A new cookie

Today's post announces the arrival of a new cookie:  vanilla macarons.  This item has been added as a result of a special request by Elisa.  

This is the first of what will eventually be many different flavors of macarons.  I really love these cookies, and I think just about everybody else in the world does, too.  This a simple macaron with almond and vanilla in the filling.  It stays chilled until ready to eat.  An interesting fact about this particular macaron -- the cookie shells are chilled for a day before being filled.  It allows the shells to rest and age just the right amount of time before the filling is added.  After that, though, they can be eaten whenever the craving strikes.

This coming weekend we have blueberry snack cake slices and onion cauliflower soup ready to be ordered.

For next weekend, you can already order ahead:  chocolate mousse brownies and triple chocolate sablès.  This means lots of chocolate for your enjoyment.  And mine, too.

Today it's raining here in Kansas City.  I had some plans to do some things in the yard, but those are put on hold until tomorrow.  But that's ok.  That gives me more time for some inside things including some food making.

Today I will be making a berry fool, perhaps some pancakes since I'm experimenting with a new recipe, and maybe one or two other things as well.   I haven't yet mapped out my whole day.

I have a watermelon to eat courtesy of my kids who brought it from the farmers' market yesterday.  What better food to have on a summer day, even if it's raining.  Watermelon is so simple and so delicious.

Enjoy your day.  And enjoy some good food, as well.

Dark hot fudge sauce

 

Good morning, everyone.  A handful of days ago, a semisweet hot fudge sauce was added to the menu.  Now there is also a dark hot fudge sauce for those who love something a little more intense.  This is very rich and thick.  Pop it in the microwave for a short burst and stir, and repeat until it's hot enough to pour over your ice cream.  

Or maybe you just want to dip your spoon into it for a tiny little snack?  Or possibly drizzle it over sliced strawberries?

I like spreading this on graham crackers as well or just dipping them in.

Chocolate goes with so many things, especially dark chocolate -- at least in my opinion.

That's all for today.  Just a short post.  Have a great day and try to enjoy some good food today.

A new brownie and a new soup

We have a new brownie on the menu.  This is a double chocolate brownie with dark chocolate ganache.  That means a lot, a lot, a lot .... of chocolate.  I said it just that way so that no one would wonder if I really meant it.   Yes, I meant it.  

I love making different kinds of brownies.  Each of the brownies on the menu is unique.  They are different in how they are made, how much of different kinds of chocolate are in them, and so on.  It is quite enjoyable to make all these varieties and especially to eat them, too.  

This coming weekend we have gougères and triple chocolate chunk cookies on the weekly offering.  And the following weekend I have selected a new item, onion cauliflower soup, and also blueberry cinnamon snack cake.

The onion cauliflower soup is healthy and savory.  It's a great new item to have just in time for chilly fall weather that will soon be coming.  But on a warm day, it's still a great soup.  

Cauliflower is one of those things most people seem to dislike at least a little bit.  So I'm glad to have made something from it that everyone who tries it seems to enjoy.  It's really quite a simple soup.  The onion and cauliflower flavors pair beautifully.  And it only includes a small amount of cream.  This means that the cream can easily be omitted and the result is still delicious.  And without the cream, this soup is vegan.  It's offered both ways on the ordering site.  I have a daughter who is vegan (I'm sure she will be reading this.), so I'm happy to have something new on the menu that she and other vegan eaters (people who eat in a vegan way, not people who eat vegans - lol) might enjoy having.  

Today I've got ciabatta sandwich rolls in process.  They are actually in their 3rd rise as I write this, yes, 3rd rise.  And I'm doing some tweaks to a new salad, a mustard slaw with parmesan.  Other new foods are coming as well.  I'm doing another run in development of a high-protein gluten-free "ice cream" this week.  And playing around with pancakes.  Also prepping a berry fool for addition to the menu soon.  And the ciabatta rolls today are the 3rd bread of three choices for sandwiches which will soon be on the menu.  And I'm doing a lot of creative thinking about a new strawberry cream cake.  More things are in my head as well.  But that gives you an idea of some of the things coming up.

And while I'm doing all that, I'm also playing Beethoven and Chopin and Rachmaninov on the piano all week long, playing lots of chess online with people all over the world, and watching lots of movies.  My piano students are back to coming every week now that the July break is over.  And soon the Christmas countdown will begin.  September 16th means 100 days until Christmas.

Enjoy the ebbing summer.  And thanks for reading. 

Ice cream topping

 

Good morning on this pleasant August day.  Today I'm telling you all about a new addition to the menu.  I've been having fun with ice cream toppings for a while.  And now we have a chocolate candy shell on the menu for your ice cream enjoyment.

This is not hot fudge sauce.  This is very simply a liquified chocolate concoction that you pour over your ice cream and it very quickly firms up to form a moderately firm shell over it.  It tastes great, and it's a nice texture coating for your creamy dessert.  In the fridge, it's firm.  Set it out on the counter and it softens. If it's a warm enough day, it will liquify nicely.  But chances are you will want to microwave it for 10 seconds or so, give it a quick stir and then pour it over slowly.  The cold of the ice cream will make it set very quickly as it pours.  

You can also dip an ice cream cone into it to create a dipped cone, or even to just coat the top of a cone in which you will place scoops of ice cream.

The secret to this is the balance of chocolate and coconut oil.

It's on the menu now and will be on a weekly offering soon.

Summer may be ending soon, but ice cream season never ends.

Semisweet hot fudge sauce

Summer is almost over.  But it's always a good time for ice cream no matter the heat or the cold.  And something new to the menu is perfect for that:  semisweet hot fudge sauce.  This will come chilled and ready to heat up in the microwave or on the stove top.  I'll put it on a weekly meu soon.

This coming weekend we have deviled eggs and coleslaw ready to be ordered.

Next weekend, gougeres and triple chocolate chunk cookies can be ordered.  The cookies are making their first appearance on a weekly menu.  I hope everyone enjoys them.

A busy day is ahead for me.  I will be making a batch, and taking pictures for the ordering site update, of a dark chocolate hot fudge sauce for ice creams that is being added to the menu to go along with the semisweet hot fudge sauce mentioned above.  I will be working on a cauliflower soup as well.  And maybe playing around with some salads which I have been thinking of adding to the menu.

A busy day, but a fun day.  And while I'm doing all that, either music or movies will be playing in the background.

Have a great day everyone.  Enjoy the coming week where it seems that our summer heat is going to begin to give way to more autumnal weather.   

Spice cake

 

A new item has been added to the menu:  autumn spice cake with cream cheese frosting.

This is a traditional fall dessert -- a soft tender moist cake with lots of spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, ground cloves .... you get the idea.  And it's topped with a delightful cream cheese frosting.

I love cakes like this.  They are perfect for late-night sweet-tooth cravings.  They are great after any meal.  Can they be a lunch all by themselves?  Well, I like to think so, and sometimes I actually turn that thought into action.  I know I shouldn't.  But sometimes a slice of cake with a creamy frosting takes precedence over a nutritious sandwich.   

I mean, really, can you ever turn down a yummy slice of cake?  Maybe for ice cream.  Or better yet, combine the two.  

In any event, I hope you will give this a try soon.  I promise I will put it on the weekly menu before we get too far into the upcoming autumn season.

A good brownie is worth it's weight in gold.

Happy Tuesday, all!

A new item has just been added to the menu: chocolate mousse brownies.

This is a dense chocolate fudge brownie with a layer of light mousse frosted on top.  I have to admit that when I make these, I really have to work hard not to eat them all in one day.  These are kept chilled and can be eaten straight from the fridge or warmed up a bit closer to room temperature.  I always eat them straight from the fridge.  Trust me, it's the way to go.

I love making brownies.   Brownie batter is delicious by itself or swirled into ice cream.  Fresh brownies are amazing.  Brownies that have aged for a day are spectacular.

It's impossible to go wrong with a brownie if it's made well.

There are three basic ways to get a good brownie: 1, using only chocolate; 2, using only cocoa powder; 3, using a blend of both.

A lot of people really love brownies made with only chocolate.  But for me, that just doesn't work.  And a brownie with only cocoa powder doesn't work for me either.  I prefer to have a blend of cocoa powder and chocolate.  And when I look at recipes for brownies, I also look at the ratio of cocoa powder to flour.  Frequently, I will adjust that ratio, often adjusting it to a 50/50 split.  I find that balance combined with the right amount of actual chocolate is just incredible.  

As a result when I see a new brownie or when I'm inspired to create something new, I tinker with the ratio of chocolate and cocoa powder and flour multiple times to get it just right.  And then I document it so it is not lost.  

A good brownie is worth it's weight in gold.

More foods to come.  Keep watching and reading here.  

Have a great day!

New item and weekend menu update

 

Hello, hello, hello!

This upcoming weekend we have speculoos and cookie dip on the menu.  For the following weekend, we're going with cold foods:  deviled eggs, and something new -- coleslaw.

This coleslaw is nothing extraordinary.  Nothing fancy about it.  No amazing or unusual ingredients.  No special techniques that make is something different than expected.  It is just a plain simple delicious refreshing coleslaw.

Sometimes there's nothing better than a nice cold salad.  So as we begin to the see the end of summer approaching, I thought it would be good to go with cold foods for those warm evenings which will linger for a while before autumn is felt.

I have more foods to update to the menu.  I'm taking my time with the updates, not being in a hurry, but you will see them hitting the menu one by one over the next short while.   

I love putting new foods on the menu.  It's always a fun moment to announce that something has been added.  And it's always nice to see the completion of items on my list of things that I want to add in the future.  

I always have a list going.  Sometimes I just think of something and feel inspired and so it's added to the list.  Sometimes I see a food video online and that gets me thinking about that item or something related to it, and so it goes on the list as well.  Of course, the process of getting it from the list to the menu takes time.  I have to tinker with it, sometimes develop it from scratch.  I have to test it.  I have to do multiple productions.  I have to add the final recipe with all the important tweaks and technical aspects to my database.  But it's very satisfying in the end when the picture is up and people can order.    

Today I'm working on the final draft of a finished recipe for a new snack cake.  And I have more to do after that.  No shortage of tasks.

Have a great Sunday.  And thanks for reading!

Triple chocolate chunk cookies

Hello to everyone on this hot and muggy August day.  

A new cookie is now updated to the Bruce Bakery and Bistro menu.  This is a triple chocolate chunk cookie.  The chocolate is all Lindt chocolate.  It will always be made with only Lindt chocolate.  Lindt chocolate has a very specific type of flavor and texture and that's how this cookie was designed.  Milk, dark and white chocolate chunks are all included in this cookie.  It's a pretty large cookie, very dense, made with dark brown sugar so it has a darker heavier flavor intensity.   And it is supremely sweet.  If you don't like overly sweet things, then don't eat this. But if you do, then eat to heart's content.  I have to say, though, that for most people a single cookie will be a good snack.  It's that sweet.

I never tire of making cookies.  They are one of those foods that doesn't take a lot of time or effort and which are very forgiving, meaning that if you make a small mistake in a cookie, it still turns out pretty good.

Some foods aren't forgiving at all.  Perfection, precision and persistence are all prerequisites to making those kinds of foods. (How about that for alliteration?)  And those foods are wonderful.  But when you want something quick and easy, cookies are a great thing to make.

You'll see this offered on a weekly menu soon, I promise.