Sayonara Shimoda-san!

Today's cake time took place a little bit earlier than normal as we bade farewell to another Japanese colleague. Our friend Masa, whose wife, affectionately known as Mrs. Masa, frequently baked us the very delightful chiffon cake, must now return to Japan.  We know he will miss being here as once back in Japan he will undoubtedly be overwhelmed by having to see patients and little time will be left for research.  Before he left we celebrated his work and accomplishments and wished him well.

Some sayonara refreshments

In addition to peach champagne we had two very good chocolate cakes. The one that ended up getting eaten was one of the famous flourless chocolate cakes. What that means is there is going to be a lot of other things that will make it denser, richer and more fattening. You know things like..butter.  But who cares..it's cake hour. The cakes came courtesy of Eastside Marketplace which does good quality stuff although the selection seemed a bit lame.  We weren't sure if there would be enough so we go the other one which is a chocolate layer cake but the one sans flour was quite enough.

Flourless but not fatless chocolate cake

This one will have to wait

As usual we presented Masa with some appropriate parting gifts and gave him a Brown gear makeover.  We also continued our practice of presenting something that is sure to be a nuisance to carry back on an airplane. Fortunately those overhead compartments can handle good size framed pictures. It was clearly appropriate that the Brown winter scene be included as his departure was preceded by a blizzard.

Before

After the makeover

Yep, you have to take that on the plane!

 
Most everyone was philosophical about yet another departure but some clearly were in despair.  We think they will be fine!  To Masa we say さようならand 幸運 and we will see you at the AASLD.

Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night.....

...shall stop cake hour. So what if it is the first blizzard of 2011?  Just because there is supposed to 15 inches of snow in Providence doesn't mean you stop everything.  Sure, just about every business in the downtown is closed but hospital personnel are essential! So here we were all 6 of us.  We got a few extra bodies later in the day as the roads became passable and those that really needed to get something done figured they no longer had and excuse.  Fortunately we happened to have a few things in reserve to satisfy our sweet teeth.  There were a few Lebkuchen left from before Christmas.  Lebkuchen and Stollen are both known for a similar thing - they keep a long time so these were still good.  It would have been the perfect day to be outside with a cup of Glühwein to go with it but you can't have everything. 

We can always come up with something!

Frango mints .. now exclusively at Macy's. Who knew!

A little bit of Christmas remaining....

We also were holding onto some Frango Dark Chocolate Mints.  These were originally  made by Frederick and Nelson's Department Store in Seattle which was bought by Marshall Fields in Chicago.  They were subsequently acquired buy Macy's who produces over a million pounds a year! (BTW if the Former Marshall Fields Department Store on State Street in Chicago, now presumably a Macy's, is one of the best department stores there is anywhere.) These were more like mint truffles and were nowhere near as minty offensive as something like a peppermint patty or that God-awful candy cane cake that someone once brought.  So for those of you who took the storm as an excuse not to research we just want to let you know that we were fine here and kept the cake time going despite the weather.  Neither snow....like you see in these pictures from the cake room..nor rain shall stop the appointed cake time!

What's a little blizzard anyway?

Not too many cars visible on that Interstate!

Korean Konfection

Yesterday it was Hungarian, today it is Korean. Another one of our wandering researchers has returned from the home country and brought some goodies for the cake hour crowd.  Obviously with the amount of time required to travel from the Far East it was unlikely that we were going to get home baked goodies. So a suitable alternative was sought in some Korean sweets that are mass marketed and easy to take on the plane.  As we are open to everything we were happy to partake of the offerings from Daehanminguk aka the Republic of Korea.

Korean Sweets

Oh, Ye!

Crown Creambles

Admirable to say the least

 We had two types to choose from. One was called Ye and the other name we could not read but appeared to be translated as Creamble made by Crown company.  The further description referred to it as a "Fresh Cream and Admirable Cake"...."an original cream cake baked by pound cake style".  In some respects it was admirable.  In the end they appeared to be Korean versions of whoopie pies or something similar.

Chocolate, cream and a strawberry layer

Korean Whoopie Pie

Ye had chocolate on the outside and was filled with a marshmallow like cream with a strawberry layer in the center.  It was very light, was not too sweet and tasted good as the chocolate and strawberry complemented each other.  The Creamble was a sandwich of two cookie like cakes with a cream center and a coating of chocolate on the outside. In some respects a step up from the classic Whoopie Pie.  It was explained that this was a very popular product with Korea;'s neighbors and was exported all over. Now we understand why!

Creamy fillings with a serving of fruit

Creamble had a panel on the back for Art Block. Since it was all in Korean we could only try to interpret some meaning from the pictures. Event 1 looked the most interesting because it's possible all those pictured items were being given or raffled away.  Feel free to check out the referred to website although it too is only in Korean! 

What's up at ArtBlock? Who knows!

Hungarian Happiness

It's international week at cake hour!  That's because a number of our colleagues are returning from foreign lands and bringing home the goodies. Today we got a special treat of sweets schlepped back from Miskolc, Hungary.  The stuff was so impressive looking that security at the Frankfurt Airport attempted to confiscate it probably for no other reason than they intended to consume it themselves! But our intrepid colleague impressed on them that the sweets were destined for cake hour and, of course, the Germans relented rather than corrupt cake hour.

Back from the homeland!

A plate of Hungarian Delights

Gerbauds, Túró Rudi and Kókuszgolyó

What came back was quite a spread of Hungarian Happiness.  We were also very pleased and honored to learn that the featured treats were homemade by the mother and aunt of our returning colleague!  The featured item was Gerbeauds - ground walnut and jam filling between layers of sponge cake covered with chocolate. It looks a little bit like baklava but the chocolate and the jam distinguish it. This is a signature specialty of the Cafe Gerbeaud in Budapest and we are thrilled to now have experienced two of the most famous Hungarian confections - the Doboc Torta and now the Gerbeaud! Many, many thanks to Mama Derdak for taking the time to make these and for giving cake hour an international flair. Mama Derdak - mi szeretünk téged and your Gerbeauds.

Homemade Gerbauds!

Lots of layers with good stuff!

Auntie Derdak made another Hungarian specialty known as Pogácsa which seem like a type of small scone albeit not sweet. These were made, I believe, with some potatoes and cheese.  They were also very good and offset the sweet things very well.  I'm not sure if the longer version in the picture is also Pogácsa but they were very similar and also included caraway seeds or something similar. They were light and airy - sort of a Hungarian Cheesy Poof!

Different versions of Pogácsa, we think!

There was more on the sweet side, however, and that was Kókuszgolyó –  translated as Hungarian Coconut Rum Balls and as you can see they look like coconut balls. These are apparently made from crushed cookies and include some chocolate, cherries and of course rum or they wouldn't be called rum balls.  They were a little bit like a truffle but not as fatty. Nor were they too sweet which made them very easy to consume.  Another hit from the Derdak family!

Rum flavored coconut balls!

Lastly, as if all this was not enough happiness we got to try a classic Hungarian candy bar sort of.  We were told it was something very popular with children.  These were the famous Túró Rudi chocolate bars which are filled with a sweetened type of cheese or quark. (Sort of a cross between yogurt and soured cream.) The taste was not that common among us Americans and most sort of tried to figure out what it tasted like some thinking it was like sour marshmallow or tangy pastry cream.  Since it was not too familiar we may have to classify it as an acquired taste. There were plenty to go around and we even sent some home with people to give their children a Hungarian Delight. We'll check back to see what the kids thought and if they are like-minded to their Hungarian counterparts.

Bag o' Túró Rudi

Quark filled chocolate!

Quite a spread thanks and now we all want to go to Hungary!

So now there is a dilemma - we've been spoiled and now cannot let our resident Hungarian stay away for the next five years like he did the last five. Otherwise he is going to have to learn how to make all these things in the event that we get a craving for them. Thanks to him, however for this unexpected "Taste of Hungary" and to Mama and Nagynéni Derdak we say köszönöm szépen!

Stollen Day 2011

Since today is the last day of Christmas for this season it is appropriate for the annual Stollen Day to take place.  Every year this cake hour commando gets presented up to 3 or 4 Stollens for Christmas. That's a lot of Stollen for one person to eat so since it is the season of giving a few of them are given up for Stollen Day at cake time.

Dimpflmeier Stollen

Tbe rum version - note the advisory "Keeps for a long time"

The classic look

Sugar Coated for the finishing touch

For those of you who don't know a Stollen is the traditional German Christmas Cake. It is associated with the City of Dresden where they make the largest Stollen in the world every year at their Striezelmarkt or Christmas Market.  (If you haven't been to Dresden you should go as it is one of the most interesting cities in Europe and used to be on the Grand Tour of Europe. The Green Vault is of particular interest. Check it out here:


http://www.skd.museum/en/museums-institutions/residenzschloss/gruenes-gewoelbe/index.html

But I digress..Stollen is a bit like a fruit cake but it is edible.. I mean unlike a lot of American fruit cakes it actually tastes pretty good.  There are several versions the favorite being the one filled with Marzipan but today we had Rum Stollens that were flavored with - you guessed it - rum.  The dough is always folded before baking giving it the unique shaped and it is always covered with powdered or granulated sugar.  It goes real well with Glühwein as you are standing out in a cold Christmas market but it's always good with coffee or tea and helps to make the season bright kind of like turkey and some mistletoe.  These Stollens are courtesy of Dimpflmeier Bakery in Toronto, Ontario. www.dimpflmeierbakery.com.
In addition to Stollen, they make all sort of the thick, seed filled breads that Germans love and that really keep your digestion going. They are pretty good so if you are so inclined check out what they have to offer.

There was the added treat of some Weinbrand Bohnen or dark chocolate bean shaped pralines filled with brandy.  (This is a rare occasion where the German expression is shorter than the English.)  A nice treat to go with the Stollen and a cup of java.

Brandy Beans - direct translation

Classic shape with the good stuff inside

Today we tried to figure out the best way to get one of our cake hour comrades home within a reasonable time frame.  She lives three miles away and it takes her half an hour to drive there thanks to construction work on I-95 in Providence. You do the math. That's 6 miles per hour.  Those of us that live in East Providence or Boston spend less travel time.  Several suggestions were made and we look forward to hearing how and if the various routes will ameliorate the three mile commute from hell.

In you were wondering what happens when a cheesecake and a pecan pie get together..

.....well wonder no more! The Cheesecake Factory has answered the question!  This is their pumpkin pecan cheesecake and it certainly is a good looking creation.  We particularly like those swirls of whipped cream decorating all the pre-sliced pieces.  This is one of their frozen cakes but once defrosted they are all absolutely fine.  From our perspective it would be helpful if the slices were a bit smaller because it is tough to eat one of these unless you are thinking of participating in the obesity epidemic.

Another Cheesecake Factory Creation

Looking good...especially that whipped cream

From on high it's a pecan pie

The pecan pie layer is topped by the pumpkin cheesecake

Can we stand it?

As you can see from the sliced cake what this amounts to is a pumpkin cheesecake placed atop a pecan pie. The bottom is the classic pecan pie sweet, sticky, syrupy goodness including a layer of pecans. And in a stroke of genius or folly they plop a decently thick pumpkin cheesecake above the pie.  (This layering of different cake types seems to be a theme among cheesecake companies.) Add another layer of pecans and the blobs of whipped cream and there you have it. It's a rather extreme tandem expression of two uniquely American favorites but it worked.  The caveat was that you had to take it in small doses so we got two or three servings out of every slice.  The cake still disappeared before the day was out but no one is admitting they went back for settings. Thanks to the boss for coming up with this with little to no notice.

Colorectal Delights and the Brazilians are back

A stack of treats arrived compliments of the Colorectal Clinic and courtesy of Harry and David. Instead of a big box of fruit - which admittedly is usually pretty good - we got one of those stacks of things. In this case it ranged from hard candies to something called moose munch.  In between there were some cookies, some truffles and yogurt coated pretzels. The last item begs the question who ever asked to have their pretzels coated with yogurt...blech!!

Colorectal Surprise

Harry and David bring colorectal good wishes

The goodies inside

 

Gateau d'Olive

Braided Breads make an appearance too

The girls from Brazil

Most of the stuff was pretty good and there was plenty to go around but wait.... leftovers appeared from a New Year's party. These were made by our French colleague and appeared to be some kind of loaf that included olives and ham. Expecting some exotic name we asked what to call it and the answer was olive cake..nothing fancy sounding like crème brulée or mousse au chocolat...olive cake!  It was not sweet but was indeed respectable but stop the presses as if this wasn't enough - the cake master shows up with two loaves of homemade rum raisin bread or something.  These were braided breads made fresh and were also quite good. (I didnt' really taste the rum in the raisins but who cares?) Given that the stack o' colorectal goodies was not particularly substantial the two additional contributions helped to whet our cake time appetites.

Moose Munch

It being the new year we welcomed two new participants to cake hour. These are two of a group of Brazilian medical students who come to RIH for a research rotation! We are happy to have them join us and will look forward to some Brazilian treats in the very near future.

We wondered how some news stories get prioritized on the local stations. For instance, Monday night, although the inaugurations of new governors in Massachusetts and Rhode Island were imminent the lead story was about a couple of kids in some unheard of place in NH who crawled out a window and fell off the roof without getting seriously injured. How would a news executive find such a crappy story more newsworthy than a major political event?  It's time someone started live blogging the local news programs to get down in print how bad some of these stations are becoming.