Uncle Sal and the Picked-over Pastries (Episode 64)

Uncle Sal removed his cordovan cowboy hat as he walked into McBride's, the specialty bakery where Alice had just gotten a job.

"Say Alice, whatcha got cookin'?"

Alice wiped her hands on her June Cleaver apron and said, "We've got nothing cooking at the moment. We close in fifteen minutes."

Sal moved toward the display case and said, "Looks like ya ain't got much of anything left."

"Well, no. We had a pretty good day."

"Maybe I'll buy one of them three things. What are these?"

She pointed at the one on her right and said, "This is a black currant danish. Those are really good. This here is a pain au rhubarbe. It's kind of like a small piece of rhubarb pie with a really nice crust. And this one is a beet fritter."

"A beet fritter? Someone actually makes a pastry with beets in it?"

"They're made with sugar beets, not red beets. And my boss spices them up with something. I'm not exactly sure what. I know there's some brown sugar, and maybe some nutmeg. But that's her specialty, so only she gets to make those."

"And you actually sell them things?"

"They are quite popular. You wouldn't believe it. People come from all over the county for her beet fritters, because she's the only one that makes them. So what can I get you?"

Sal wrinkled his nose as he peered at the three pastries remaining in the case. "Hmmm. Well, I ain't much on currants. Rhubarb ain't exactly high on my list either. And the way you talk about this other one makes it seem pretty intriguing. I guess I'll take the fritter with the beet."

This episode featured:
Dmitri Mahbuba as Uncle Sal
Velvet Mariella as Alice
and
Jellybean Merengue as the pain au rhubarbe.

Tune in next week when Uncle Sal says, "Moon Pie! What a time to be alive!"