Personalizing a Bakers Square pie beats baking

When I'm not indulging in eating great food in restaurants, I like to cook at home. Baking, however, is not my forte, so the desserts on my table usually are baked by professionals.

With the holidays upon us, desserts are getting a higher profile than ever. I recently was treated to a tasting of some of the newer pie flavors at a Chicago location of Bakers Square, which reinforced my resolve to leave the baking to the pros. I especially liked the apple cranberry galette and a sweet/savory creation with bacon slices on top expected to be introduced next spring. With a working title of the Salty Hog, this gem also contains salted walnuts on a caramel sauce.

Mary Pint, Bakers Square's charming "Pie Lady" spokesperson, was in town for the tasting, at which she shared tips from her 40 years of pie baking experience on how to personalize pies that are not homemade, such as adding your own made-from-scratch whipped cream or other toppings. That works for me.

Restaurants in Mazatlan demonstrate authenticity

Just back from five days in tropical Mazatlan, on the Pacific Coast of Mexico north of Puerto Vallarta, I have a new appreciation for authentic, regional Mexican cuisine, often hard to find in "Mexican" eateries in my neck of the woods.

Handmade corn tortillas, fish served the same day it's caught and a better variety of chile sauces made the restaurants I sampled stand out, even the casual ones--and most of them were very casual. It's hard to beat the freshness of the day's shrimp or fin fish catch, simply prepared in a shoreline restaurant, such as La Puntilla or Diego's on the Beach. The ceviche and the whole fish (zarondeado), currently corvina, the latter grilled on the beach over a wood and mesquite fire, were outstanding.

Flavorful stews made with a variety of meats satisfied my appetite at several restaurants, including Panama in the Golden Zone and El Meson de los Laureanos in the small village of El Quelite north of Mazatlan. Panama, which began as a cake bakery, also has wonderful cakes and pies, especially the guava pie and the dried plum cake.

It's hard or impossible to duplicate some of these dishes in the Chicago area, but I encourage more local Mexican restaurateurs to try a little harder.