B & K Bakery - Crumb Cake

B & K Bakery – Hackensack, NJ: the definition of “serendipitous” is digging thru your freezer and finding a B & K Crumb Cake that you purchased, froze and forgot about four (4) months ago.  Now, I’ve been known to travel over 2 hours from my home in Pennsylvania on a Saturday morning, just to purchase a (no, actually several) B & K Crumb Cakes.  If you didn't grow up in the NY Metro area you don't know anything about Crumb Cake!  I remember the crumb cake at the Gold Medal Bakery (might be "Bell Bakery") on Wood Avenue in Linden.  Like the Linden bakery the B & K Bakery's retail space is so crowded you need to get a “Jersey” attitude and don’t let anyone muscle you out of the queue or it's a long morning.

Crumb Cake

The Crumb Cake is probably a product of German or Austrian bakers.  The pastry is unique in style with at least a 50/50 crumb to cake ratio.  The cake part has a somewhat substantial yeast based bottom to hold the weight of the crumb topping.  If a bakery tries to sell you crumb cake with icing or fruit, walk away.

You just can't get honest to goodness crumb cake outside of the NYC metro area.  I'd venture to say, that I-287 is the southern crumb cake boarder.

Sure, the ride from PA is crazy but the crumb cake payoff is worth the trip.  More crumbs than cake!  The only drawback to this adventure is that I can’t resist sneaking a piece during the drive home.  Those of you who understand Crumb Cake know what I’m talking about .  .  . an immediate explosion of powdered sugar and crumbs all over the car. 

As a self-proclaimed “Bakery Junky,” I can unabashedly say, “I’ve never met a bakery that I didn’t like” and crumb cake is an incredible childhood memory.  B &K should be on your “to do” list when you’re in North Jersey, as it has a yummy selection of cakes, donuts, bread, black & white cookies and don’t miss the Breakfast Rings.  My favorite is the Pecan Ring paired with a Dunkin coffee.  OMG!

Oh yeah, bring lots of cash.  You know the saying, “in God we trust, all others pay cash!”  No, plastic here.

Keep food frolicking and visit your local bakery.

Jimmy John’s Pippin’ Hot Sandwiches – is it located in West Chester or Chadds Ford, PA?  Jimmy John’s is just north of route 1 & 202 on route 202.  It’s a bit of fast food sanity in an otherwise quick service world of hamburgers.  This former roadside stand has been in business since the summer of 1940 (76 years and counting) which is before we got into WWII. 

The hotdog has taken a lot of criticism over the past 40 years for its poor nutritional image.  You know, too much fat, nitrates, fillers and the list goes on and on.  I’ve been harangued by friends and family alike for my pork roll dalliances and the hotdog seems to be in the same food group.   Business associates have been known to sneak me a clandestine dog as a mid-week lunch treat and I remember each of you fondly.   Hotdog consumption on the weekend is another matter, altogether.  I’ve had to involve a “wing-man” and time my “honey-do list” to Lowes, just before noon on any given Saturday.  I also, do not apologize for involving my children in these shenanigans.

That’s how Jimmy John’s (JJ’s) coincidently became directly located on a severely circuitous route to fulfilling my weekend domestic obligations.  Visualize Homer Simpson drooling for that culinary darling of the sausage kingdom and centerpiece of every July 4^th picnic, the “hotdog.”  Now, JJ’s has its own hotdog recipe which includes a natural casing that gives you a “snap” when you bite into the dog.  They are also, uniquely sized to look like a horizontally challenged knockwurst; kind of short and stout.  Order two (2) plain dogs or more depending on the severity of your “addiction” and go to town on the condiments.  You decide what to add: sauerkraut, raw or smothered onions, relish, and a variety of mustard and catsup options. Oh, did I mention that they have model trains!

I really shouldn’t be condemned for my love of the hotdog, as I grew up in shadow of Nathan’s Famous, Hebrew National, Sabrett, and Thumann’s to name a few.  The dealers were on every corner with their fancy carts, barking “doggy, dog-alah, get your Coney Island here!”  The pressure was too great!  “Dogs in dirty water” run through my veins.  Doc, it’s the environment that caused my addiction.

For those of you who can’t wait in line for 60-90 seconds, to get your JJ’s at the source, there’s another option.  The Boothwyn Farmer’s Market in Boothwyn, PA has a butcher that sells the Jimmy John’s hotdog.   As a self-proclaimed “hotdog junky” I prefer my dogs in their natural habitat: Jimmy John’s Pippin’ Hot Sandwich restaurant and not on the backyard grill.

Keep on food frolicking!  Hey, it’s “ok” to admit you like a hotdog once in a while.

Luther Vandross Burger

Hamburger Festival – Hamburg, PA, a culinary experience honoring the “holy grail” of fast food, the Hamburger.  The event is celebrated annually on Labor Day weekend.

Yeah, your eyes don't deceive!  Say, "hello" to the bacon cheeseburger on a glazed donut (aka: the Luther Vandross) a festival heart-attack! Talk about “food frolicking.”

Let’s grind through a “food frolicking” history lesson.  I’m pretty sure that no one really knows the origin of that fast food behemoth the Hamburger. So, I’m going to take a stab at my version of hamburger history.  Central to this lesson is my Grandmother, who was a first generation Hungarian and a self-proclaimed “Jersey Girl.”  Yeah, she had an attitude!

I promise we'll get to the "heart-attack," have patience.

Grandma, used to make a shredded/julienned meat concoction called “tartare,” which roughly translates to “Mongol” in Russian.  Tartare is the product of one of the craftiest warriors of all time, the emperor of emperors, a titan of torture, and captain of culinary creativity, Genghis Kahn.  In order to keep his Mongol horde constantly moving forward during battle, he developed the first “fast food” take-out .  .  . tartare! 

Eastern Europeans modified Kahn’s tartare recipe: a shredded/julienned meat patty placed under the saddle of your warrior’s favorite horse into a more civilized version which is the basis for today's raw meat burger recipe.  When Kahn’s warrior needed a quick bite, he reached under his saddle, pulled off a piece of microbe tenderized meat and galloped onto a full day of sacking, plundering & pillaging.  I’ll assume that neither Genghis nor Kublai Kahn had food safety training!

As a result of Kahn’s despoiling of Europe, the Hungarians and other Eastern European cultures enhanced his tartare recipe with chopped onion, raw eggs and other stuff to craft “Steak Tartare.”

Then in the late 1700’s sailors from the port of Hamburg, Germany brought the tartare/hamburger style of cooking low-grade meat to America.  These German Americans added locally available herbs & spices to make the shredded meat concoction that’s on almost every restaurant menu in America. 

The Hamburger Festival is in the historically German community of Hamburg, PA located off of I-78 at the northern end of Berks County and named after Hamburg, Germany.  The festival is a not-for-profit community based event that's in its 13th year.

Back to the Luther Bacon Cheeseburger.  After attending this event on and off for about 10 years, I finally got the nerve to try this unusual burger.  You absolutely have to queue-up before 11AM at the Deitsch Eck burger stand to order or the multiple lines by 12:30 PM are more than I have patience to endure.  While in line I learned the secret to experiencing this burger.  Don't add any condiments! Enjoy the burger in its natural habitat. But, make sure you have some extra handi-wipes; the glaze requires finger licking.

The Luther is confusing good!  I've never been a fan of "sweet & savory." Krispy Kreme needs to modify this recipe into a Breakfast Sandwich.  Change the burger to a sausage patty and WOW!  They'll put a hurt'n  on the competition.

The event has plenty of hamburger choices by well over 30 restaurants, local organizations (Boy Scouts) and food trucks.  There's a competition for the best burger judged by professionals and a "People Choice" by you the  public.  Schedule the Hamburger Festival on next years calendar and don't eat breakfast!

Food Frolicking in Hamburg, PA