Perfection is way overrated.

One of the things I like about truly good food is that it does not need to be perfect to be enjoyable.  A cookie that is not quite perfectly round is no less a cookie than one that is.  An amazing brownie that is not quite cut the same shape as others from the same pan is still amazing.  Sometimes even when a mistake is made in a recipe, the end result is not failure but instead is something unexpectedly wonderful.  Once long ago I was making a creamy chocolate dessert.  Ultimately, melted chocolate, a custard base and cold whipped cream were supposed to be combined.  However, I got distracted for a bit and let everything cool more than was indicated in the recipe.   No longer would the chocolate thoroughly combine with the mixture.  I marched onward to see what would happen.  Well, the chocolate instead of remaining liquid began to solidify but only in a minor way.  What resulted was a concoction where the chocolate had become became moderately firm slivers and threads that were unspooled throughout a sweet creamy custard.  The texture was amazing, the taste was fantastic, and the visual impact ... well, it was striking.  I have since seen recipes where this "mistake" is part of the process.  But I happened to stumble upon this as a result of a mistake I made.  I continue to make this dish from time to time and every time I do, I remember what happened long ago.  Certainly some mistakes will absolutely destroy a food, and anyone that has cooked anything in the kitchen, no matter the level of experience or skill, has stories to tell of dishes that just didn't measure up because of regrettable errors.  But equally as certain is that sometimes these events can be fortunate happenings.

An extraordinary chocolate cream cake - Part 2

The cakes were completed earlier today, both large and small versions.  Beautiful chocolate glaze completely enveloped each of them.  I was very happy to finally slice into one of them for my own enjoyment this afternoon.   The small versions are just the right size for two people (or one who really wants to enjoy a dessert maximally).

small chocolate cream cake with mirror glaze finish

The larger version will serve several people, of course. 

large chocolate cream cake with mirror glaze finish

No matter the size, when they are set out on a table among other platters of food, they are an immediate conversation piece due to the shiny glaze.  They take patience and time, but they are worth the effort. 

pair of small chocolate cream cakes with mirror glaze finish

An extraordinary chocolate cream cake - Part 1

Desserts .... I love desserts!  Tonight I'm preparing one of my favorite cakes that combines very rich moist devil's food layers, luxuriously smooth and satiny chocolate cream, and a mirror glaze finish.  It's a two-day process.  The cake and chocolate cream are prepared first, assembled, and then placed into the freezer overnight.  Some like to do this sort of thing in a cake ring.  I usually just use a 9-inch cheesecake pan because I love the way it releases from the frozen cake the next day.  8-inch cake layers means that there is space between the cake and the pan to fill with chocolate cream in addition to cream between the layers.  This cream is basically a sweet chocolate custard with generous amounts of whipped cream folded into it.  It is heavenly!  After the cake freezes overnight, the outer edge of the cheesecake pan is released and you have a beautiful standing chocolate cream with no visible cake ... it's all hidden on the inside.  Then the glaze is prepared ... lots of chocolate in it.  It is a deep dark chocolate color that might be described as a brown-tinged-black or black-tinged-brown depending on the light. Once it's made it's poured immediately from the pan over the frozen cake, oozing across the surface and down the sides.  It's immensely satisfying to watch it spread and then cling to the cold cake.  There's always some left over that falls through the rack onto a tray that should be placed underneath (unless one doesn't mind a mess or the waste).   That extra glaze can be scooped up and used on something else in the kitchen.  I like to toss it on ice cream or maybe add it to any leftover chocolate cream and make a parfait on the spot.  The glaze is beautiful and makes for an elegant presentation.  The taste of the whole thing is something I never tire of.  (I know, I ended the sentence with a preposition, but it's late... I'm going to leave it like that.)

Well, cake and cream are in the freezer and in the morning I will do the glaze.  It will seem a long wait and it will be hard to keep from eating a slice for breakfast, but I shall endeavor to save it for later in the day.  I've made multiple cakes tonight - only one is destined for my kitchen.  The others will be enjoyed elsewhere.

Leftovers

I am a big fan of leftovers.  Some of my favorite foods are those that taste even better a day after they are made, most notably spaghetti.  I know, I know, everyone says that fresh is always best.  But when I let cooked spaghetti sit in the fridge already mixed with sauce and meat, and then reheat it the next day, I appreciate the flavors more.  The pasta has absorbed much of the sauce (which means I also add more sauce when reheating it) and the change in texture is wonderful.  Fresh spaghetti is good, yes, but day-old and reheated, it's even better in my book.

Today I discovered another food that is just as good on day one or two as it is fresh: curried chicken with red onions, red bell pepper, and peas.

curried chicken with red onions, red pepper, and peas, resting before portioned into packets

When I've made this in the past, the entire batch has been consumed very quickly.  However, a couple days ago I made a lot of food at the same time as a new batch of this curried chicken, and so some of it was left uneaten and became a meal for another day.

curried chicken with red onions, red pepper, and peas, packets ready for sealing

Unlike spaghetti, I didn't find that the flavors intensified, or that anything else significantly changed, for that matter.  But it was excellent.

curried chicken with red onions, red pepper, and peas, ready for the oven

This is a very nutritious and easy dish to make.  Yes, it takes a bit of time to prep as chicken breast has to be sliced and also red bell pepper and onions, but that can all be done ahead of time.

curried chicken with red onions, red pepper, and peas, fresh out of the oven

Once it is cooked (and temperature verified with a thermometer), you have a flavorful meal that makes you feel very good.  Now that I know it is just as flavorful a day or two later, I will have to make bigger batches to ensure I have leftovers. 

curried chicken with red onions, red pepper, and peas, served

Rainy mornings and cooking

papaya, pineapple, mango, kiwi

It rained much of last night and continues to rain this morning; not a downpour, not a torrent, but a steady rain that is hypnotizing in sight and sound.  I am an early riser so I was up while it was still dark and heading out to get groceries, preparing to make several things today and tomorrow.  When I returned home, I set out fruit to prepare for smoothies, vegetables and chicken to prepare for later today, and started some music.  The doors and windows were open so I could see the rain and hear it as an accompaniment to Debussy's La Mer, Beethoven's fourth piano concerto, and Mahler's first symphony.  I kept an eye on the hummingbirds as they flitted from feeder to feeder, energetically consuming as much as they can in preparation for their soon-to-be migration south for the winter.  Sparrows and wrens congregated on seed feeders, and a pair of blue jays swooped in to nab peanuts in the shell and fly off again.  American goldfinches, bright yellow in the grey morning, eagerly pulled thistle seeds from seed socks.  The tall zebra grass was a little less tall under the weight of the falling rain, but beautiful nonetheless.    And inside, the aromas of papaya, kiwi, pineapple and mango, and then red bell peppers and red onions filled the kitchen ....  the feel of the fruits and vegetables in my hands as I scooped up the diced pieces and long strips and placed them into bowls .... chunks of chicken breast separated by the blade and ready for cooking en papillote .... what a rewarding way to spend a morning here at the beginning of autumn.

Today is for smoothies, blueberry snack cake, and chicken with curry and vegetables cooked in foil or parchment packets (I haven't decided which yet), and maybe some double chocolate pudding.  I have no errands to run today, no tasks to perform, a rare day in this modern world that seems to move so quickly at every hour of the day.  Cooking takes me out of that frantic pace, forcing me to pay attention to that most basic element of our existence: food.  And while I cook, I think about anything or nothing; but whatever my mind turns to, it turns to it organically as part of a natural flow of thought and idea that is created by the peacefulness that comes from preparing good food.

Cornbread and gratitude

individual cornbreads fresh from the oven

I am up early today.   I had fast food late last night and so I woke up early feeling a bit dehydrated due to the high levels of salt.  I am not a food snob and so I do not turn away from fast food.  Sometimes a quick burger or taco from the nearest place is just the thing for a quick food fix.  But then invariably I crave something else afterwards.  This morning, after my fast-food meal last night, I'm craving something wholesome and I'm thinking about making cornbread.  When I make cornbread I always blend a fine-ground cornmeal with a course-ground.  For me, this combination gives a much nicer texture than when using only one type of cornmeal.  There is a wholesomeness about cornbread and it satisfies the appetite.  Morning, noon, or night, it doesn't matter.  It works any time.

I want to say thanks today to some people who have been indispensable in setting up the web presence for Bruce Bakery and Bistro.  Jacqueline (aka Heidi) and Zak have been an encouraging pair of voices and have done all the major work in designing and establishing the main website and are continuing to drive the evolution of other aspects of web presence even as they are occupied with their own endeavors.  Elisa and Ben have taken time out of their busy schedules to stage and take some great photos that appear now and will appear in the future on various pages of the website.  Thanks to you all for providing your enthusiasm and a level of expertise that far exceeds anything I could have done on my own.  And ongoing thanks to friends and family who share the foods I make and provide valuable feedback.

Beginning

triple chocolate sablés with fleur de sel

In elementary school, I had a memorable teacher.  Among many things to which this teacher introduced us that made class enjoyable was a project called "mini-society".  For a period of several weeks, all the students spent an hour of each day participating in a society that we built.  Students became business owners, civil servants, politicians, and filled other roles as well.  And for that hour, everyone played their roles and learned a bit about the real world.  We made and spent money, we used services provided by our "city", we built our economy.  I remember I decided to be a business owner, and since I could already make a few different types of cookies and muffins, I settled on the idea of a bakery.  This was back in the time when kids were allowed to make home-baked treats and bring them to school.  So the night before the first day of "mini-society", I made cookies.  The next day they sold out.  My fellow students were eager to use some of their "mini-society-dollars" to buy my cookies.  Reaping the material rewards was nice, but what I remember most is simply how fun it was to see everyone enjoying what I had made.  To this day, I still think it is fun to see others enjoy what I make in the kitchen.  I would bake for just myself, but it's always nice to bake for others as well.