Why your coffee sucks

March 19, 2009 | Posted by Lorraine as Coffee at 2:14 pm | (1) Comment »

Coffee

Sad but true: most of the coffee I’ve been served at friends’ homes have been bad. By that I don’t mean awful and completely undrinkable- just mostly mediocre. The thing is, for me, there’s nothing worse than a mediocre cup of coffee.

Now chances are, if you’re using those little packets of instant (or, horrors, “3-in-one”) coffee, you already know why your coffee sucks- but what if you aren’t? What if you buy quality beans, grind them fresh every day, and you’re still unhappy with your home brew? Here, my tips for making awesome coffee at home:

Clean your coffeemaker. Whether you’re using an automatic drip machine, a french press, or a percolator, you want to keep your coffeemaker as clean as possible- that means getting rid of leftover grounds and oily residue completely. I like to clean my coffeemakers with distilled vinegar and water about once a month, and daily with good old dishwashing soap and lots of water.
Buy good beans. Roasted coffee beans go “off” quicker than you think, so you want to buy beans that are well-packed (in a dark container), and from a reputable source. I’m not a bean snob by any means- Starbucks has a great selection, and I also have a soft spot for good old Folgers.
Store your coffee well. In the freezer is good- and if you have a large amount of beans, separate them into smaller “servings” so you don’t have to bring them all out every time you grind.
Get a good grinder. Sure, you could use your blender, but for maximum flavor you should consider investing in a burr grinder, which crushes your beans with a grinding wheel rather than a blade. It produces a more consistent grind.
Use good water. Good, sparkling clean water can make a world of difference to your cup of coffee. When using a drip machine, I like to start with very cold water. If you’re using a french press, heat your water only to just under boiling.
Always brew fresh. The longer you let the coffee sit, keeping it warm, the worse it will taste. Only brew enough for the moment.

Sinfully Silky Chocolate Buttercream

March 6, 2009 | Posted by Lorraine as Chocolate at 11:21 am | (9) Comments »

Chocolate IMBC

This- this silky and smooth, rich but impossibly light buttercream- is my favorite chocolate frosting of them all. Oh, I love ganache of course, and the truth is I’ll never say no to the old powdered-sugar-meets-butter frostings of my childhood- but this buttercream, an Italian Meringue Buttercream with melted chocolate mixed in, definitely tops my list.

So many people seem afraid to try Italian Meringue Buttercreams- but while the recipe may look a little daunting and difficult at first, I promise you: it’s not. Trust me. I’ve made dozens of huge batches of IMBC, and I’ve never had to throw any away.

Sinfully Silky Chocolate Buttercream Recipe
This makes enough to ice a two-layer 9-inch cake, or around 24 cupcakes.

5 Egg Whites (keep the yolks for custard. Or ice cream. Mmm)
1/2 teaspoon + 1/8 teaspoon Cream of Tartar
1/4 cup Water
3/4 cup White Granulated Sugar
1/4 cup White Granulated Sugar (yes, separated)
1/4 teaspoon Vanilla Extract (the real stuff, please)
4 sticks Unsalted Butter, cut into pieces

You’ll also need:
a Candy Thermometer, hopefully without a crack in it
a small liquid measuring cup
4 ounces best quality Bittersweet Chocolate, melted (use a microwave for the greatest of ease) and COOLED

Pour the water into a heavy saucepan. On top of that, pour the 3/4 cups sugar. Make an “x” in the middle of the mound of sugar with your finger- this will help distribute the water more evenly.

Over medium heat, begin melting the sugar and water. Now, others will tell you to keep stirring this or to brush down the sides of the pan with a brush, blah blah- I say don’t touch it. Walk away. Well, just a few steps away. You want to get started on the egg whites now anyway.

In the bowl of a stand or hand mixer, put your egg whites and start whipping them. When they look foamy, add the cream of tartar. Whip some more, and once you get to soft peaks, add the 1/4 cup of sugar. You’re going to want to keep whipping this until you get to stiff peaks- but at this point, I usually stop, go over to the saucepan on the stove, and check if everything’s melted. If the sugar and water mixture is clear and bubbly (meaning, no sugar bits), go ahead and stick your candy thermometer in there.

You can resume whipping your whites now- but keep an eye on that thermometer as much as possible. As soon as it hits 246, take the pan off heat, and transfer the syrupy goodness to your liquid measuring cup. Once your egg whites are forming firm peaks, you’ll want to SLOWLY begin pouring the syrup into the whites. Try not to hit the beaters with the syrup as you do.

Et voila! You’ve made Italian Meringue. You can make pavlovas out of this. Hey, you can even make macaron shells out of this. Oooh. But today, we’re doing Buttercream, so…

Get your butter ready. You’re going to want to add the butter to the meringue in one-tablespoon increments. And here’s where everyone freaks out: as you add the butter, your glossy beautiful meringue will begin looking mighty strange. But do not fear- it should all come together when you’re done adding all the butter. And if it doesn’t:

If the mixture looks like a wet melted mess, your butter was probably too soft, your room too warm. Stick the mixture in the fridge for around 10 minutes, and try again.

If the mixture looks like a curdled mess, kind of like scrambled eggs, rejoice! You’re on the right track. Just keep whipping it like crazy- and have faith. Before long, you will have silky smooth awesome buttercream.

At this point, I like to add in 1/4 teaspoon Vanilla extract, for the flavor and the alcohol. Mix that in well, then pour in your COOLED melted chocolate. Mix it in, and mmm… you’ve just made my favorite frosting ever.

Mmm… Adobo

February 24, 2009 | Posted by Lorraine as Cozy Comfort Food Recipes, Quick Meal Ideas, Recipe, Something Salty at 1:36 pm | (1) Comment »

adobo, originally uploaded by spo0on.

Got some chicken or pork? Some garlic? Vinegar? Then you can make adobo. Yes, that’s all you need.

Adobo is the Philippines’ national dish. Nearly anything can be “adobo-ed”- from chicken to pork (or, in most cases, chicken and pork), to squid, to spinach leaves.

The beauty of adobo is that you can go completely minimalist (as I described above), or add a lot of things to it, and still have a hearty, hot, absolutely awesome meal. Got a few peppers left from last week’s chili? Chop them up, add them in, and your adobo becomes spicy (and, dareisay, even better with rice). Have an open can of coconut milk in your fridge? Make it adobo sa gata, creamy and delicious. Or splash about a half-cup of light soy sauce (Chinese or Japanese- they’ll both be delicious) in, and make a darker adobo.

I’m not just saying that, either: this is how we eat in our house. Sure, we’ll have pasta or steaks or stir-fries, but at least once a week, probably twice or more, we have adobo. It’s just the easiest thing: put your meats, vinegar, garlic (lots of garlic, don’t be shy here), salt and pepper in a large pot, bring it to a boil, turn down the heat and simmer it until you can’t smell the sharpness of the vinegar. Serve with plain rice.

Thank God for Eggs

February 17, 2009 | Posted by Lorraine as Eggs, Recipe at 10:20 am | (1) Comment »

Eggs, Glorious Eggs

My husband and I run two businesses from home, which means that we’re crazy busy almost all of the time. So busy, that sometimes we forget to stock the fridge, and suddenly it’s dinnertime, and we have almost nothing to cook.

I say almost nothing because there’s something we always have around here (necessary, when you run a baking business): eggs. Ah, eggs- they’ve been called nature’s most perfect food, and I know why. I mean, can you say versatile? Hard-boil them, slice them, season and mix in some mayonnaise, and you’ve got an awesome egg salad (or, as my French aunt likes to say, oeufs a la mayonnaise). Soft-boil them, slice off their tops, and serve with fleur de sel, and you’ve got a gourmet breakfast right there.

But tonight, I’m going even lazier, perhaps because I’ve got deadlines looming, an early-morning conference call, and not enough coffee in the house, and making some very simple, very awesome, scrambled eggs.

Now there’s a secret to making perfect scrambled eggs: be gentle with them. Stir them gently around the pan, don’t give them too much heat, and most importantly: never ever leave them alone.

Awesome Scrambled Eggs

For perfect Scrambled Eggs, all you need are:

4 Eggs, lightly whisked
4 tablespoons Unsalted Butter (use salted if it’s all you’ve got. I’m a bit of a control freak about salt, is all)
Salt & Pepper

Melt the butter over low-medium heat (you do not want it to brown). Add whisked eggs, and start mixing it around the pan, slowly, gently. Once it looks a little set- still creamy and moist- take it off the heat. Season with salt and pepper.

Served on toasted bread, this is a delicious meal for two that takes all of five minutes to make.

How do you like your eggs?

Cookbook Review: Back of the Box Gourmet

February 9, 2009 | Posted by Lorraine as Cake Recipes, Cookbooks, Cozy Comfort Food Recipes at 1:00 pm | Comments »

Nostalgia never goes out of style- especially in the kitchen. Who of us doesn’t crave the food we were brought up with- whether we got it from our moms, our grandmothers, or our family cooks?

And that’s the “why” behind the cookbook Back of the Box Gourmet, an absolute gem of a book I was lucky enough to pick up at a used books sale recently. “Back of the box” refers, of course, to the recipes that “have appeared on the backs of boxes, bottles, and packages”- yes, the very same recipes our moms and grandmothers and family cooks reached for when wondering what to make for dinner. From original Toll House Cookies, to Fluffer-Nutter Sandwiches, to Lipton Onion Burgers- these are American “classics” that don’t pretend to be fancy, and frankly don’t need to be.

On a particularly lazy afternoon last week, I tried out one of the recipes in the book: the Original Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake, which was first created by the wife of a Hellmann’s Mayonnaise sales distributor in 1937. Not quite as exotic as it sounds, the mayonnaise here replaces any eggs, oil and salt one would usually use in a chocolate cake recipe. The lemon juice in mayonnaise also adds tenderness to the cake- much as buttermilk (or the old buttermilk-replacement standby of milk and lemon juice!) would. The resulting cake? Deliciously moist, and extremely pleasing- especially because of the added dates and walnuts. I share the recipe with you here:

Original Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup boiling water

1 cup coarsely chopped dates

1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

1 cup sugar

1 cup real mayonnaise (please use Hellmann’s or Best Foods)

6 tablespoons grated unsweetened chocolate (I used regular baking chocolate, but you could use a bittersweet bar and remove part of the sugar)

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups unsifted cake flour

Grease and flour a 9×9x2-inch baking pan. In a small bowl, stir baking soda and boiling water together until dissolved. Stir in dates and nuts. In a large bowl with mixer on low speed, beat sugar and mayonnaise together until well mixed. Add grated chocolate and vanilla; beat until blended. Add date mixture; beat. Gradually beat in flour until smooth. Turn into prepared pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 45 to 50 minutes. Cool in pan.

Perhaps my favorite thing about this cookbook, though, is author Michael McLaughlin’s “Gilding the Lily” notes at the end of each recipe. In them, he suggests additions or changes to the recipes. For the HERSHEY’S Hot Fudge Sauce, for example, he suggests stirring in 2 or 3 tablespoons of Grand Marnier, dark rum, or Kahlua, into the finished sauce. Yum.

Back of the Box Gourmet is available at Amazon.

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