♥

My father has a special place in his heart for some real good pastry. To this day, he and Lucie lament the demise of the old ZCMI bakery. On Sunday-afternoon visits, the conversation turns to cream and custard as they fondly reminisce napoleons gone by, eulogizing choux secrets lost.

It was another blow when Marie Callender ceased to make her famous Boston Cream Pie. A layered confection, this "pie" is essentially stacks of pudding and cake encircled by piecrust, iced in chocolate and lavished with cream. It was my father's very favorite. Driving past exit 316, Dad shakes his head sadly. "I'd say let's stop and pick up dessert, but since they don't have Boston Cream any more..." He trails off. "It's just not worth it."

It would seem that entropy takes its toll upon the world, and that the art of the pastry deteriorates further and further. However, life changed for the better when a pastry shop opened up downtown. The owner is an implant from the Old World, a Poland-trained baker who excels at desserts, assembling gorgeous little intricacies of cream and sugar that are enjoyed by snowbirds and locals alike.

The prospect of swan-shaped cream puffs and chocolate cannoli cheered my father immensely. Dad took to chatting with "our friend, the Polish baker," occasionally picking up eclairs to take to Lucie. One day he came home with a box and a grin. "Look."
A circle of rich brown, framed with thick cream and piecrust. He carefully removed a piece, revealing layers of cake and vanilla pudding.
"Boston Cream Pie. I bought the whole thing."

In a world of change, where quality and taste are so often met with disappointment, sometimes there are tender mercies: coincidences and moments that make life that much sweeter. I guess God speaks to us in ways we can understand. So much the better if they involve dessert.