Ausgezeichnet! Lost in Translation

P and I visited Swiss Pastry in Fort Worth today. I was craving a California Croissant sandwich with avocado and the likely excuse to covet a slice of Black Forest cake. The American version of the originating German Black Forest cake, served here without the cherries, is by far my ultimate favorite treat. It's simple, but in my humble opinion, oh so special! It’s opulent and divine. Perhaps it's the textural combination of crumbly with smooth and rich. Made up of a light and airy wafer enhanced with two consecutive layers of whipped cream adorned with perfect chocolate shavings, this impressive cake makes me giddy all over. Because it is light and airy in texture, NOT in calories, the cake must be knocked over to it's side in order to get a forkful of all the layers at one time or risk losing the most sensational sensory satisfaction known to woman! The Germans would say “Ausgezeichnet!” The multitude of feelings that I get from this cake alone gets lost in translation!

Easy as Pie

Ever think about the phrases, THAT'S A PIECE OF CAKE and IT’S EASY AS PIE -- "Something that can be done easily and pleasurably.” The thought surely derives from the fact that for most people eating a piece of cake is easy and a pleasure as it should be. I'm still wondering about those phrases however. A piece of cake is easy to cut, but not so easy to make. And what's so easy about pie? Have you ever made one? Did you also make the crust? I know there has to be SOMETHING easy about pie. But if it had a crust, I'm still not sure how it could be easy.I’ve baked a few cakes but have not baked any pies in my time and don’t imagine there is nothing easy about doing so--it's not arduous, but it is certainly not carefree! Particularly if you prepare the crust from scratch as opposed to using something from a box (ugh!) or ready made in the grocery store (double ugh!). Could the expression have an implication such as: "Easy as eating a piece of pie" perhaps? And so, I’ve come to the conclusion that is the synonymous implication indeed. Surely eating a piece of good pie or cake is an easy thing to do. At least it is for me! I eat a lot more than I bake but as soon as I can rummage through my messy collection of magazine recipes (ouch... hate to admit that out loud), I will be posting tried and true fool proof recipes that I know work. Until then, eat more cake!