Dining Out:

Forget Aunt Rosie’s fruitcake that makes a better doorstop than dessert. Skip the boring gingerbread men that look like wide-eyed creatures from the Black Lagoon. And push that shopping cart right past those holiday cupcakes speared with the plastic poinsettias and snowmen heads.

This holiday season, give yourself a break and keep those measuring cups and cookie sheets in the cupboard. I have found the salvation for us bakers and holiday hosts. Masis Bakery in Burbank and Montrose is here to give us and our guests our very own Miracle on 34th Street.

Last week, I hosted a holiday party in honor of my Uncle Vince Hagberg, who was visiting from Texas. My menu was all set, or so I thought until that smell of burning terror swept through the house. My red velvet cake had transformed into lumps of coal!

With little time to waste, I decided to call on a professional. Masis Bakery in Burbank is in a small strip mall at the corner of Alameda Avenue and Glenoaks Boulevard. I was greeted by two friendly young women behind the counter who had sympathy on my predicament.

Masis Bakery reminds me of those wonderful European bakeries. Everything looks elegant and delicious. The wisp of sweet indulgence flows from the kitchen to the counter. You can see the dedication in every piece of pastry. The glass counter is filled with pastries, tarts, tiramisu, Napoleans, eclairs, cookies, cream puffs, pound cakes and slices of cake.

I decided to treat my guests to a sample of these fine confections. I served the elegant pastries on a glass dish and let my guests choose their own. My Aunt Margie said that the Napoleon was the best she had ever eaten because the chocolate was so delicious and the crisp layers of puff pastry were so rich and flaky.

The crème patisserie was smooth and light. My cousin Ron could not believe how the slice of raspberry cake with a layer of delicate sponge cake and topped with rich raspberry cream was wrapped in a layer of exquisite chocolate all the way around.

My parents loved the chocolate vozni, a round cake about the size of a baseball with alternate layers of chocolate cream and sponge cake. Uncle Vince liked the mini fruit tarts layered with fresh fruit, vanilla cream and a shortbread crust.