Ending With Dessert

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MANY OF YOU MAY NOT know that I am not a big "dessert person", as they say. I've never had a sweet tooth, in fact never usually finishing a full slice of my own birthday cake at many parties.

My defense has always been that I do *indeed* enjoy sweets, just in very small portions. Most candies and cakes leave a sugary residue all over my mouth, which then makes it near impossible to taste anything else after the first few bites. But many of those first few bites have been heavenly, and those bites have provided me with my still endearing memories of desserts past.

One of my favorite have always been the black & white cookie, which has always been deceptively named, as the "cookie" part—when baked properly—is almost half cake. It is airy, softer than most cookies, and somewhat spongey. All the better, of course, to hold the slathering of sweet vanilla and rich chocolate frosting on top. With an ice cold glass of milk, it is a near divine endeavor to devour one. The bite, chew, and mouth feel of both cookie and cake, both vanilla and chocolate frosting to tantalizing the tongue, and a quick gulp to wash it all down and cleanse the palate to more easily go for another similarly pleasing bite.

And only a real bakery can make these cookies properly. Lucky me, Glaser's Bake Shop is a 5-minute walk away, and they've been in the same family and in the same location for over 100 years. They know what they're doing.

And as I wrap up another wonderful PHUDE year, I decided this day to end it as I would a wonderful meal, with dessert. I decided to go by, stare at the wonderful lemon meringue tarts (which nicely reminded of MY LAST VISIT TO GLASER'S) and pick up a black & white cookie (also known as a half-moon cookie in other parts). While there i also purchased a piece of something new they've been making called an Earthquake Cake—a mishmash of Devil's food cake, cheesecake, chocolate chips, coconut, cookie dough, and vanilla icing—and a Kimmel biscuit, a Glaser family recipe and New Year traditional pastry.

The biscuit, made with caraway, was very pleasant. Slightly savory from the caraway, not too sweet, with a great crisp. The Earthquake was wonderful, for two bites. It quickly my teeth, tongue, and gums were screaming "Uncle!" from all the sugar.

But the black & white cookie was sublime, so much so that—while taking my literally sweet time doing so—I finished it, with what must have turned out to be a full quart of milk, ice cold.

And as I figuratively take my napkin and wipe from the corners of my mouth the last few crumbs of a feast of a year for PHUDE (NYC), I hope that 2014 is as likewise pleasing and fulfilling as this past year has been, if not more so.

Happy COOKING IN and DINING OUT, PHUDE-ies, and Bun Apple Tea!