Thursday, March 12, 2009

Biking off tamales.

Have you heard? Biking is my new obsession.

It's a good one for me, though. Much healthier than my old fondue obsession, for example. (Go ahead, ask me how many fondue cookbooks and fondue sets I have.)

Anyway, I've been trying to bike at least 4 or 5 times a week. Most of the time, it's past 10 p.m., so I just bike around the neighborhood. I now know better what Old Towne Orange looks like at night than during the day.

But I feel such a great sense of satisfaction when it's early enough to get a chance to run errands -- dropping off a package at the post office or picking up some quick groceries. I'm biking with a purpose.

Like when I biked 10 miles the other day on my visits to Target and the bookstore. And after that, when I biked to La Poblana Bakery/Panaderia to reward myself with steaming, sweet tamales.


Sigh. I did it again.

I don't think this little Mexican bakery wants me to be healthy.


So, I had no idea that dessert tamales were even possible. But they ARE, and they are wonderful. Strawberry/fresa tamales have fresh-strawberries-turned-gooey within; pineapple/piña tamales have the occasional raisin. They taste like sweet, fluffy corn bread.

But you must eat them right away, while they are still warm. Inhale them, if at all possible.


Champurrado is hot chocolate that is spiced with cinnamon and almost thick enough to chew. It is a perfect accompaniment to sweet tamales. Even though it looks like a cup of mud.

By the way, it is really difficult balancing champurrado in your bike basket on the ride home.

(Updated with address on March 13, 2009. Oops.)
* * *
La Poblana Bakery
604 W. Chapman Ave.
Orange 92868
714.771.4465

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

bleck I hate that champurrado crap, it's like drinking sludge.

Anonymous said...

OMG - I cannot believe you know about champurrado! I fell in love with that drink when Nicholas was a newborn, my housekeeper (she is from El Salvador) made that for me because she said it would help me to be able to nurse the baby better...don't know if there was any truth to that part of it, but I fell in love with it and now beg her to make it for me one the days she is at my house. OK, and can I tell you that I now cannot stop thinking about sweet tamales...I'm drooling!

Inez Valentina said...

Lee-Sa, haha, you're not far off about the consistency. But I likey.

Emily, ok, your housekeeper is amazing -- you keep telling me stories about her. And I'll have to bring you some tamales sometime. :)

Suz Broughton said...

Address please! Must go, now! I love champurrado....and tamales? Yes! Want some.

Inez Valentina said...

Hi Suz! Whooooops. I'm a goof. Just put the address up. :) Thanks!

Suz Broughton said...

Thank you!!!

Anonymous said...

Strawberry tamales!! Now I've seen everything. They look like they'd be amazing.