Two great spots for holiday treats
DINING OUT
In the Scandinavian countries, the Yule log burns bright in the
fireplace and the kitchen is warm with the baking of cookies flavored
with cardamom and cinnamon. The vision of Santa Lucia with her crown
of candles rings in the Christmas season, one to please the child in
every heart.
What better way to share the season than with cookies and cakes
from the Great Dane Baking Company on Warner Avenue at Goldenwest
Street in Huntington Beach, owned by baker Keld Pedersen and his
wife, Jodi? This is the part of the Christmas celebration that can be
for a friendly gathering before Dec. 25 or for desserts on the
eventful day ready and prepared beforehand.
If you’re serving buffet style, have a plate of petit fours
artfully decorated and covered with chocolate (95 cents to $1.95) and
one of Christmas cookies (75 cents to $2.95).
Great Dane has bags filled with a variety of cookies, or you can
select from the display. There are coconut and chocolate macaroons
dipped in chocolate, a long, slender iced coconut bar, tiny figure
cookies and wonderful lifelike mouse or sugar-free gingerbread men.
For your dessert, Pedersen and his assistants have baked a
gingerbread house that makes a great centerpiece. Another decorative
piece original to Pedersen is a wreath of small chocolate eclairs
with leaves and a big Christmas ribbon ($9.95).
Like many great cooks, Danish Pedersen learned from his mother. He
met Los Alamitos High School graduate Jodi at a kibbutz in the Virgin
Islands where he was a pastry chef.
They returned to Huntington Beach about five years ago to open the
Great Dane Baking Company -- a pastry shop that’s like an edible art
gallery, as good to look at as to eat.
Next to a family kitchen, there is nothing more homey than an
Italian grocery and bakery like Lucci’s Deli-Bakery, 8911 Adams Ave.,
Huntington Beach. Co-owned by Rick and Bill Refice Jr., the third
generation of baker-owners.
It’s rather like a small grocery in an Italian neighborhood of any
large city -- a multifaceted place with limited quantities but many
choices. It’s part grocery, part deli, small eat-in area, U-shaped
bakery and large catering service.
It’s the bakery that gets our attention in this holiday season,
when time is precious and demands many. Lucci’s offers plates of
mixed Christmas cookies -- two and a half dozen ($7.95), perfect for
an office or home party.
If you are bringing a gift, there is the beautifully wrapped
panettone bread ($4.95), yeasty and filled with raisons, nuts and
citron. It’s traditionally served at Christmas in Milan, Italy, where
it was created.
A slightly different and lighter dessert is the large raspberry
jelly roll ($2.99), gently powdered and lovely to look at. It can
serve eight.
Another tasty and decorative bargain are slices of carrot cake,
lemon cake and German chocolate cake ($1.69). Unfortunately, the
selection was light on sugar-free pastry. However, the custard
squash-like pumpkin pie is less sweet and very good.
According to pastry clerk Marta Mahoney, a big seller are the
cannoli, consisting of tubular pastry shells deep fried and then
filled with sweetened whipped ricotta, cream cheese and butter cream
sprinkled with chocolate chips.
Just looking at the variety in Lucci’s display vases and smelling
the warm aroma from the on-site bakery is the Christmas gift you give
yourself -- one that also gives you time to be with your family and
friends.
Happy Holidays and Happy New Year.
* MARY FURR is the Independent restaurant critic. If you have
comments or suggestions, call (562) 493-5062 or e-mail
hbindy@latimes.com.
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