{"id":109642,"date":"2019-05-03T09:41:35","date_gmt":"2019-05-03T13:41:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/summerofjim.com\/?p=109642"},"modified":"2019-05-03T09:41:35","modified_gmt":"2019-05-03T13:41:35","slug":"the-viennese-dessert-table-25-alston-ave","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/summerofjim.com\/?p=109642","title":{"rendered":"The Viennese Dessert Table, 25 Alston Ave"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Now that I have gone \nto Walt Disney World for 4 consecutive years, I am willing to admit that I am \nout-of-step with many Disney goers.  I am now referring to those amongst the \nthrong who stay \u201con campus\u201d at a Disney Resort and revel in the at-hand dinning \nopportunities, more specifically to indulge in the insane desserts that are \noffered.  Regardless of whether the eateries are at a Resort, at a theme park or \nat the gastronome\u2019s ultimate: Disney Springs\u2026 one thing is for sure, desserts\u2026 \nnay, fancy<\/em> desserts are well \ncovered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I wish that I could say that this is also a pleasure for me.\u00a0 But it\u2019s not!\u00a0 I have lost my desire for dessert years ago — glorious flavor and eye-appealing presentation notwithstanding.\u00a0 I would rather have a tasty and savory first course, with a superbly chilled dry martini, and forego that after entr\u00e9e sweet. As I say, I am out of step with many who would forego their entire meal to delight in something as wonderful as this artistic gem offered at Albert & Victoria\u2019s at the Grand Floridian:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

But there was a time \nthat I truly did love the concluding course to a meal.  And that love could even \nextend to a late night raiding of the fridge to \u201csteal\u201d an extra slice of pie or \na wedge of cake that had lovingly been prepared by \nMom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And nowhere was this \nlove of baking on greater display than on Thanksgiving, when Mom made sure that \neach of us had his or her favorite dessert on the table.  The turkey & \nstuffing portion of the evening done, Mom would set a perimeter of pies and \ncakes before her, and she would then distribute the requested slices around to \neach of us.  Paul had Lemon Meringue pie.  Lynn, the Chocolate Cream Pie.  I loved the \nChocolate Cream, too.  But I may have taken a slice of the Pumpkin or the \nMince.  OR, as the case maybe, I may have circled back and enjoyed a slice of \neach.  She also made an admirable banana cream pie\u2026 but that may have been an \n\u201cin-the-summer-pie.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stretching my memory, \nI\u2019m trying to remember if Mom also made cakes for Thanksgiving, and while I \ncan\u2019t remember a cake attached to the Thanksgiving feast (maybe the Banana Cake \nw\/Mary Oliver Frosting?  More on this later), there would be other occasions, \nbeyond the Thanksgiving repast, when Mom would trot out an impressive collection \nof cakes\/pies.  I am thinking of the many gatherings of the \u201cBoopies\u201d (the \nLewis\u2019, the Grants, the Deckers, the Jacobs, the Shures et al<\/em>.).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These occasions could \nhave been on a random Saturday night when the group would convene after<\/em> the dinner hour for coffee, dessert \nand conversation.  OR, possibly for an elegant <\/em>dinner party.  Mom\u2019s signature \ndessert was her Chocolate Mousse Cake \u2013 smooth chocolate richness, spiked with \nbits of walnut, encased in lady fingers and topped with a blanket of proper \nwhipped cream.  She also made a divine Vanilla Coconut Cake (I will return to \nthis in a moment), and the aforementioned Banana Cake with Mary Oliver \nFrosting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

About the latter, I \nguess I was in my early teens when Mom asked me what I would like for my \n\u201cbirthday cake.\u201d  And I chose the Banana Cake.  And so a brief tradition was \ncreated.  Mom or Bessie would make that cake for me on February 2\u2026 even thru my \ncollege years, and beyond.  When I turned 21, Ellen organized a surprise \nbirthday party for me up at Union.  She and \nGary drove up from New \nHaven, and brought up the \u201csacred\u201d cake to add legitimacy \nto the celebration!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Vanilla Coconut \nCake, as brilliant as it was, is also connected to a deeply traumatic and life \nscarring episode in my life.  I was probably 8 or 9 (how do I know this?  \nBecause I was still wearing pajama\u2019s at the time, and at age 10 I switched to \nboxer shorts & a t-shirt for my sleeping attire), and Mom & Dad hosted a \ndinner party that extended beyond the \nregular<\/em> \u201cBoopies\u201d, and of the night that I am thinking, it included \nat least the Al Small\u2019s.  And I know that Al Small was seated to Mom\u2019s immediate \nright. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I was invited to come \ndown to say good night to everyone at about the time that the \u201cViennese Dessert \nTable\u201d arrived.  So there I was in my PJs ready for bed, and there was Mom\u2019s \neye-popping \u201cmile high\u201d Vanilla Coconut Cake <\/em><\/strong><\/em><\/strong>(amongst the \nseveral cakes presented) and positioned at the corner of the table between Al \nand Mom. Al must have taken note how impressed I was with the sight of all the \ncakes, and he said, \u201cJimmy, smell how good that vanilla cake is!\u201d  I \nunhesitatingly leaned in to absorb the aroma, and Al, taking advantage of this \nunprecedented opportunity, pushed my face into the cake! I picked my face up \ncoated with coconut frosting, and the entire table burst into outrageous \nlaughter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It may have appeared \nas if this was some vaudeville stage act, but to me it was a source of \nhumiliation; and crying, I quickly retreated back upstairs. {see post script \nbelow}<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was another \ndessert that Mom made, in a non-cake\/pie category, that I also loved.  It was \nher Jell-O mold.  She produced it two or three times a year?  Thanksgiving?  I \nthink so.  Maybe when Mom & Dad hosted a \n\u201cBefore-the-Harvard-or-Princeton-Game\u201d Party?  Or at a summer cook-out \ngathering?  I loved how she put different fruits into each of the Jell-O flavors \nthat were layered into the mold. I can remember that pineapple went into the \nlime Jell-O, and cherries went into the grape.  Well, there you are: \u201cThere\u2019s \nalways room for Jell-O!!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And since we are on \nthe subject of Jell-O, I have to give a shout out to a \u201cguest appearance\u201d to the \ndessert offerings\u2026 Sadie\u2019s \u201cCracked Iced Cake\u201d!  A sinful concoction of tiny \ncubes of multi flavored Jell-O suspended in a vanilla cream! Off-the-charts \ngreat!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Desserts, desserts, \ndesserts\u2026. Wonderful to recall the memories; but as previously noted, no longer \nan active interest of mine. On the other hand, give \nme:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Charcuterie! At the California Grill<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

And of course, a Tanqueray Martini!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

P.S. The cake \u201cincident\u201d \nat the table continued in the memory for both Al Small and me.  Whenever our \npaths crossed (at Racebrook, for example), Al would ask, \u201cJimmy, do you forgive \nme?\u201d  And I would shake my head no!  And then he would laugh. By the time I \nreached mid-teens, I would fake my sustained indignation. By then I knew that Al \nwas a wonderful and kind man. Regardless, our \u201cset piece\u201d would continue. Al \nnever failed to ask my forgiveness, I always pretended to withhold it.  I \nlearned of Al\u2019s passing when I was at Union.  I \nasked Mom to send me his address so that I could write to Mrs. Small.  I shared \nthe memory of that Saturday Night, and I told Mrs. Small that I never thought \nthat God would take away Al until I forgave him.  Forgive him?  Why would I do \nsomething that would hasten his departure?  <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Now that I have gone to Walt Disney World for 4 consecutive years, I am willing to admit that I am out-of-step with many Disney goers.  I am now referring to those amongst the throng who stay \u201con campus\u201d at … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-109642","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-the-small-pictures"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/summerofjim.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/109642","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/summerofjim.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/summerofjim.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/summerofjim.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/summerofjim.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=109642"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/summerofjim.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/109642\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":109647,"href":"http:\/\/summerofjim.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/109642\/revisions\/109647"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/summerofjim.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=109642"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/summerofjim.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=109642"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/summerofjim.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=109642"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}