Bienenstich II

Bienenstich
Das Bratwurst Haus, $4.99

Opened about 3 years ago by a former American GI and his German wife, Das Bratwursthaus is Yuma's one-stop shop for Bavarian specialties--whether edible or collectible.  When the Haus closes down for summer, the owners head back to Germany to stock up on wine, beer, decorative nutcrackers, and souvenir tea towels. 
 
The umlaut-heavy menu offers full meals as well as a roster of schmankerl or Bavarian snacks.  Desserts include both daily specials and old standbys such as strudel, schwarzwalder kirschtorte (black forest cake), cheesecake, and karrotten kuchen.  I had my eye on the unfamiliar donauwelle (yellow cake topped with chocolate cake and cherries, covered with German butter cream and chocolate glaze) but sadly, this labor-intensive torte only appears on special occasions.  Instead, I opted for bienenstich (a 15th century "bee sting" cake with layers of yeasted pastry, cream, and sliced almonds) and followed the dirndl-clad waitress' suggestion that I enjoy my dessert in the Bavarian manner:  warm and washed down with beer. 

Das Bratwurst Haus
204 S Madison Ave
Yuma AZ
928 / 329-4777

Niederegger Eierliqueur Marzipan

Niederegger Eierliqueur Marzipan
Marina Market, $5.50

Although it looks like a typical convenience store from the outside, the Marina Market in downtown Poulsbo is more of a candy convention center.  Begun in 1998 with the intent of providing the area's many Scandinavian, Dutch, and European residents with the tastes of home, Marina Market offers a wide range of specialty food, with an emphasis on sweets.  The shelves of the "Licorice Shrine" groan under the aggregate weight of nearly 400 different kinds, sourced from all over the world (this selection which may soon earn Marina Market a spot in the Guiness Book of World Records).

The Market also carries a vast stock of old-fashioned and foreign candies and chocolate bars, including a range from Niederegger, a renowned German confectioner in business since the early 19th century.  Niederegger is particularly famous for its marzipan, a paste of almonds and sugar that can stand on its own in sculpted sweets, or act as a filling in pastries or bars.  Inside the bittersweet chocolate bar above, marzipan is combined with eierliqueur (aka avocaat), a German egg-based liquor.

Marina Market
18882 Front St NE
Poulsbo, WA

360 / 779-8430

Bienenstich

Bienenstich

Wagner's European Bakery, $3.59

From a storefront only a few blocks from the Washington State Capital, Wagner's European Bakery has been selling German-style pastries, breads, and lunch items since 1938. I like to imagine that much important legislation has been hammered out in a corner booth over kuchen and coffee.

The bienenstich is classed as a cake although the dough is yeasted and similar in flavor and texture to brioche. The pastry is baked in a single thick sheet under a coating of sliced almonds and honey, then split in two and filled with a generous layer of custardy Bavarian cream.

The cake's name is German for "bee-sting" and explanations for this range from the ho-hum to the historically sublime. Sure the name probably refers to the honey-laden cake's potential for attracting vengeful bees, but the romantic in me prefers to see bienenstich as the legacy of a scrappy 15th century military victory. As the story goes, a Bavarian village was buckling under siege when two young bakers turned back the invaders by pelting them with beehives. As an encore, they invented bienenstich--so that cake-eating future generations would never forget their quick thinking and verve.

If you're hankering for some bienenstich but nowhere near a German bakery, this recipe from the blog "Mennonite Girls Can Cook" looks promising.

Wagner's European Bakery and Cafe

1013 Capitol Way S

Olympia, WA

360/357-7268

Marzipan Mold

Giving my beloved wooden sweet molds from Japan a run for their money is this slate mold from Germany, carved sometime in the 16th century. It depicts the Virgin Mary nursing the infant Jesus, and was likely used to shape marzipan or gingerbread. It is in the collection of Paris' Museum of the Middle Ages.