Have Cup-a-Cake will travel

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The Cup-a-Cake prevents cupcakes from being squashed and hearts from being crushed. The container's invention renews my faith in American ingenuity when confronting daunting challenges.

That doesn't mean the Cup-a-Cake can't be improved. Firstly, a bulletproof shell would bring peace of mind to the parents of brave children transporting their precious cupcakes in hostile environments. Secondly, some sort of internal refrigeration would keep the cloyingly cute cupcakes free of bacteria and all unintended decoration during long voyages. Lastly, there is no anti-theft protection: If I had an 8-year-old daughter and one of her classmates tried to steal her cupcake I would want my Cup-a-Cake to deliver a high-voltage electric shock and effectively sear the buttercream-frosted fingertips of the little thief.

Kimmel the warrior bagel endures at Montreal & London bakeries

 

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There are only two places in the world where I've seen kimmel bagels, Fairmount Bagel in Montreal and Happening Bagel in London. Kimmel (or kiml) is Yiddish for caraway seed, the classic accessory for Jewish rye bread.

As the best bagel bakeries in their respective cities a neutral observer might think Fairmount and Happening were, if not equals, deserving of comparison. Nonsense. Although I would gladly pay 5 British Pounds Sterling for a single fresh Fairmount bagel in London I wouldn't spend 5 Canadian pennies on a Happening bagel in Montreal. But the caraway coating does benefit the Happening bagel (see photo above) more: the seeds add a sweet, tangy flavour and a gritty crunch to its shell.

And what of the name Kimmel? That is a matter of interpretation. Its Anglo-Saxon origin may be as a derivative of Kimble, from the Old Cymric "Cymbel" – "cyn" (chief) + "bel" (war). Its German and Jewish roots indicate an occupational name for a seller of caraway seeds. As someone who tends to split the bagel in two I would prefer to think of the Kimmel ancestors as great warriors who laid down their swords to peddle the seeds of peace.

 

foie gras doughnuts a fattening fad

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First there were the foie gras doughnuts introduced by Bill Telepan at New York's Telepan. Next there was the foie gras jelly doughnut of Gabriel Rucker at Le Pigeon in Portland. Then last week, Will Gilson of Garden at the Cellar in Cambridge (Mass) presented seared foie gras and donuts with rhubard and picked fruit (recipe here) at starchefs.com Rising Stars Revue in Boston.