Swissgold KF4 Filter

post from Brotherhood of the Bean on 13 September 2006 11:30:16 PM. © Brotherhood of the Bean

You demand a lot out of your coffee and you accept only the best. You buy the freshest beans, have the best hardware that you can afford, use filtered water, natural paper filters, and thick ceramic mugs… wait, did you just say paper filters?Paper filters, while very good at screening solids from your coffee [...]

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the joy of brownies

post from cooking vintage on 13 September 2006 07:50:00 PM. © cooking vintage

I'm making brownies tonight to take to a writing thing I'm doing this weekend. Brownies are good because I've made them so often I don't really need the recipe anymore--they make me feel like a high-flying, don't-need-to-check cook. Also, they're good because they're good. No one ever pokes at them dubiously and asks, "Now what's this again?" They do say, "Oh, I shouldn't." But then they do.
I originally used the Joy of Cooking recipe, but over time I've tinkered with it a little, and I have several different variations. The big difference is that I use more chocolate and less sugar, because I like them fudgier and a little less sweet. I sometimes make them with nuts, but not too often, because one of my daughters hates nuts, especially nuts in cookies. I also use the trick (which I think I read about in one of Maida Heatter's cookbooks) of lining the pan with foil and then lifting the brownies out to cool--they're much easier to cut and you don't have to pry them out of the pan with a fork if you overbake them the slightest little bit.

Brownies
1/2 cup butter
5 0z unsweetened chocolate (if I have it I use Scharffen-Berger)
1 and 3/4 cup sugar
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
a tiny pinch of salt
1 cup flour
optional:
I often add
1 cup chopped toasted walnuts, and
1 cup chocolate chips
but this time I substituted 3/4 cup of slivered dried apricots and a handful of chopped crystallized ginger for the chocolate chips.

Melt the butter and chocolate together (I use the microwave, doing it in 30-second increments so it doesn't get too hot; is there such a thing as overmelted?). Beat the eggs with the tsp of vanilla and the pinch of salt. You could also add other spices, etc., if you're using them.
(The old Joy told you to add the sugar to the eggs, and then the chocolate/butter mixture to that. But the new one says to add the sugar to the chocolate mixture--the advantage of this is that you don't have to wait as long for the chocolate to cool, because it cools somewhat when it mixes with the sugar. And then you don't have to worry about it being curdling the eggs. And it works fine.)
After adding the sugar to the chocolate/butter, mix in the eggs lightly, mixing well but not beating. Then add the flour, mixing until just before it all comes together (so that there is still some flour visible. Add the nuts and/or chocolate chips or whatever you're adding, and mix the rest of the way.
I line a 9x13 pan with foil, and I grease the foil with butter, and then I throw in a mixture of sugar and cocoa to coat the pan (as you are directed to do with flour for some cake recipes), tapping out the excess. In goes the brownie batter, and the pan in the preheated oven, to bake at 350 degrees. Bake for 25 minutes--checking the brownies with a toothpick to see if they're done.
Sometimes I add a tsp of chili powder (chipotle or ancho); sometimes a half tsp each of cinnamon and nutmeg and ginger. I made it once with a syrup of mint made from the mint in my garden, but I forgot to write that version down, so I'll have to invent it again some time. I also made it once and drenched the still-warm brownies with a slathering of black raspberry jam, and then a chocolate-bar frosting, which was so decadent that I haven't yet done it again.
Some things that don't work: minimarshmallows and Heath Bar bits (they both melt into the brownies). But white chocolate chips are good; and M&Ms would probably be fine, too. I won't taste the brownies with slivered apricot, ginger, and walnuts, but they smell divine, and D says they're pretty good.

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Hanging Cookbook Holder

post from Cooking Gadgets on 13 September 2006 04:13:44 PM. © Cooking Gadgets

If you are as desperate for counter space as I am, you’ll appreciate this hanging cookbook holder ($24.98).Also good to keep those pages free from sticky mess while cooking. You should see my books, they’re a mess!Via bookofjoe ; Tags: cooking, baking, cookbook holder, space saver, kitchen, organization, be organized © Arieanna for Cooking Gadgets, 2006. [...]

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Emma Orange Peeler

post from Cooking Gadgets on 13 September 2006 03:30:23 PM. © Cooking Gadgets

Be ready to squeal with delight at the Emma Orange Peeler ($5) from SatinboxAs if an orange peeler wasn’t gadgety enough, we had to make it designer. This snail zips around your orange to peel it nicely. Be the envy of all your coworkers!Tags: orange, gadget, gadgets, orange peeler, weird tools, fun, odd, eating, fruit © [...]

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Why is it easier in America to buy drugs, guns
and political favors than it is to buy a gallon of raw milk

post from megnut.com blog on 13 September 2006 03:04:27 PM. © megnut.com blog

Why is it, that in America it's easier to buy drugs, guns and political favors than it is to buy a gallon of raw milk? A look at how we went from drinking raw milk (naturally filled with vitamins, enzymes and antibodies) to ultra high temperature (UHT) pasteurized milk that's had its nutritional value cooked away.

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olitical-favors-than-it-is-to-buy-a-gallon-of-raw-milk

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END: Wine Blogging Wednesday #25

post from Is My Blog Burning? on 13 September 2006 01:51:00 PM. © Is My Blog Burning?

Today is Wine Blogging Wednesday - get those Champagne tasting notes up and posted.

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Food reading

post from Food Blog on 13 September 2006 01:39:00 PM. © Food Blog

The Nation has a Food Issue this week, with a slew of articles to read....

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When lab-grown meat is readily available what
happens to the experience of eating meat

When lab-grown meat is readily available, what happens to the experience of eating meat? Or purchasing it? This research examines how our interactions will change as technology changes. Fascinating to contemplate, though I can't say it looks very appetizing to eat.

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Cachet d'Or - Gold Seal

Domaine J Lasalle Brut Réserve, France, served with mushroom-stuffed gruyere gougeres

Hello my lovely jubbley bubblies. Welcome to the 25th edition of wonderful Wine Blogging Wednesday, a regular online wine appreciation event started over two years ago by Lenn of the Lenndevours. This month I asked people to review Champagne. I went out on a limb by insisting on the real mccoy, the stuff that comes from the official Champagne region of France. I also suggested perhaps finding a smaller producer or trying some food pairing to those who might be inclined.

Looking for a wine that will run a few laps around Veuve Clicquot Brut??

I would most often buy my champagne from K & L Wines in San Francisco. They specialise in champagne from small producers and have a great selection at around the $30 mark. But last Saturday, Fatemeh had kindly promised to treat me to a glass of champagne at The Ferry Plaza Wine Merchants after a stroll around the farmers market. It so happened that we bumped into Catherine and Brett too, so the four of us shared a bottle of the Domaine J Lasalle Cachet D'or Brut Réserve together whilst we small-talked about food, blogging and other things.

2006 photography picture of review of domaine j lasalle cachet dor champagne brut reserve france and gruyere choux puffs stuffed with creamed mushrooms

We all particularly liked this golden champagne with its hundreds of very small bubbles rising in gently flowing swathes, it's rich flavour, its slight whiff of cellar, its hint of sherry, its substance on the tongue, its depth and its complexity. It's a non-vintage small-production wine with a distinct level of maturity and great value for just $33 a bottle.

Notes from Peter Granoff: "This small family Champagne house is named for the late Jules Lassalle, and today is run by his widow and daughter. Their production is a mere 6,000 cases annually - as much wine as some of the better known Champagne brands will bottle in one day. Domaine Lassalle's methodology is traditional, draws solely on Premier and Grand Cru vineyards, and the resulting wines are truly delicious. The Cachet d'Or Cuvée is a blend of Chardonnay (25%), Pinot Meunier (60%), and Pinot Noir (15%). As Champagnes go, it is quite rich and flavourful."

Although I drink sparkling wines often, even when I am out for dinner, when I was thinking about specifically pairing food with champagne the stereotype of blinis with smoked salmon and caviar immediately sprung to mind. Andrew from Spittoon in the UK kindly helped me consider some more interesting options by posting a Guide to Matching Champagne & Food. I double checked a few other resources and the same foods were being suggested over and over again, especially for a Brut champagne: gruyere cheese and mushrooms. This was the perfect excuse to make gougeres and stuff them with one of my favourite vegetables. I used a recipe left by Brett over a year ago in the comments section of one of my posts about cheese puffs. It worked a treat. For the mushrooms I simply diced them small and cooked them in butter until tender, adding a little cream, salt and pepper at the end. I stuffed the puffs with the mushrooms after they had finished cooking. Gougeres are best served fresh. They can be eaten hot, straight from the oven but I think they match the champagne better once they have cooled down to room temperature. Don't bake too far in advance, though, they are certainly much better for not having been out of the oven for too long.

Ummmmmmm, champagne and gougeres. Genius! How long until my next excuse to celebrate something?

PS Thanks to all the the other entries I have started to see appear all over blogdom. I can't wait to read them all, and will publish a round up of everyone's entries in the next few days.

PPS Fred told me that "Cachet D'or" which as I understand him means 'gold seal' is an old fashioned, now unused chi-chi, snobby French term to describe things as very fine. I am a little perplexed as to why this wine even has the name "Cachet d'or" since it wasn't written on the label, just in the description from the wine merchants.