Pastry

It was the line from the old nursery rhyme -- "Four-and-20 blackbirds baked in a pie" -- that led to the creation during the Victorian period of ornithological and other figural vents for pies. Mostly ceramic, but fabricated in a variety of materials as well, they form an interesting and relatively inexpensive category of collecting.The principle of the pie bird is a simple one: to both support the pastry and prevent the juices contained in the pastry from overflowing onto the surface of the oven.

The sizzle echoed through the halls of the Center of Applied Technology North in Severn, emanating from the school's culinary arts baking and pastry lab, where it was joined by a tempting aroma. Normally, a restaurant kitchen would be responsible for such sounds and smells, but this day it was students and the Culinary Institute of America. Former staff from the Culinary Institute of America were instructing students as part of "Teaching with the CIA," a day of culinary education for Washington-area students interested in careers in the food service and hospitality industry.

You don't have to know how to pronounce kolache, or spell it for that matter, to indulge in the pastry that originated in central Europe. All you need to know is that the Czech dessert is now at Kolache Kreations in Ellicott City, via Houston, Texas, thanks to Ileana Fernandez, who is actually Hispanic. So Howard County, isn't it? “There are multiple kolache franchises in Houston, hundreds even. You can also find kolache in doughnut shops,” says Fernandez, mother of three young children, who with her husband, Robert, moved to Ellicott City five years ago. There is a large population of Czech immigrants in Texas, and some towns hold kolache festivals to celebrate the pastry and its heritage.

Chris Ford of Baltimore's Wit & Wisdom has been named "People's Best New Pastry Chef," a national award chosen by readers of Food & Wine magazine. Food & Wine, which has been naming America's best new chefs for 24 years, introduced a category for pastry chefs this year. In an online promotion for the new category, Food & Wine ran a poll in which readers were asked to select one pastry chef in each of the East, Central and West regions. The pastry chef with the most votes overall would win the honor.

In the '60s, foodies discovered phyllo. In the '70s, they started to get a little tired of it.Understandably. They'd made pan after pan of baklava and spanakopita. They invented all sorts of flaky brie balls and cunning hors d'oeuvre cups in their quest to take phyllo to the limit.So when California cuisine exploded onto the scene in the '80s, phyllo was ungraciously ignored, like the guest who shows up at the party a couple of hours before the crowd. But foodies actually had gotten nowhere near the end of its possibilities.

Q: What can you tell me about the vintage and value of this silver pastry serving set? They are marked "Italy."A: This silver-plated pastry knife and server were made in the early 1900s, and would probably sell for about $65 to $75 in good condition.Q: I am looking for information on the Bing & Grondahl "Nurse" figurine, No. 2379. Apparently, it is no longer in production; contacts with dealers (Copenhagen Collectibles in Denmark) have yielded no information.I would appreciate any information you can provide.

With his longish hair and whimsical smile, Maury Rubin might well be some sweet '60s holdover, a folk singer, a poet, a master of the gentle protest.He is, in fact, a veteran of television production -- he worked with the legendary Howard Cosell at ABC Sports -- a French-trained pastry-maker, a New York restaurateur, and, most recently, a cookbook author. And he is anything but gentle in his criticism of mainstream American commercial baking.At the City Bakery in Manhattan, Mr. Rubin 36, who was born in Baltimore and graduated from Milford Mill High School and the University of Maryland College Park, serves pastries and light lunch fare such as pizza, pasta and sandwiches.

You roll it. You pat it. You squish it.Then you giggle.After all, making hamantaschen -- triangle-shaped cookies filled with fruit and other goodies like raisins and honey -- is messy fun when you're a first-grader, as a class of mostly 6-year-olds at Beth Tfiloh Community School in Pikesville found out last week. They were getting a hands-on lesson on preparing the traditional pastry for Purim -- one of the most festive holidays of the Jewish calendar.The celebration, which begins at sundown Monday and continues through Tuesday, often is compared to Halloween because many children and adults wear costumes and share treats with friends and relatives.

Tangier's is an oasis. It's a new restaurant in Canton offering flavorful Moroccan dishes in a tasteful setting. The soothing orange and brown walls, dark tile table tops — this space was formerly Meridian 54 and, before that, Red Fish — combine to take you away from the hot summer clime of Baltimore into a cool, sheltered spot. The food, traditional Moroccan dishes drawn from the recipes of relatives of chef Alan Suissa, is exceptional. Dine here, and you're not in Canton anymore.

The sizzle echoed through the halls of the Center of Applied Technology North in Severn, emanating from the school's culinary arts baking and pastry lab, where it was joined by a tempting aroma. Normally, a restaurant kitchen would be responsible for such sounds and smells, but this day it was students and the Culinary Institute of America. Former staff from the Culinary Institute of America were instructing students as part of "Teaching with the CIA," a day of culinary education for Washington-area students interested in careers in the food service and hospitality industry.

The only thing more shocking than Italian pasta from a microwave is how great it can be. At Daniela's Pasta and Pastries, a tiny, two-table Hampden restaurant, entrees are kept in a glass deli case, and re-heated to order in one of the microwave ovens. What good, you may ask, can come from a nuke job? If the Lasagna alla Bolognese ($6.99) is any indication, this method works quite well. Daniela's lasagna is handmade-on-site, with a rich red meat sauce rendered pink by a bechamel that totes a wisp of nutmeg.

Chris Ford of Baltimore's Wit & Wisdom is the People's Best New Pastry Chef. The prize was based on a readers' poll in Food & Wine magazine. Food and Wine, which has been naming America's best new chefs for 24 years, introduced a category for pastry chefs this year. In an online promotion for its new category, Food & Wine ran an online feature called the People's Best New Pastry Chef , in which readers were asked to select one pastry chef each in the East, Central and West regions.

Food and Wine Magazine has been naming America's best new chefs for 24 years. This year, the magazine has introduced a best new pastry chef category. The winner will be announced in the magazine's May issue. To promote its new category, the Food & Wine is running a separate contest it's calling the People's Best New Pastry Chef . Voters select one pasty chef each in the East, Central and West regions. And, "the chef with the most votes in the nation wins!" It's the stupid est contest I ever saw. How could anyone make an informed choice about something like this?

Even though there's something like 981 cooking competition shows out there (an estimate), we're still intrigued by Food Network's "Sweet Genius. "    The host/judge, acclaimed chef Ron Ben-Israel, is intriguingly mysterious and off-the-wall : ordering the chefs to cook frozen desserts with hard-boiled eggs? OK, then! Each episode features a new group of four pastry chefs competing for culinary glory ... and $10,000. Baltimore's Anisha Jagtap , 26, the pastry chef at Puffs & Pastries and the owner/chef at Baltimore Burger Bar, shows what she's made of on Thursday's episode (10 p.m.)

Yes, the Fourth of July is behind us. But that doesn't mean you can't find other celebratory themes to help inspire your culinary creativity. If the Fourth was all-American, then July 14, Bastille Day, is all Française. Our "ooh-la-la" carte for eight, is designed to help us mark French Independence Day. We've tried to do it in the French mode, but "nouveau," of course, which is fitting for the season and for our American approach to things culinary. Gougeres Gruyere Ever had a cream puff?

You don't have to know how to pronounce kolache, or spell it for that matter, to indulge in the pastry that originated in central Europe. All you need to know is that the Czech dessert is now at Kolache Kreations in Ellicott City, via Houston, Texas, thanks to Ileana Fernandez, who is actually Hispanic. So Howard County, isn't it? “There are multiple kolache franchises in Houston, hundreds even. You can also find kolache in doughnut shops,” says Fernandez, mother of three young children, who with her husband, Robert, moved to Ellicott City five years ago. There is a large population of Czech immigrants in Texas, and some towns hold kolache festivals to celebrate the pastry and its heritage.

Ryan's Daughter 600 E. Belvedere Ave., Belvedere Square -- 410-464-1000 Hours --11 a.m.-2 a.m. daily Restaurant's estimate --10 minutes Ready in --10 minutes A flaky pastry shaped like an oversized beer cozy held a small portion of ground beef, peas and carrots covered in mashed potatoes. More meat and vegetables sat next to the pastry. But the $13.64 dish was not as hearty as we would have liked and could have used more seasoning. Know of a good carryout place? Let us hear about it. Write to sam.sessa@baltsun.

An old-fashioned German cheesecake was the request of Ann Gatz of Baltimore, who wrote: "I've been looking for years for one similar to the one made in a German bakery in my hometown in New Jersey. It was cakey-like with probably cottage cheese and was light with a bit of a tang to it."Vincent Daly of Baltimore responded with chef Kent Rigby's choice.Daly wrote that he copied the recipe from a 1930s edition of the Fannie Farmer cookbook owned by his mother, Dorothy Bird Daly."It is not terribly sweet and not at all as dense as what we now think of as cheesecake.

Sorry, Gertrude Stein, but you got it wrong with "Rose is a rose is a rose is a rose. " The flower has a whole new identity: out of the bud vase and onto the plate. Long used in Persian and Indian cooking, rose is a flavor not commonly found in American fare. But some creative local chefs and bakers are working it into desserts, drinks, even savory dishes. Rose syrups, rose water and petals fresh, frozen and dried lend a surprising floral note to fruit-topped pastries and chocolate eclairs, strawberry mojitos and a couscous served with lamb.

If you're pressed for time but looking for a sit-down lunch, Maiwand Kabob in Columbia is worth a look — provided you're in the neighborhood. The Afghan restaurant, which has other locations in Arundel Mills and Linthicum, is across the parking lot from the Safeway that anchors Harper's Choice Village Center. It's set up to serve people in a hurry. The setting and service are utilitarian and casual, but Maiwand's kitchen offers an exotic alternative to run-of-the-mill chains and taverns.