3,500 cupcake donations, 700 attendees, and $8,000 in proceeds.  This year CCM is aiming higher--much higher.  If everything goes according to plan, this year's edition will result in 7,000 cupcake donations, 2,000 attendees, and a whopping $15,000 in proceeds (!).  The thing is, everything isn't going according to plan--Cupcake Camp Montreal has already received over 19,000 cupcake donations (!!).  That's one serious sugar high.


The fun takes place this Sunday, November 21st, from 1-5 pm, in the Fairmont Queen Elizabeth Hotel (900 Rene Levesque Blvd. W).  There'll be a cupcake sale, a cupcake competition, and a slew of other activities.  And the panel of judges for the cupcake competition is made up of a veritable who's who of local food biz celebs, a Dream Team, if you will, including Chuck Hughes (host, Chuck's Day Off), Nadia G (host, Bitchin' Kitchen), Ricardo Larrivée (host, Ricardo & Friends), Patrice Demers (chef, Les 400 Coups), Lesley Chesterman (critic, The Montreal Gazette), and AEB's very own Michelle Marek (chef, Restaurant Laloux).


Hoping to donate cupcakes?  Hoping to compete?  Just want to attend?  Need more information?  Look no further.


fig. b:  "Bring on the choucroute!"


2.  In more Michelle-related activity, Restaurant Laloux is hosting chef, author, and bread baker extraordinaire James MacGuire for two nights of Alsatian revelry, featuring tarte flambée, an elaborate, 100% traditional choucroute garnie made entirely from scratch (sausages, sauerkraut, cured pork belly, etc., etc.), authentic Alsatian rye bread, an all-star lineup of some of our favorite Alsatian Rieslings (Domaine Ostertag Heissenberg 2007 [Rézin], Barmès Buecher Herrenweg 2008 [Oenopole], etc.), and a dessert collaboration between Michelle and James:  Alsatian apple tart.


The fête takes place November 29th and 30th.  For more information or reservations, contact (514) 287-9127.


Restaurant Laloux, 250 Pine Ave. E.


fig. c:  "Bring on the tacos!"


3.  And, finally...  Taco lovers, rejoice!  Looks like the Grumman '78 posse has a standing engagement at Le Nouveau Palais, Friday and Saturday nights, from midnight till close.  For more information:  273-1180.


Le Nouveau Palais, 281 Bernard St. W.

Three Bazaar Pileup

It's a little too late to be telling you that the Hungarian United Church's annual Hungarian Bazaar has the best all-around food (sweets, savory treats, selection) that we've encountered in all our years of prowling Montreal's bazaars.  (Hopefully, you noticed our "heads-up" from a couple of weeks back and took up the recommendation.)  But it's not too late to remind you to get out there and take in the city's full array of seasonal fairs, bazaars, salons, souks, and other festive occasions.  You never know what you might find.

In that very spirit, we crisscrossed the city in the AEBmobile last Saturday, hitting three bazaars (and one Expozine!) in the space of half a day.  Not all bazaars are created equal, of course, and some are more festive than others.  We were sorry to have missed the Bottle Raffle (a.k.a., the Booze Raffle) at one Westmount bazaar (although they did have some pretty cool books about drinking),

  fig. a: yeah, sure it is

but at another bazaar we found an impressive display of wooden chairs for sale.

fig. b: bazaar activity

They looked like they were trying to clamber toward the windows to make a break for it, so we helped liberate a few of them.

When we got to the Hungarian United Church, there were sure signs that this was going to be another good year.

fig. c: sign of hope

This year we didn't find the Sausage Man--the master sausage-maker who used to hold court at the back of the auditorium with hundreds upon hundreds of freshly smoked Hungarian sausages--but the kitchen was busy pumping out the hot lunches, and if you didn't want the authentic goulash with galuska, you had the option of the tasty debreceni sausage plate with sauerkraut and paprika potatoes.  They also had the loveliest sweet palacsinta crêpes on offer.  It's a good thing the palacsinta were so unbelievably delicate, though, because this year's baked goods and desserts table was mighty impressive.

Michelle went straight for the doughnuts, and good thing, too, because not only were they astoundingly tasty--in the same major league as my grandmother's--but they were selling fast.  Two cups of coffee and a few of those sugar-dusted delicacies later, we were in a state of grace.  We found ourselves gazing around absent-mindedly, taking in the scene, giddy with satisfaction.  "Like my grandma's.  Just like my grandma's," I found myself muttering.

And it was then, and only then, that we really noticed the layer cake that was holding court on the desserts table from the lofty perch of its cake stand.  C. noted that it looked like the real thing, like a homemade Hungarian nut torte (not as many layers, perhaps, but just as much technique).  She went over to purchase a piece, and thank the Lord that she did.  That slice of walnut cake, was the moistest, most luxurious cake any of us had had in a long time.  And all of a sudden, C. found herself having a Proustian moment of her own:  "Tastes just like my grandmother's," she said.

When we woke up out of our second paprika- & sugar-induced stupor, I decided I had to tell the Pastry Ladies just how much we'd enjoyed their treats.  I went up and talked to one of the women at the desserts table, and it turned out the walnut cake was her family recipe.  I must have really been waxing poetic, because she took me for one of her own.  "Are you Hungarian?," the Cake Lady asked.  "No, Slovak," I replied.  "But my grandmother's family was originally from Hungary."  She just nodded knowingly.

When I told her the doughnuts tasted like my Baba's, she told me that I should go and tell the woman who'd made them.  So I did.  Turns out the Doughnut Lady was working a table near the back of the auditorium.  When I told her I that I'd loved her doughnuts, she was thrilled.  "Oh, thank you, thank you..."  When I told her that they'd reminded me of my grandmother's, she touched my cheek and nearly started crying.  Let me tell you, that's an experience you won't get at Tim's.

What's the point of all this?  What's the point of torturing you with all these delicious and highly sentimental details after the fact?  Well, if you're the kind of Montrealer who misses the good, old days when top-notch Eastern European pastries were easy to come by, there's hope.  Many of these delicacies are still around, you just have to know where to find them.  You may not be able to find quite the selection you once found along the Main, but you just might find exactly what you're looking for at your local bazaar.  And if the sound of authentic Hungarian walnut cakes and doughnuts appeals to you, well, the ladies at the Hungarian United Church have been known to take special orders (!).

You can order Hungarian cakes and pastries from Carol Pisimisi ("the Cake Lady") at (514) 683-5978, or you can call the Hungarian United Church directly at (514) 737-8457 to inquire about cakes, pastries, and doughnuts, or upcoming food-related church events.

fig. d: Hungarian doughnut

I mean, just look at that beauty.  Don't you owe it to yourself?

aj