Get ready to order again

It is yet another wet day here in Kansas City.  We have had a lot of rain the last several days.   But if the forecasters are correct, that is going to end with the advent of a drier period starting tomorrow.  I have been out trimming some of the landscaping the past couple days in between periods of rain.  The plants are loving the rain as well as the atypical cooler June temperatures we have had.

Starting next weekend, July 9th-11th, I will resume taking food orders.  We've had a long period of time during which I closed everything down due to the pandemic.  But it's time to start it up again.  I've already put out the first two weekly menus.

The passcode to get into the website is still the same.  If you've forgotten it, just let me know and I will remind you.  There are FAQs on the website to review if you wish, as well.

Remember the ordering process is simple.  Choose what you want from the appropriate weekly menu.  Indicate what day you'd like to pick these items up and how many -- remember some items are ordered individually and some are ordered as a group, for example, 6 cookies in one order.  You'll see a spot to leave a note for me in the ordering process as to the day you'd like to pick them up.  And I will be in touch to confirm your order and then later again to let you know that items are ready for pickup.

When you select an item from the weekly menu, you'll see a note indicating how many of the item are still available; for example, "5 of 10 left".  The ordering page will not let you order more than what are available.

Check back every week to see what new items are being offered and also to see new additions to the full menu.  If you see items on the full menu you'd like to see in a weekly rotation soon, just click on the item on the FULL MENU page and the individual item page will appear with an indicated spot to let me know.

Remember that for those who are invited friends and family, everything is free, my gift to you.  It is my pleasure to share my favorite foods with you. 

Bisques

Today it is very wet here in Kansas City after a couple rounds of heavy rain over night.  Some of the plants in my garden have been beaten down by the rain and are low to the ground.  Hopefully, they will right themselves soon.  

It seems like a good day to make carrot bisque.  Bisques are traditionally a creamy soup made with crustaceans such as lobster.  However, I am quite fine calling my carrot bisque by that name rather than soup.  It's not really a soup.  It's thick and very creamy, and to me it is a bisque.  Could it simply be called a "cream soup"?  Well, it still seems more like a bisque to me, albeit without the seafood.

Quite long ago I wanted to have a carrot soup of some sort, and so I spent some time experimenting.  And what I came up with was a combination of carrots, water, cream, broth (chicken or veggie), coriander, nutmeg, and salt and pepper.  Once this cooks for a long while, I puree the mixture until it is smooth and creamy, and then I cook it a bit longer to reduce its volume and intensify the flavors.

I had this idea of doing this same process with various other vegetables.  So I chose celery next.  That was a mistake.  Boiling celery in water results in an aroma which is not at all pleasing to me.  So I never tried it again.  However, I've also not tried other vegetables since then.  But I'm going to make an effort to do that over the next short while.  I can see beet, broccoli, or asparagus working well as a bisque.  Cauliflower might be nice as well, but I like to make that as mashed cauliflower dish similar to mashed potatoes.     

When I made the carrot bisque, I initially did it in small batches.  And then one day I tried to scale it up to a very large batch, but I wasn't as happy with the result.  Some things, I am convinced, are simply better when made in small batches.  This bisque is one of them.

Well, I'm off to cut up carrots now.  In a while I will have a wonderful aroma spreading from the kitchen.

Enjoy the final weekend of June, everyone.

Hazelnuts and July food offerings

 

Happy Saturday!  It's a very warm week here in Kansas City, although not as warm as some other parts of the country.  It's a good day to stay inside out of the heat and the humidity.

Yesterday, my order of hazelnuts was delivered.  Two pounds.  Many people prefer to get their hazelnuts already completely skinned.  However, I like to just take them with the skins on, roast them, and then roll them in a towel or in a plastic baggie to take off some but not all of the skin.  When they are ground, I like seeing some of the darker color that comes from the skin.  

These hazelnuts will be part of the first weekly menu in July.  I am excited to get back to making food for everyone.  Typically, each weekly menu has 3 items on it.  I've decided that one of the items will be hazelnut Florentines.  I love making these little lacy-thin cookies.  They are such a great combination of sweet and savory.  

Another of the items will be ice box dessert, one of the newest items on the menu.  I've just procured lots of wonderful vanilla beans for making French vanilla ice cream which is part of the ice box dessert.  Some of those vanilla beans will also be used for vanilla creme caramel, pastry cream, and other things over the next short while.

As for the third item to appear on the first weekly menu of July ... I haven't figured that out yet.  But I'm having fun thinking about it.

Enjoy the weekend wherever you are.  Try to stay cool.  And indulge in some yummy food.  It's good for the soul.

New item - roasted tomatoes

 

Good morning, everyone!

The summer heat here in Kansas City is finally about to make it's first appearance.  I have been quite happy to have a rainy mild spring.  And since it was so mild, I'm not at all worried about the summer heat that will soon hold sway for several weeks.  

Summer is a great time for tomatoes.  Well, I supposed I have to say any season is a great time for tomatoes.  I love tomatoes.  I keep cherry tomatoes on my kitchen counter to snack on frequently.  I love having sliced tomatoes with a light sprinkling of sugar.  I love tomatoes in salads and sauces and stews.  And I especially love them roasted long and slow on low heat.

Today, I have added slow-roasted tomatoes to the full menu.  These are Roma tomatoes sliced in half with a small wedge of the core cut away, brushed with olive oil, and sprinkled with a combination of seasonings that I like to use just for these.  They are roasted at a low 225 F for three hours.  

They come out with wonderful flavor, tender and juicy.  And they reheat beautifully.  You'll see them on a weekly menu offering in July and probably frequently thereafter. 

I have a handful of other new items that will also be added soon, so keep a close eye on this blog and on the menu at www.brucebakeryandbistro.com.

Enjoy our beautiful sunny weather and don't forget sunscreen if you're going to be for long in the sun.

Bon appetit, everyone!

Deer food and food waste

Good evening, everyone.  Just a few minutes ago I had a beautiful deer stop in my yard to eat some dinner.  She seemed to like what was found here.  I watched her for a minute or two from the house.  Then I managed to step out the door to get a clear picture without scaring her away.  She didn't stay long once I was outside, but long enough for me to get a good picture.  Deer often stop in my yard during the dark hours of night, but I've never seen one out in the late afternoon.  Needless to say, I was quite excited as I pulled my phone out to take this snapshot.

I don't mind the local wildfire foraging, although I have to admit I don't like it when the deer eat the fresh hosta leaves as they grow each spring.  But they seem to leave them alone once they leaves are no longer tender.  I actually encourage wildlife.  The squirrels here can get quite fat eating from various things that I toss out from the kitchen.  Sometimes these are failed cooking experiments.  Sometimes they are just old bread and other similar things that need to be disposed of.  I can count on the squirrels and birds and racoons to eat those leftovers.

I don't like to waste food.  I like to see things get used up.  And if they don't, they become squirrel food or become part of my landscaping beds, improving and enriching the soil.  Even eggs shells can go out in the soil.  They are actually quite beneficial.

I was planning on cooking today, but I got distracted.  It sometimes happens.  How did I get distracted? Relaxation was the culprit, although the live feed of the Geldingadalir volcano in Iceland also has to take some of the blame.  However, I used my relaxation time well by thumbing through recipe books, and recipes online, looking for ideas, reading up on techniques, and so on.

I will do more of that tomorrow, but I also plan on doing some actual cooking as well.

Have a great weekend!  

Order in July

 

Summer is almost here.   We have had some fantastic cool rainy weather for all of the spring so far.  And we enter June in a few days with hardly a hint of hot weather.  The plants and flowers and trees and shrubs love it.  

With Covid calming down somewhat and vaccinations given to so many people, I think it's time to start opening up for orders again.  So beginning soon you will be able order from Bruce Bakery and Bistro.  Very soon you will see the first July offered items on the weekly menu.  Remember there are FAQs you can read to remind yourself of the ordering process.  You'll see a tab for that on the home page, www.brucebakeryandbistro.com .  Remember everything is free, no charge.  

I haven't decided completely what the first items of the summer will be except that one of them will be ice cream of some type.  We have to start off the summer with ice cream.

I will also be adding a more new items to the full menu so be on the lookout for those.

I can hardly wait to share some food with everyone again.

In the meantime, enjoy the end of spring and the beginning of what I hope will be a mildly warm summer.

en papillote

 

Good afternoon, everyone.  It's a beautiful gloomy rainy day here in Kansas City.  I love the rain.  And this spring we've been having very good rains here.  The flowers and shrubs and trees are all growing vigorously.

Today, we are cooking "en papillote".  What does that mean?  It means cooking something in a pouch created, in this case, by folding parchment paper.

I have prepared several small grape tomatoes for cooking.  They have been sliced in half and brushed with olive oil and seasoned with several things that I like in combination.  Then I get a piece of parchment paper of generous proportions, fold it in half and lay the tomatoes inside at the fold.  Then I start at one end where the edges meet, and crimp and fold the edges together, moving around the tomatoes, folding the straight edges of the paper into a rough semicircle.  When I get to the other end, I fold and then twist.  Will the paper unfold?  No.  It has been crimped and folded in too many places for that to happen.

Then I put this pouch on a baking sheet and slide the sheet into the oven for 3 hours at 225 F.  What comes are out beautiful cooked tomatoes which will make you think of pasta sauce when you eat them.  

You can even keep them in the pouch and let it all cool before putting the entire pouch, still sealed, into the fridge and heat them up again in the oven when you want them.

Cooking "en papillote" is fun and easy.  Sometimes I make a curried chicken with onions and peas and tomatoes in a pouch.  Other times I might do a vegetable medley.  This is a versatile technique.  And when you open the pouch you will find the food to be succulent and moist since the pouch helps to keep things from drying out.

Try it sometime with something you like to make.  

Have a great week everyone!

Ice box dessert

Today we're making Ice Box Dessert.  This is a very simple dessert from my childhood, fun to make and fun to eat,  and made with ice cream, crushed butter mints and crushed chocolate wafers.  When I was a kid, we would buy all the ingredients from the grocery store and combine them.  Now I make the ice cream and wafers from scratch, but not the butter mints.

First we need ice cream, either vanilla or French vanilla works best.  If you get a carton from the grocery store, it needs to soften or you won't be able to mix in the butter mints.  Since I make it myself, I add the crushed butter mints directly into the ice cream freezer/churner when the ice cream is just about ready to be removed.

The butter mints should be crushed, but whether you want them crushed into tiny bits or larger chunks is purely a matter of taste.  I usually place them into a plastic bag that can be locked (zipper lock is better than a compression seal), and pound them with the flat side of a meat tenderizer.  I make sure that every original piece is broken up at least a little bit.

The chocolate wafers should be crushed into very fine crumbs.  I have a small-sized food processor that works great for this.  After I make the chocolate wafers, I let them cool completely before processing them into crumbs.

Set out your molds or bowls or dishes, whatever you want to make this dessert in.  You can make individual portions or one large one in a 9x9 or a 9x13 pan.  Cover the bottom with a generous amount of the wafer crumbs.  

Next mix in the crushed butter mints into the soft ice cream.  How much you add comes down to taste.  I prefer to add less rather than more.  

Now spread the ice cream into the prepared molds or dishes or pan.  Press it down with a spoon or spatula so that it is pressed firmly against the bottom crumbs.  I always try to make it fairly level on top.

Now add a generous layer of crumbs on top, and press those into the ice cream with the back of a spoon. Then put it in the freezer for several hours to firm up.

That's all there is to it.

Now you have a wonderful refreshing dessert ready whenever you feel like indulging just a bit.

I made three of these yesterday.  I think I'm going to eat one now.  Bon appetit!

May and new foods

 

May is here.  And so far, four days into the month, it seems it is going to be mild and cool.  That's good because when May is hot, July is unbearable.  But the weather appears to be staying mild week after week.  And as the spring progresses, I am getting ready to start putting out food for everyone again.

I've added a couple items to the menu recently.  Perhaps you've noticed.  But more new items are coming up soon.  I have a list of things I've been wanting to add as I have time to do final tweaks with respect to portion sizes and package. 

Be on the lookout for:

Lasagna

Chocolate and vanilla eclairs

Raspberry mascarpone cream puffs

A wonderful ice cream dessert that doesn't have a name yet but has crushed buttermints and crushed chocolate wafers

Parsnip chips - yes, I said parsnip.  

Sugar cones for ice cream cones (and edible bowls made of the same)

Chicken with herbs cooked in white wine

Roma tomatoes and cherry tomatoes roasted with herbs and olive oil, cooked en papillote

Multiple varieties of macaroni and cheese

Lavender ice cream with blueberry swirl

Banana ice cream with caramelized white chocolate

I get a lot of enjoyment from looking at new foods to make available for everyone.  The process of preparing them for addition to the menu means multiple tests of the recipes, tweaking the techniques and ingredient amounts, and deciding how to distribute them which includes deciding how large portions should be and making decisions on packaging.

Packaging for some things is easy, cookies, et al, but packaging for other things, like the mirror glaze chocolate cake I like to make, sometimes takes a lot of time both in testing out packaging as well as researching what is available.    

But it is very satisfying when a new item is ready for inclusion on the menu.  And I am very excited when I put in on the current week's menu for the first time.  To me it is well worth the effort.

Have a great week everyone!

Banana bread and zucchini bread

 

Today is National Zucchini Bread day.   I have no idea who designated this day as such.  But apparently it is what it is.

So that means I'm making zucchini bread, right?  Well ... no.  

I remember having zucchini bread when I was a kid, but I've not had it in all the years since.  Why is that?  I remember it tasting good back then, so why haven't I made it since then?  Hmmmmmm.....

Yesterday I made banana bread.  And today I made it again.  I had a large bunch of bananas that I purchased specifically with the idea of making banana bread.  I let them ripen all week, not realizing that I had twice as many bananas as I needed.  Then when I made the breads yesterday, it became apparent that I had all these over-ripe bananas that needed to be used up.  So I made more breads this morning.  Now I have seven mini-loaves of banana bread in my freezer.  (I ate one yesterday, or there would have been eight.)

I love breads of many different types (who doesn't?), but especially breads made of things like bananas, pumpkin, lemon, etc.  On a quiet weekend morning such as today, there's nothing quite like having a warm loaf of bread to indulge in, and the aroma fills the house, and I feel like eating bread all day long.  

But back to my original question.   Why haven't I made zucchini bread since I was a kid?  And for that matter, I wonder how many other foods there are from my childhood that I've not had since?  And if bread can be made out of zucchini (a great way to partake of a vegetable that most people don't have much enthusiasm for), how many other vegetable can be used to make bread?

Celery bread?  Beet bread? Asparagus bread?  Chives and cheese bread -- this one I've made, and it's good.  As for others .... perhaps I should do some research on unusual types of breads.  Then again, it is a wonderful lazy Sunday morning, and today all I really feel like doing is having a quiet morning with my banana bread.  

So that's my plan for today.  Eating banana bread, maybe watching a movie, and enjoying the warm spring day.