John F. Kennedy And The Jelly Donut

Some readers may wonder why I review some restaurants only once and others multiple times. In cases where I do not live close to the restaurant or the restaurant is prohibitively expensive, these barriers may be enough of a deterrent to prevent me from returning too quickly after my initial visit. Even with restaurants that are within easy driving distance, if I don't happen to be driving in that particular direction, the thought to return for a second meal might just not pop into my head. When I do return for a visit, however, I try and not cover the same dishes I had in previous visits. Since I always link to prior reviews in current ones, if the reader feels so inclined, he or she could simply load up the other review with a single mouse click.

Today's post will be about a restaurant and bakery that I have covered several other times, Golden Goose located in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. The first time I went for lunch, I was a bit amused as I kept ordering almond croissants and getting ham and cheese instead. That was also the first time I met Michael Bruno, the pastry chef at Golden Goose. When Michael isn't up front helping customers make pastry selections, he can be found back in the kitchen turning out all manner of Brioche, Challah, sourdough breads, croissant, danish, muffins, and sticky buns. And that's on a normal day. When the holidays come rolling in, he adds specialties such as Bouche de Noel.

Having read Michael's post on the Golden Goose's Facebook page, I decided to stop in to check out the New Year's Eve Day treats on which he had written. Specifically, Berliner. Berliner are a filled doughnut, traditionally eaten by Germans on New Year's Eve. Technically they are known as Berliner Pfannkuchen. Interestingly, those inside the city of Berlin do not refer to them as Berliner, but as Pfannkuchen (which means "pancake"). Only those outside of Berlin call them Berliner. Thus, when John F. Kennedy uttered the famous phrase in a 1963 speech, "Ich bin ein Berliner" to the masses in West Berlin, he was not saying, "I am a jam doughnut." Had he said that phrase anywhere else in Germany, however, he would have indeed been declaring himself a fried round of dough filled with something sweet.

While Berliner at its very heart is quite similar to what Americans would just call a jelly doughnut, it wasn't until I asked Michael if there was something special about the process of making them that was different. While jelly doughnuts and Berliner are yeast-based doughs and both are fried, it is when the filling goes into the dough that differentiates them. American jelly doughnuts are filled after they are fried. According to Michael, Berliner are made by rolling out and cutting two rounds of dough. On the bottom layer, a small amount of jam or filling is applied. The second round of dough is placed on top and the edges sealed. After a final proofing, they are then fried in oil, filling and all.

For today's selection, Michael had made both raspberry and lemon. Unfortunately, as the number available dwindled, they were combined onto one plate and by the time I got there, there was no way to tell if I would be getting a raspberry or a lemon Berliner until I bit into it. Here was a shot of the Berliner:


While it may look like a jelly doughnut, my first bite into this pastry told me that it did not taste like a jelly doughnut. As with most European pastries, this was sweetened, but not sweet. I tend to think American doughnuts (of all variety) tend to border on cloyingly sweet. The Berliner dough was exquisitely fresh, with the outside have a bit more chew than the inside. At the very center of the pastry was a small well of raspberry jam. Again, the sweetness was restrained on
the jam, too. I'm very glad the selection was limited when I went or I may have bought more of these.

Of course, while I was at the restaurant, I couldn't help but also add in one of Michael's signature items, his filled croissants, specifically a Pain au Chocolat:


During a prior recent visit, he informed me that the bakery had recently acquired a sheeter. This device, for those not in the bakery business is a machine that allows you to repeatedly move and roll doughs from one side of the machine to the other, along a "conveyor belt." The machine helps to make building laminated and layered dough not only much more quickly, but also much more consistently. Prior to the sheeter, Michael had been using a rolling pin to roll out all of the dough for his croissant. Now with the machine, the process was quicker, more consistent, and the end results were pastries that went from really good to unbelievably good.

The croissant are available plain or filled, with fillings ranging from Valrhona chocolate to almond paste to ham and cheese. While I've tried and liked all of his croissant, the one that I am a true sucker for is the pain au chocolat. The bronzed exterior shatters into a thousand pieces as you take your first luscious, buttery bite. The pleasure only mounts when you begin to reach the rich, chocolatey inner core. Michael insists that you should heat them for a few seconds in the microwave for best results, but I have to be honest, these generally don't make it past the car ride home.

Since I had acquired my pastries for my New Year's Eve festivities, I decided to stay for lunch. While many of the items that Michael makes for the bakery can be subsequently used as ingredients for the restaurant's menu (such as the Brioche or Challah for French toast or bread pudding), Michael's other contributions to the restaurant menu were one or two daily flavors of quiche. While I've not found quiche to be a common item in breakfast and lunch joints, when I read the description on the daily specials board for today's flavor, I knew that would be the direction I was headed for my meal.

For roughly $8, I received a warmed slice of Spinach, Ham, Feta, and Roasted Red Pepper Quiche with a side of Fresh Fruit:


Here was a second shot from a different angle:


As my server approached me with this plate, it didn't even occur to me that this was for me. The slice was HUGE! It easily stood three to four inches tall and the plate had some serious heft to it. I tentatively took my fork and sheered off the first bite. For as much egg as was in the quiche, it cut like a dream. The extreme tenderness of the eggs were confirmed when I put that first bite into my mouth. From first bite to last, this was probably the best quiche I have ever had. Everything was in balance and harmonious. I tasted the sweetness from the peppers, the saltiness from the ham, the tanginess from the Feta, and the creaminess from the eggs.

While the crust was truly flaky and tasted like it truly belonged, it wasn't quite as good as the pie crusts from Humble Pie Baking Company. The crust on the quiche was just a bit tough to cut with my fork. When you've had crust perfection on one of HPBC's pies, you'll know what I mean. The fruit, I should add, while not in season locally, added a nice balance of subtle sweetness to match the savoriness of today's quiche.

So why did I choose to write about Golden Goose for a fifth time? Because they continue to epitomize exactly the kind of establishment at which I not only love to eat, but remind others far and wide about their commitment to excellent food and even better pastry. I've personally taken samples of Michael's croissants and other pastries to several groups of foodies (and even a group of non-foodies) and have heard back nothing but the utmost praise for his tasty treats. I strongly suggest that you stop in for breakfast or lunch and check out their menu, but make sure you stop up front and take home one (or more) of Michael's tremendously impressive pain au chocolat ... and whatever else will fill your mouth with a whole lot of happiness.