When I think of Harris Ranch, I think steaks. That's it. Never would I have thought their bakery…read morepumps out some delicious pastries and desserts.
The bakery is part of the country store, which sells such random housewares and souvenir-type stuff. They have a chocolate truffle case on one side and the other side, the pastries and desserts. The pastries looked delicious and I got a few to try. They also have bags of day-old cookies for a good price.
Eclair 4/5*
I'm not a huge fan of eclairs with the soft fudge on top instead of the hardened chocolate. Taste wise though, it was a good eclair. The cream isn't overly sweet and the eclair itself was a light dough.
Napoleon 5/5*
If there's something Harris bakery does right, it's flaky pastries. Surprisingly, this Napoleon stayed crispy the entire drive home and survive even in the refrigerator the next day. Many others I've had usually get soggy, but these layers of puff pastry stayed crisp to the end of every last bite. The cream was fluffy and not too sweet, and paired perfectly with the ripe strawberries.
Banana Cream Pie 3/5*
I love anything banana and just had to get it when my eyes landed on the perfect swirl of whip cream covered in chunks of buttery crumbles, atop a neat little mini pie. However, the pie itself was too mushy. The crust was soggy, with the smoothness of the banana cream, soft banana slices, and rich whip cream, everything combined was too much mush. It was also too sweet. I did enjoy the crumble on top though. That was the only saving texture.
Strawberry Cream Horn 5/5*
Wow these were so unexpectedly delicious! The horn is super flaky and delicate, filled from end to end with a light strawberry cream. On top, bits of dehydrated strawberries were not only beautiful but added a nice tartness and texture, contrasting with the silky cream. This was a great upgrade on your classic cream horn.
Chocolate Chip Cookies with Walnuts 3/5*
Nothing special. They tasted better the longer they sat out because they were crisper. I prefer my cookies to have sea salt for that good balance of salty and sweet, but these cookies were just one noted.
Next time, I have my eyes set on this towering cake they had on the counter and of course, take home some of those yummy cream horns.