Thursday, September 29, 2011

How many marks does Denmark get?

Taste of Denmark- small local co-op bakery located in Downtown Oakland has been a local favorite for over 60 years.  It used to be called Neldams but changed ownership about a year ago.  I took notice of the establishment recently and decided to explore my European taste buds. 

Taste of Denmark is not super expensive but is not super cheap either.   It is filled with danishes, croissants, cakes, breads and pies with a small section for sit down eating.  Not only can you eat there, you can peer into a large window revealing the kitchen, that way you know you are not getting a weird cake made in some other kitchen.  It is kind of like stepping to the 1960s.   I never existed during that time but from my movie watching experiences, I feel like it is a cross of The Sandlot, New York and old black and white photos of the South (like the famous civil rights picture taken at Woolworth's lunch counter).  There is free parking across the street which is shared with another establishment.  But parking has never been an issue.  

I chose 2 kinds of cake with my mother- Raspberry filled mille-feuille with a chocolate frosting and a strawberry shortcake. 

The cake got a little ruffled during transport.  No biggie.
The raspberry mille-feuille cake was filled with a light whipped cream with a hint of cream cheese layered with mille-feuille and raspberry jam.  But between each light puff pastry you could taste the powdered sugar. There was perfect amount of mille-feuille.  Sometimes when there is too much, it makes the cake too flaky and dry.  The top was frosted with a rich milk chocolate and a swirly design of a pink chocolaty berry frosting.  It's not that faint pink color a baby’s room is painted-it was HOT pink.  WOOW. Hot pink on a cake, you know that's not natural.  The cake was definitely not a taste of Denmark.  I have never been to Denmark (yet) but it was American sweet. Those who have traveled abroad know America is just crazy for sugar. I have no idea why but the majority of cakes and cookies in America are piercing knives to my teeth.  I feel like a cavity would form while chewing.  I think I could have done with out the chocolate frosting since it tasted like straight Hershey’s chocolate bar, cocoa powder and powdered sugar. I think that there are too many layers of flavor for that cake. This can easily be shared between 2 or 3 people if coffee is served. 

Again, ruffled and my strawberry fell off. But I stuck that sucker right back on!
I also bought the strawberry shortcake. A classic to most people, but so different. It had a soft yet firm sponge cake. Not overpoweringly sweet. As you might have noticed, I absolutely love cake and anything sold in a bakery. The aroma of the sponge cake, chocolate, whipped frosting, fruit, cookies, and coffee is just overwhelming for me that I often walk out of bakeries empty handed since I simply cannot make a decision. Occasionally and most of the time, cake with fresh fruit and whipped cream the ratio is not to my liking. I like fruit but not too much cream (since I am lactose and in reality I am not a fan of milk-though I an addicted to all cheeses, except asiago cheese).  The top layer of cake is soft but the bottom layer of cake has been moistened and soaked in a sweet milk concoction of delish- similar to the tres leches cake.  The strawberries were fresh and big and chunky, which is always a plus.
Fresh.

Sorry my pictures are utter crap right now. I am just trying to get the idea across so you have some idea of what I am talking about.  I often get overly excited and impatient- I just want to dive right in (often my problem in cooking since I can't wait for things to cool and sample while cooking out of the pot).  

So after comparing the 2 cakes today, I am leaning toward the strawberry shortcake. Call me classic but cake is made to be simple.  Not overly done with food coloring, decorations that taste like chemicals, plastic decorations, drowning in whipped topping. It is a cake- one where you are to stop and enjoy that moment whether it may be at your house, job, and local cafe.  A hundred years ago, I don’t think that bakers made cake with all the preservative, food coloring, hydrogenated oil crap we put in our cakes today.

Taste of Denmark gets 3.5 out of 5 marks from me.  Has anybody been there and are there any recommendations?

Monday, September 26, 2011

1st post. 1st churro.

There are doughnuts in America, beignets in France and New Orleans, youtiao in China and sata andagi in Japan. But Spain and Mexico has the churro.  I guess fried dough is a globally embraced cuisine.


Disneyland.  That was my very first churro that I can remember.  It wasn't the best, but as a child, it was heaven.  The sugar and cinnamon was something I didn't get to eat often.


Fast forward 20 years later.


My first experience with a real churro was in Madrid, Spain.  A small café tucked away off the main street. Name of the café has slipped my mind. Blaming the birthdays.


In Spain, churros are not your typical $1 fried sugar coated dough from Taco Bell.  It is served with hot chocolate.  The chocolate is thick, obviously hot and not American chocolate sweet.  Simple and delicious.  America is on a constant mission to SUPERSIZE anything and everything, but the Spanish churros are smaller and more like fingerfood. Dip the churro in the chocolate and enjoy!


I was exploring a local Chinese market with my mother the other day and stumbled upon a box.  A yellow golden box with a free pastry bag- tip included.  What could be better?  My mother and I heard angels. Churros out of a box like pancakes made by Tres Estrellas.  You can't find that my Safeway.  It was just weird since we made this discovery at a Chinese market and not a Mexican market.  I guess this is one of the perks of living in America. It is a constant cultural adventure.  Although the 100 Yen Shop in Japan occasionally carries Crystal Hot Sauce. A miraculous find I must say. 
English.


Español.
Given that it is a "Product of Mexico"- English and Spanish directions are a given, especially in California. I'm not kitchen challenged. Yes, there are somethings that I cannot make but for those who are, I think they would have turned this simple box into a fried disaster and a potential fire hazard.  The Spanish directions call for "Hierva aproximadamente 1 taza de agua" and "1 1/2 taza de harina" which from my five years of high school and college Spanish, is to boil 1 cup of water and 1 and 1/2 cups of flour (but not together).  Flip the box to the English side and it will instruct you to boil 1 cup of water and pour the water into the churro mix.  How much churro mix? I don't know. It's Lost in Translation. Plus, step 5 is to "Fry fte Churros until brown" - spelling error.  Got to love those spelling errors, typos, however you may decide to categorize them, it is an epic fail nonetheless.  The English side of the box says you get a "FREE PASTY Bag"- hooray. I love pasty bags. Not sure what it is, but anything that comes out of a box-food related, I'm sure you can't go wrong.  Just like those Cracker Jack boxes.
The PASTY Bag


We fried. We dipped. We ate.

This is a simple and whoever is unfortunate to mess this up. I wish the best for those who depend on their cooking. But as the common saying, "Practice makes perfect."  Don't fry the churros till they are brown; Aim for golden.  That way it has that slight crunch yet, doughy on the inside.  The chocolate is optional.  My mother and I opted for more a smooth and silky chocolate, as opposed to a thick and creamy chocolate. 
I like my chocolate smooth.
In the end this box churro gets my Tres Estrellas for convenience, taste and price.  Less than $2 a box.  Sure beats pancakes on a Sunday morning.