Aromas of the kitchen

One of my favorite things about doing a lot of cooking is the wonderful aromas that fill the house.  This week I made pizza more than once and that meant a skillet of mushrooms and butter on the stove.  The steam wafted up from the pan, filled with that wonderful combination of pungent earthiness tempered by the hot butter.

Prepping for the pizza sauce meant starting with a saucepan with hot olive oil, onions, and garlic.  As the onions soften and the garlic infuses the oil with more flavor, the sound of the sizzling combined with the heavy aroma is a wonderful experience and sends my mind racing ahead to the final finished pizza.

I also made hazelnut cookies this week and of course that meant roasting nuts.  In only 10 minutes the nuts go from raw to roasted, and then comes my favorite part:  as I stand over them, chopping them up, I breathe in the air now filled with the rising aroma that has been intensified by the roasting.

A home filled with aromas such as these is always going to feel peaceful and relaxed, at least that's what I think.  Many days during the winter months, I keep a saucepan of water and cinnamon on the stove slowing simmering away and the hints of cinnamon floating in the air make those cold days feel just a bit warmer.  And who doesn't love walking into a house and immediately being able to discern with full certainty that there are chocolate chip cookies in the oven?

As I write this, my son is making a vegetable and mushroom stir-fry, and though I won't be able to eat it for a few minutes yet, the taste of it is already floating in the air. 

There is nothing like the fresh aromas that come from the kitchen.

That's all for tonight.  I'm going to sit back and just breathe in and out for a few minutes until that stir-fry is ready.  Have a good night everyone....

Hazelnut cookies with milk chocolate

hazelnut cookies with milk chocolate

Good evening to anyone who is reading this.... although perhaps it is morning for you.  It is evening as I write this anyway, a pleasant cool evening after a pleasantly warm day.

I spent the first part of my day practicing piano music by Beethoven and Chopin.  Once daylight was firmly in place, I ventured outside. It was mildly breezy and quite sunny as I walked the gravel paths in my garden, taking note of little tweaks I wanted to make by moving a couple plants around, and watching a plethora of birds fly in and out to the feeding stations.  A couple squirrels regarded me with a wary eye from atop the feeding platform that my sister and her husband gave me for Christmas a few months ago.  They scampered down and away as I got closer.  It was a beautiful morning, and the afternoon and evening were just as nice.  These mid-spring days that occur before summer heat begins to raise its head are always great to experience.

By mid-day, I was back in the kitchen to taste-test the hazelnut cookies that I had made yesterday.  It is always important to me that cookies, in particular, maybe more so than any other dessert, are taste-tested the day after they are baked.  Many cookies, I have found, are just fine on Day 1, but are not as enjoyable on Day 2.  I always prefer cookies that age well, the kind where the flavors meld and evolve as the cookies age, all without drying out.  Yesterday I was doing final test runs on a variety of shapes and sizes of this cookie as well as cooking times.  The high butter content, the chunks of milk chocolate, and the combination of ground and chopped hazelnuts all make this a cookie that responds quite differently when baked in varying sizes and shapes.   I baked two at a time, over and over again throughout my Sunday afternoon, and gradually narrowed down my favorites.  In the end I chose a cookie that is comprised of two medium cookie scoopfulls combined and then baked in a 3-inch pastry ring.  It gives a cookie that is perfectly circular and about 3/4 inch thick.  The density, the taste, the moisture content when cooked for 22 minutes left me quite satisfied.  22 minutes seems like a long time to bake a cookie, and it's true, it is; most cookies would not fare well in the oven for that long.  But these are quite thick, and the combination of ingredients makes it work quite well at that long baking time.

They have now been added to the full menu at www.brucebakeryandbistro.com.  I hope you'll take a look at them.  I've eaten my fill today and still have a few left, but they won't last long tomorrow.

Efficiency

dandelion flower growing through creeping phlox

I love efficiency.  Or more to the point, I love being efficient part of the time so that I don't have to be efficient the rest of the time.  Is that confusing?

Part of my landscaping in my heavily gardened yard includes ground covers.  Things like wooly thyme, Japanese spurge, sweet woodruff, sedums of various types, and creeping phlox can be found in various planting beds.  I like them because they prove a significant hindrance to anything else that wants to grow in those areas.  They grow thick, they have interesting textures and great floral character, and they definitely mean less watering and less weeding.  Occasionally they let something through, like the dandelion flower shown above, but most of the time they serve multiple purposes that I appreciate.  So they are highly efficient plants to have in the yard and their presence allows me to spend less time doing some things like weeding and more time doing other things like resetting pavers and gravel to change a walkway, or maybe just sitting in a patio chair and watching the birds at their feeding stations.

I always appreciate efficiency.  When I go get my favorite butter, which is only sold at a few places, I always get much more than I immediately need, and so I toss the excess into the freezer until I go through my stock in the fridge.  So I have to go out much less often that way.  When I get chocolate, I always get more than I need.  (Of course, one could make the argument that it's not a desire for efficiency that drives that choice but rather a weakness for chocolate.)  And why get a single bag of sugar when two will do even better, and so I have a backup waiting in the pantry.

mint chocolate chip ice cream mix
ready for a long chill in the fridge

As you can tell, efficiency for me means lots of redundancy.  I always like to have multiples of things on hand.  That doesn't go just for ingredients.  It is also true for the finished products.  When I make ice cream mix, I always like to make an extra batch so that the next day when I get ready to freeze it and I realize how much I wished I had an extra batch for even more ice cream ... well, I have that extra batch sitting right there in the fridge.  

Madeleine cake

When I make cakes, I often make extra and freeze the slices so they are ready to quickly thaw when a sudden craving arises.  The same goes for cookies.  Nothing is finer than having a log of cookie dough or already shaped and portioned balls of cookie dough sitting in the freezer for an easy late night dessert.

Being efficient for me means not just multitasking or careful planning.  It means having more of everything around so that when I want it I can have it with without all the extra work of making something all over again.  For me, I feel very rich when the pantry and fridge and freezer are well stocked with backups for all the ingredients I use and extras of everything I make.  A life of plenty is a good thing when it comes to good food.

Mint chocolate chip ice cream and scoops

mint chocolate chip ice cream

As anyone who knows me can attest, ice cream is my all-time favorite food.  And mint chocolate chip is my favorite flavor.  Now you can find my favorite flavor on www.brucebakeryandbistro.com.  I can hardly wait to put it on the current weekly menu along with brownies so that everyone can enjoy it as much as I do.  Other flavors are coming in the future as well, so keep an eye out.

I've already done an entry on this blog on making ice cream so I won't go into that here.  Let's just say that this is very creamy, very smooth, and has lots of Callebaut dark chocolate.  I pack all my ice creams in 12-oz round cartons that are perfect for ice cream, and also perfect containers out of which you can eat the ice cream.  However, when you want to actually scoop it out into a bowl, having a good ice cream serving utensil is great, and I don't mean a standard spoon.

Zeroll ice cream spade and scoop

My favorite tools to serve ice cream are Zeroll ice cream spades and scoops.  I have one of each.  They have a heat-conducting liquid in the handles which is supposed to help the edge cut through ice cream more effectively.  I've not done any scientific testing on whether it really works, nor have I read anything of that nature.  But from experience I can can tell you these work so much better than anything else I've ever tried.  

As I said, other flavors will be coming in the future including triple chocolate, dark chocolate, roasted strawberry, lavender with blueberry swirl, and others.  I love sharing ice cream with everyone.

Spring and chocolate orders

pink and white flowering dogwoods

If you take out the covid-19 issues we are all dealing with, this was a perfect spring day.  My flowering dogwoods ( I have two different - one pink and one white) have just put out blossoms in the last day or two.  They look amazing, especially when gazing straight up into the sky from underneath.  The blossoms will still increase over the next handful of days, and for a while anyone driving down the road will get a nice view of these stunning colors in the spring sun.  Flying in and out of these dogwoods today and up through the huge silver maple which is only yards away were lots and lots of birds.  Many goldfinches, lots of downy woodpeckers (who love to sip out of the hummingbird feeders which are already out since the hummers are just now reaching the Kansas City area in their northerly spring migration), and many other kinds of birds were all zooming in and out of the yard, stopping at all the feeding stations I keep for them.  They were quite vocal today in the warm spring afternoon especially.  

Today I had only a couple piano lessons (done via Skype rather than in person due to social distancing needs and the non-essential business restrictions currently in effect), so I spent some time outside in the sun casually neatening up a couple planting areas, got some donuts that my son and I gobbled up, did a little piano practice of my own, and then watched Ocean's 11 while I prepped some things in the kitchen for cooking tomorrow, and finally froze a batch of ice cream.  I made mint chocolate chip ice cream earlier this week and it was just about gone, and then I had an idea, a slight tweak to the recipe that I decided I wanted to try.  Fortunately I still had enough cream even after making ice cream a few days ago.  I tend to keep a fair amount of cream on hand since I use it in so many different things.  And of course I think anything is improved with a dollop of whipped cream on top, so it never hurts to have plenty at the ready.

Being spring, I'm also getting ready to do a fairly large order of chocolate.  I acquire much of my chocolate online from a place called Chocosphere.  They are on the west coast, in Oregon.  And they get chocolates from all over the world to distribute to their customers here in the US.  So whether you are wanting chocolate from Switzerland, France, Belgium, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Ghana, Mexico, or anyplace else, they probably have it there at Chocosphere.  I usually do a large order in spring, before the summer heat sets in, and then another in the fall.  So this week I'm putting together my spring order.  It's always great fun to do, and I always try to add in something I've never tried before.  But of course, I have my "tried-and-trues", varieties that I get again and again because I use them consistently in certain foods I make. 

For anyone who is reading this, I wish you a pleasant weekend and a happy spring.  Eat some chocolate, light a bonfire, watch the birds, or do whatever else you find rewarding in the spring.  I will go make my chocolate order, watch Ocean's 12, and eat the salmon which is cooking away in my oven, brushed with olive oil and seasonings and which will get a final touch of pink Hawaiian sea salt as soon as it's put hot on my plate.    

The comfort of cooking

from my garden last summer

Happy Wednesday to everyone!  I thought I'd post the photo above from my garden last summer.  While spring has only recently begun, the plants are growing fast, and I can hardly wait until we see more flowers like that shown above.  This spring is certainly different than last summer, though, as we are all affected by the covid-19 situation.

You may have noticed that the weekly menus on www.brucebakeryandbistro.com have shown the selected items to be "sold out" the last couple weeks.  For purposes of social distancing, technically I am on hiatus for a while until this global health crisis starts to level out and we can start to get back at least closer to normal.  New entries will continue on this blog.  Instagram will continue to have new pictures.  And I am still selecting items for each week's menu, but they will all show as "sold out" for now.  I hope you will all venture to the site to see what would be offered if things were normal, and especially to look at the full menu to see new things as they are added.  This week frosted sugar cookies will be going up on the full menu and more is being added after that, including a new ice cream and some new breads, plus many other things planned and all coming soon.  I have great fun adding to the menu and introducing people to new things that I enjoy sharing.  I have so many things that there is not enough time to do it all as quickly as I would like.   

sugar cookie dough

I made sugar cookies this week and also ice cream, and banana bread will be made as soon as the bananas have ripened a bit more.  In this time of uncertainty there is great pleasure and comfort to be had making food in one's own kitchen.  Food is one of those fundamental and elemental aspects of our lives that are literally existential.  So take the time to make and eat good food.  Savor it.  Relish it.  Enjoy it.         

Dark chocolate hazelnut clusters

hazelnuts fresh from the oven

On this Sunday, in the middle of our covid19 shutdown, I woke up with plans to cook a few things.  I only made it through two items today, but they were fun to do.  One of these was chocolate covered hazelnut clusters.

I keep bags of hazelnuts in my freezer ready to use whenever I get an urge for anything with hazelnuts, my favorite of all nuts.  Keeping them in the freezer is something I do to help them last longer.  Today I grabbed a decent amount and tossed them into the oven at 350 F for 10 minutes.

roasted and cooled and partially skinned

Once they cooled, I tossed them into a zip-locked bag and proceeded to walk around my living room watching one of my favorite shows, Kim's Convenience, a Canadian television show, while I shook the bag and rolled it around roughly in my hands.  In doing so, many of the nuts were skinned for the most part.  A few did not lose their skins, but I don't usually worry about that.   I do what can be done with a modicum of effort and then accept that some of the nuts won't be completely skinned.  Hazelnuts can be bought already skinned, in case that's what you prefer.

hazelnut clusters resting

Then I put them aside while I melted a blend of chocolates, and then tempered the chocolate.  Tempering takes a bit of practice.  It involves melting the chocolate without letting the temperature get too high, and then letting it cool a certain amount before raising it again to just the right level for the formation of the proper crystal types, all depending on the type of chocolate being used.  And part of that includes some agitation of the chocolate as well.  When it was done, I dumped in the nuts, and then scooped out consistent amounts using a mid-sized cookie dough scoop.

ready to eat

Once the chocolate has set at room temperature (no need to put it into the fridge if you've tempered the chocolate), they are smooth and glossy and extremely enticing.

yum

Dark chocolate, roasted hazelnuts, and a visually appealing finished product.  What a great way to spend a Sunday morning.

Roasted tomatoes

Hello, hello, hello!

Well, we all continue to be sequestered in our homes as much as possible during the global health crisis, and I'm sure we're all getting a bit tired of that.  Some good cooking is always nice to lift the spirits, though.

Roasted tomatoes.... easy to make, very forgiving, and quick to prepare, although long to cook.  I always start with Roma tomatoes (aka plum tomatoes), but cherry tomatoes and grape tomatoes work just as well.  Cut each tomato in half.

I always cut off the ends.  The stem end certainly needs to be gone since that point where the stem meets the fruit is always tough, but I also get rid of a small sliver on the other end of the fruit. If you are using cherry or grape tomatoes, you don't need to cut off the ends; just cut them in half as long as any stems have already been removed.

For Roma tomatoes, I also cut out a small wedge to eliminate the core.  This doesn't matter if you are making a tomato sauce, but for roasted tomatoes, I like to eliminate that portion since it leaves a better texture after they are finished.

Then place them in a foil-lined baking sheet with a raised edge.  Brush them with olive oil.

Sprinkle with seasonings.  My combination is almost always the same:  kosher salt, course ground pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, thyme (leaf, not ground), and sometimes rosemary.

Then roast these in the oven.  If you want a quicker result, then an hour and a half at 300 F.  But I often like to let it cook more slowly..... 3 hours at 225 F.  Either way you get a great finished product.

And there you go.  They come out of oven smelling incredible and the taste and texture are amazing.  If you don't eat them all, just pop them into the fridge.  They can be reheated in the microwave.

So while you're stuck at home maintaining social distance, give these a try.  You and your family will love them.

Scones

buttermilk scone

Scones are so easy to make.  No one should be afraid to make them.  They are worth a try no matter how much experience you have in the kitchen.

scone dough rolled out

Flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt are whisked together in a bowl.  Then cold butter is cut up into small pieces.  Then, using your hands or a pastry blender or a fork, combine the cold butter with the dry ingredients.  This will take a bit of time so plan on having something to think about while you do this.  Kitchen time is great for meditation on all sorts of subjects since there's often time where you have to mix or knead or something else, each of which can take a while.

Once the the mixture comes to a coarse-ground cornmeal-like texture then you are ready for the next step.  It's OK if a few bits of butter are larger.  This is a very forgiving dough.  At this point, in your mixing bowl, create a well in the middle of the dough.  Then pour in buttermilk and, for this recipe, a generous amount of lemon zest.  Grab a mixing utensil (I prefer a large serving fork for things like scone dough as well as biscuit dough) and start stirring the outer ring of dry ingredients into the liquid.  It won't take long to come together.  Once it does, flour your counter surface and dump out the dough.  Roll it around a bit, compressing it with your hands, creating a nice ball of dough, and cut the ball of dough in half.  You can get 6 scones from each half.

Take one half of the dough ball and reform it into a new ball, flatten just a little with your hands, and then roll it out with your rolling pin to a diameter of about 7 inches.

Take a knife or a bench scraper (my favorite) and cut three equal cuts across the dough to create 6 triangles.  No need to worry if they aren't all exactly the same size and shape.  These are scones.  They are a comfort food with a casual homestyle appearance.

Now place the triangles on a baking sheet (lined with parchment is good), and brush them with warm melted butter.  Finally sprinkle them with a bit of sugar.  I sometimes use regular granulated sugar, sometimes coarse large-crystal sugar, or a blend of both.  Use whatever you want.

In a 425 F oven, they only take 11 or 12 minutes to cook.  When they come out, they have a beautiful color, not too dark on the bottom, and a wonderful exterior from the sugar and butter.

Now you're ready to serve them.  My favorite way to have this particular scone is to top it with raspberry preserves.  Warm out of the oven they are very delicious.  And at room temperature later in the day they make great little snacks.

So give them a try.  They are quick, easy, and forgiving.  And you'll love them.

Bread and beer

Wandering up and down the aisles of the grocery store always gets me thinking.  It is a noteworthy thing that our civilization has developed an efficient array of supply chains that keep our foods stocked on the shelves.  Although during this current pandemic we are sometimes seeing shelves that are a bit bare, for the most part we can rely on the fact that when we go to the store, food will be there.

I was doing a bit of wandering through online information recently when I bumped into the Assize of Bread and Beer.  This was a law enacted in the 13th Century in England that regulated the weight and price as well as the quality of these two products.  It was the first law in English history that put controls on the sale of foods.  And it was very sternly and rigidly enforced.  Bread, of course, has been a staple of our diets for centuries.  And my understanding is that the importance of beer, ales, and other fermented beverages in medieval society is predicated on the idea that clean potable water was not always available, but you could always safely drink these beverages that would be clean of any bacteria.

In our modern times, we take for granted that our foods are healthy and clean, and prepared and preserved properly.  Our US FDA  and other agencies at all levels of government are responsible for that process, and while sometimes people may crow about "too much government", I for one am happy to know that someone is taking responsibility for ensuring the safety of our society's food chains.  Apparently much of what we do to ensure food safety can all be traced back to the 13th Century Assize of Bread and Beer.

So here's a pint raised in acknowledgement of that important bit of medieval legislation.