The Strudel Guy

Just before flying to North Carolina, cousin Jan and I went with two of her buddies to check out the Tuesday Petaluma Farmer's Market. It's a cute little market, very low key and easy going. We opted for a cup of coffee to carry with us as we shopped - I think it was the Coffee Guy's first day on the job, as it took him at least 10 minutes to produce two cups of java. Still, it was good coffee and we strolled past the rest of the booths, sipping and commenting and relaxed.

Jan had previously scouted out the Strudel Guy, so she guided me there first. He had an amazing selection of strudels to sell, both savory and sweet.  I purchased a barbecued pork and sweet potato and an apple strudel to fill my freezer. 

When I returned from North Carolina, jet lagged and emotionally tired, I was happy to find those strudels still in the freezer, just waiting to provide me with some easy meals. We had the savory one for dinner and the sweet one for breakfast a day or two later.  The pork and sweet potato combination was delicious, smoky pork and potato complementing each other nicely under the world's flakiest crust.  After thawing in the fridge, just 20 minutes in a 350 degree oven was perfect to warm the insides and to brown the pastry.  With a little steamed broccoli on the side, it was a lovely dinner in a flash.

The apple strudel was also delicious - not very sweet, so the flavor of the apples shone through. The crust is very light and flaky and not very thick, so it provides more of a texture change than a heavy presence. It would make a great dessert for a dinner party, too, with a little lemon glaze or perhaps a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream.

I don't know his name or the name of his business, but it's such a small market that you can't miss him. I just think of him as The Strudel Guy, and I blessed his name. I will be back to buy more of his creations in the near future.