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Get your just desserts: You'll always find something extraordinary in the pastry case at Longbranch

By Alex Harrison, for The Southern

Wednesday, April 25, 2007 8:30 AM CDT

It's only mid-morning at Longbranch Coffeehouse in Carbondale, but it's hard to stop thinking about the Carrot Coconut Curry soup featured on the chalk-scrawled specials board. Today's mission, however, is just desserts and plenty of them.

The pastry case is gleaming, chock-full of everything creamy, fruity, flaky, and sweet. It is no coincidence that it's the first thing patrons see when they walk to the counter to place their order.

For 10 years, general manager Elaine Ramseyer has been whipping up some of the best desserts around. Much like Ramseyer herself, the desserts reflect fine European flavors with a generous sprinkling of homegrown, Midwestern tradition.

"I am the daughter of a Swiss pastry chef father," she said. "So it's just in my genes to bake well."

She has also managed to establish Longbranch as a hub for local community, a place where food, drink, art and conversation collide on a daily basis.

"We want the food to be like your family would serve it, not too fussy or perfect, just delicious," Ramseyer said.

Longbranch's interior reflects that. Retro-style, polka-dotted tables and red chairs are scattered about the dining room. Vintage tablecloths line the pastry case where desserts are displayed. The unique sweets provide just the right fuel for the eclectic community that thrives at this coffeehouse.

One of Longbranch's most popular dessert items is the cookies, which barely fit onto the dessert plates they're served on. The chocolate ginger cookies are as generous in flavor as they are in size; the spicy flavors of ginger, nutmeg, clove and the mellow cocoa are reminiscent of Christmastime.

The chocolate-dipped macaroons are a tasty companion to a cup of coffee or tea. It's a light cookie, offering just enough body (and of course, chocolate!) to make you feel like you're splurging.

Several varieties of scones are available for those who crave a more traditional pairing with their hot tea. The oatmeal raisin scone provides a not-too-sweet counter to a breakfast of free-range scrambled eggs sprinkled with cheddar cheese. (Assuredly, you can squeeze dessert into any meal here!)

Ramseyer herself became the baker when she first acquired Longbranch a decade ago.

"We lost most of the old staff, including the baker, so it was up to me to develop the dessert menu," she said.

She embraced the opportunity, and her efforts have garnered delicious results.

Considering her talent for cooking and baking, Ramseyer claims that she got none of her abilities from her mother, who was from red clay country in Georgia.

"Growing up, we were poor and I mean really poor," she said. "There was nothing I ate that wasn't cooked in a cast iron dish, and we ate biscuits and water gravy with every meal. I'm lucky my mom's food didn't kill me!"

It was only after a move to her father's native Switzerland for five years in early adulthood that she discovered a passion for food, discovering cuisine there utilized fresh, quality ingredients, and emphasized beautiful presentation.

She has applied those basic principles throughout Longbranch's menu.

When asked about her food philosophy, Ramseyer shares her belief in eating healthfully using fresh ingredients and plenty of fruits and vegetables but she's no militant.

"I say, eat a really healthy meal, and then finish it off with a killer dessert!"

Now that's living well.

The coconut cake, for example, is simply indulgent; three layers of coconut crème custard are nestled between four layers of sour cream cake, all frosted with a Swiss meringue buttercream and sprinkled with more flaked coconut.

Every dessert is served with flair; the Blueberry Pie Pots are baked individually in diner coffee cups with a crust blooming over the edges of each cup, shaped like a spring flower.

Other such desserts include Hazelnut Latte Cheesecake, Peaches n' Cream Tart, Chocolate-banana Cream Pie, baklava and lemon bars.

From the hearty portions she serves to the witty conversation she bestows upon her patrons, Ramseyer demonstrates a generous character to everyone who comes to eat and drink at Longbranch.

She acknowledges the inspiration of her favorite cookbooks. Among her favorites are "Heartland: The Best of the Old and the New from Midwest Kitchens" by Marcia Adams, "The Essentials of Italian Cooking" by Marcella Hazan and "The Complete Italian Vegetarian Cookbook" by Jack Bishop.

Ramseyer is also generous with her recipes, and she shares her often requested Italian Cream Cake and Chocolate Ginger Cookie recipes with our readers, along with her time-tested tips for baking a better cake.

Try these out for a great dessert at home. Better yet, save yourself the dirty dishes and sit down to a memorable dessert at Longbranch Coffeehouse. You'll not leave disappointed or hungry.

DETAILS

Eatery: Longbranch Coffeehouse and Vegetarian Café

Address: 100 East Jackson St., on the square in downtown Carbondale

Hours: The kitchen is open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily; the coffeehouse is open 7:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday-Friday; open until midnight on Saturday.