Two great spots for holiday treats

DINING OUT

In the Scandinavian countries, the Yule log burns bright in the

fireplace and the kitchen is warm with the baking of cookies flavored

with cardamom and cinnamon. The vision of Santa Lucia with her crown

of candles rings in the Christmas season, one to please the child in

every heart.

What better way to share the season than with cookies and cakes

from the Great Dane Baking Company on Warner Avenue at Goldenwest

Street in Huntington Beach, owned by baker Keld Pedersen and his

wife, Jodi? This is the part of the Christmas celebration that can be

for a friendly gathering before Dec. 25 or for desserts on the

eventful day ready and prepared beforehand.

If you’re serving buffet style, have a plate of petit fours

artfully decorated and covered with chocolate (95 cents to $1.95) and

one of Christmas cookies (75 cents to $2.95).

Great Dane has bags filled with a variety of cookies, or you can

select from the display. There are coconut and chocolate macaroons

dipped in chocolate, a long, slender iced coconut bar, tiny figure

cookies and wonderful lifelike mouse or sugar-free gingerbread men.

For your dessert, Pedersen and his assistants have baked a

gingerbread house that makes a great centerpiece. Another decorative

piece original to Pedersen is a wreath of small chocolate eclairs

with leaves and a big Christmas ribbon ($9.95).

Like many great cooks, Danish Pedersen learned from his mother. He

met Los Alamitos High School graduate Jodi at a kibbutz in the Virgin

Islands where he was a pastry chef.

They returned to Huntington Beach about five years ago to open the

Great Dane Baking Company -- a pastry shop that’s like an edible art

gallery, as good to look at as to eat.

Next to a family kitchen, there is nothing more homey than an

Italian grocery and bakery like Lucci’s Deli-Bakery, 8911 Adams Ave.,

Huntington Beach. Co-owned by Rick and Bill Refice Jr., the third

generation of baker-owners.

It’s rather like a small grocery in an Italian neighborhood of any

large city -- a multifaceted place with limited quantities but many

choices. It’s part grocery, part deli, small eat-in area, U-shaped

bakery and large catering service.

It’s the bakery that gets our attention in this holiday season,

when time is precious and demands many. Lucci’s offers plates of

mixed Christmas cookies -- two and a half dozen ($7.95), perfect for

an office or home party.

If you are bringing a gift, there is the beautifully wrapped

panettone bread ($4.95), yeasty and filled with raisons, nuts and

citron. It’s traditionally served at Christmas in Milan, Italy, where

it was created.

A slightly different and lighter dessert is the large raspberry

jelly roll ($2.99), gently powdered and lovely to look at. It can

serve eight.

Another tasty and decorative bargain are slices of carrot cake,

lemon cake and German chocolate cake ($1.69). Unfortunately, the

selection was light on sugar-free pastry. However, the custard

squash-like pumpkin pie is less sweet and very good.

According to pastry clerk Marta Mahoney, a big seller are the

cannoli, consisting of tubular pastry shells deep fried and then

filled with sweetened whipped ricotta, cream cheese and butter cream

sprinkled with chocolate chips.

Just looking at the variety in Lucci’s display vases and smelling

the warm aroma from the on-site bakery is the Christmas gift you give

yourself -- one that also gives you time to be with your family and

friends.

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year.

* MARY FURR is the Independent restaurant critic. If you have

comments or suggestions, call (562) 493-5062 or e-mail

[email protected].