I asked for something with a bit of local color from Secret Santa's home town, and boy did they deliver with an amazing burnt almond torte from Pittsburgh's own Prantl's Bakery (besides the torte itself, I enjoyed reading about the history of the bakery and how the almond torte was invented...cool stuff).

Ya' know, the older you get, the less you get to relish tasting something great for the first time. So, thanks to Secret Santa for a brand new culinary experience (and possibly a new Christmas tradition for me, since I see you can order and have the cakes shipped from the bakery's home page)!

Let me tell you, taking a bite out of this torte was like catching a mouthful of winter's first snow on my tongue--it's so light and airy but moist at the same time, and then there's a layer of custard sandwiched in there that's so good it almost made my jaws spasm with "WTF is this manna from heaven" delight. And it's all topped with a nutty crust that's been toasted perfect enough to leave the almond slices frosted with a half-melted coating of sugar flakes. Simply Awesome! I'll be enjoying this throughout the holidays! Thanks so much Secret Santa! Really appreciate it!