BBQ WEATHER

 

It is the dead of winter but we have had a little break in the rain. I have ever needed an excuse to fire up the bbq; so I did. N.Y. strip on the left and huge filet on the right was perfect for our little nice weather patch.

ROTISSERIE PICANHA

 I have been having a lot of fun with my Big Green Egg rotisserie attachement. Pictured is a Picanha roast which is a cut of sirloin. It is tasty fun.

CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE

 Ms. Goofy outdid herself with this decadent chocolate cheesecake. I am one lucky fellow.

NEW YEARS EVE EAST COAST TIME

 I usually and almost never make it to 12 midnight P.S.T. here on the west coast. We celebrate the New Year at E.S.T. time and this year was no exception. We had an early dinner at our favorite restaurant Casa Orinda. A New York steak, spagehtti, and a couple of yummy onion rings was the perfect way to celebrate New Years Eve. Hapy New Year!

Tea’s Unique Spicy Kentucky Bourbon Fruitcake

Welcome to Paul’s Fruitcake Corner. Here at the corner we try fruitcakes so you do not have to. On our final day of my 2025 fruitcake journey we have a cake from Tea’s Unique. This is a company based in Flowery Branch, Georgia that sells tea’s sourced from Korea. They also sell fruitcake. Today we are trying the “Southern Gourmet Fruit Cake Aged with Cinnamon Spiced Kentucky Bourbon”. This was a 2 pound cake that suggested refrigeration before slicing. This cake was packed with walnuts, plump golden and purple raisins, cherries, pineapple, orange peel, papaya, and crunchy pecans. There is a bourbon presence but it is very nuanced and not particularly spicy.  This cake was very moist and thoroughly enjoyed. The ingredient list was very very long and avoided to deter from this enjoyement.

   Thanks for coming along on my fun and tasty fruitcake journey. It was fun and sometimes challenging to source these commercially sold cakes. I enjoyed the majority but they will never replace the joy of making and enjoying a homemade fruitcake. See you next year!

Grandma’s Traditional Fruitcakes……Dark fruitcake

Welcome to Paul’s Fruitcake Corner. Here at the corner we try fruitcake so you do not have to. We are going north of the border to Alberta, Canada to try Grandma’s Traditional Fruitcake. This cake is from a 4 generation recipe and a small company run for 35 years by Cynthia Baumgardt. She sells these cakes at craft shows and by mail order. We are trying the dark fruitcake which has a dark rum infusion. It is a pleasant mix of spices, cherries, raisins, molasses, dark brown sugar and orange and lemon peel. The unwrapping of the festive blue foil wrapping reveals a shiny dark loaf that smells of Christmas spices. The flavors are all there. It is pleasant with the fruits (no nuts), spices and ends with a warmth and flavor from the rum. To be totally honest here, the cake is a tad dry. Except for the dryness this cake was enjoyable.

Logistics Note.

  I talked to Ms. Baumgardt on the phone and asked her if she would ship her cake to the states. She was very gracious and explained she would but she has had past problem with shipping across the border. The cake was held at customs for almost three weeks and total shipping time was just shy of a month. I was warned and was thankful to try her cake.

Priesters Pecan Fruitcake

 

Welcome to Paul’s Fruitcake Corner. Here at the corner we try fruitcakes so you do not have to. Priester is a company that sells lots of nuts specifically pecans. This cake delivers in the nut department evident by the image pictured. There are some fruits to add sweetness to this cake; blend of dates, sun-ripened raisins, candied pineapple, glazed cherries. Priesters claims to have a secret method of aging and glazing. I do taste some sort of booze which may have been brandy (?). The cake is shaped in a Bundt cake form and is delivered in a festively decorated box. If you like pecans, this cake delivers. We liked it………

Just in case you were wondering; Priesters is located in Alabama. They are proud to say; “Our Fruitcake is also featured on the list of "100 Dishes to Eat in Alabama".