Congratulations!

I just want to take a minute to congratulate two of my favorite blog authors -- perhaps my two MOST favorite. Yeah, superlatives aren't my strength.

Adam Roberts, the Amateur Gourmet, has been writing his funny, informative blog for five years now. I've been reading for most of that time and his posts really make me happy and want to get in the kitchen or eat something great. That's all I could ever hope for my readers (if I had some), so I hope Adam is happy with that as well. Great job, Adam!

Gina Trapani of Lifehacker is moving on to pursue some other things. She's a really inspiring person for lots of reasons and I wish her well. Not sure what her next project is, but this will be a huge loss for Lifehacker. I read religiously and I'm confident the other editors and contributors can maintain the high standards Gina had in place. Best of luck, Gina!

My French Press Procedure

For Christmas, I got Tackle a 17 oz Bodum Brazil French Press - the same pot I use on a daily basis in my office. I also gifted him some Biggby coffee, arguably my favorite coffee.

However, I suppose I left out a few essential items, as well as instructions. Granted, the instructions would produce coffee the way I like it, but having consumed much joe with Tackle, I think I have a good idea of his tastes.

I think the most important aspect of a great cup of coffee is the coffee itself. That means good, fresh beans. In a perfect world, I'd use whole beans, grind them immediately before combining with water, and that would be that. However, since I do most of my brewing at work, grinding daily is out of the question. Also, I don't have a burr grinder, nor the purse to get one, and I really think that's the only way to grind beans for French Press coffee. Therefore, I leave it to the experts and buy coarse-ground coffee from quality suppliers -- Fairway or Biggby. Both roast their own beans and the brews made from them taste great. I make sure to store ground coffee in airtight containers. Opaque is ideal, but I just keep the coffee in the dark under my desk where it's relatively cool. I also buy less more often, rather than more less often. Coffee is one thing that should not be bought in bulk.

When it comes to daily brewing, I have a bit of a ritual. I begin by filling my Brita Pitcher with cool tap water. Good water is key, especially when your only ingredients are coffee and water. I fill my electric kettle with 0.5 liters of filtered water and flip the switch. If I was less lazy and didn't mind making an even bigger production in the office, I'd fill my mug up with hot tap water. However, since I have the somewhat disgusting habit of washing my mug the morning after drinking the coffee, it's already warm from washing.

Anyhow, I wait for my kettle to reach a boil, then click off. I've read many times that the water should be 190-200F, not 212F, so I wait until the kettle clicks off, then add my coffee to the pot. For one mug, I use 2.5 scoops of coarse ground coffee. How big is a scoop? I think about 1 tablespoon. The scoop came with my press. By this time, I think the water should be around 200F. I add all of the water and stir with a chopstick. Then, I let the coffee steep for 2-3 minutes. I press the filter down slowly and decant into my mug immediately. When I use my larger press at home, I make sure not to leave any "extra" coffee in the pot. It will continue to brew and will taste bitter and disgusting. It should be put in a thermos, or never made in the first place.

I always drink my French Press coffee black because I think it has excellent flavor and body without dairy or sugar. However, even if you *need* milk and/or sugar, I strongly urge you to try a French Press. It's not that much more work, effort, or time than any other method and has great results.

One final note: I just want to emphasize the importance of an even, coarse grind on the beans. They must be even in size so extraction is done evenly. It must be coarse so the grinds don't clog or go through the filter.

Photo credits: maggiejumps

NYT Dining & Wine 01/07/09

There are a couple of interesting articles in today's New York Times Dining & Wine section (published every Wednesday).

Julia Moskin's article "From Asia, Rapture in a Bowl" discusses the enthusiasm people have for various Southeast Asian noodle soups. They all sound tasty, especially as I sit here and sniffle. Unfortunately, there are no recipes included with the article.

Mark Bittman, the Minimalist, gives some pointers for a great pantry, and I don't think I disagree with anything he says (although I'm not throwing out all our spices and bread crumbs). However, a few things really resonated with me:

OUT Canned beans (except in emergencies).

IN Dried beans. More economical, better tasting, space saving and available in far more varieties. Cook a pound once a week and you’ll always have them around (you can freeze small amounts in their cooking liquid, or water, indefinitely). If you’re not sold, try this: soak and cook a pound of white beans. Take some and finish with fresh chopped sage, garlic and good olive oil. Purée another cup or so with a boiled potato and lots of garlic. Mix some with a bit of cooking liquid, and add a can of tomatoes; some chopped celery, carrots and onions; cooked pasta; and cheese and call it pasta fagiole or minestrone. If there are any left, mix them with a can of olive-oil-packed tuna or sardines. And that’s just white beans.

All of those applications make my mouth water. I'll have to try to think ahead and cook up some beans!

OUT Minute Rice or boil-in-a-bag grains.

IN Genuine grains. Critical; as many different types as you have space for. Short grain rice — for risotto, paella, just good cooked rice — of course. Barley, pearled or not; a super rice alternative, with any kind of gravy, reduction sauce, pan drippings, what have you. Ground corn for polenta, grits, cornbread or thickener (whisk some — not much — into a soup and see what happens). Quinoa — people can’t believe how flavorful this is until they try it. Bulgur, which is ready in maybe 10 minutes (it requires only steeping), and everyone likes. If you’re in doubt about how to cook any of these, combine them with abundant salted water and cook as you would pasta, then drain when tender; you can’t go far wrong.

I hate boil-in-bag rice. I'd also like to try to incorporate some different grains into my diet.

Bittman also recommends pureeing some walnuts with garlic, oil, and water as a pasta sauce or condiment for vegetables or grains. That sounds absolutely delicious and slightly healthier than some other pantry-backed dishes like bacon parmigiana.

Florence Fabricant has an excellent looking recipe for duck fried rice. She also has a short write-up about Dousoeur de Paris Patisserie Salon, which sounds about as authentic as any patisserie in the US could hope to be.

At the Stove, a Dash of Science, a Pinch of Folklore

Today's New York Times Science section has an article by Kenneth Chang about food science. He made a few dishes and allowed biochemist, cook, and author Shirley Corriher to critique his practices from adding sugar to stir fry to soaking fish in rice wine for a few minutes. Chang also consults food scientist Harold McGee and Sichuan food expert Fuchsia Dunlop.

French Press: Attempt #2

Tonight, I decided to attempt another french pressed cup o' joe. I took Pepper's suggestions and put them in action. The final product was much stronger, but I put a little too much milk and sugar in (surprise surprise) so I didn't get the full flavor. I also forgot to stir when I added the water, so I'm sure it might have been even better had I remembered to stir.

Next time I will hopefully remember to stir and put a little less milk and sugar. I'll get it perfect one of these days!

Skinny Chicken Marsala

So today was the first day of dieting in the Onufrey house. Dad is doing a contest similar to the television show, The Biggest Loser, and the rest of us decided it was time to drop a few pounds. Because of this, it is time to start experimenting with some lower calorie recipes.

When I awoke this morning I saw that there was chicken to be made for dinner. I initially thought of making grilled chicken, but that's just way too ordinary in this house and will probably be made later in the week. After a little thinking, I decided on a somewhat healthier version of Chicken Marsala. It's quick, easy, and tasty, so why not?

To make this delicious concoction, I first minced up some shallots and garlic and set them aside. I then filleted some boneless, skinless chicken breasts nice and thin. After that, I seasoned them up with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and some Essence of Emeril. (In the normal version I probably would have dredged the cutlets in some seasoned flower.) The cutlets were fried in some olive oil and then removed from the pan.

For the sauce, I added the shallots and garlic to the pan. After about 30 seconds, I added some sliced baby portobello mushrooms and a very small amount of butter. After a few minutes, I deglazed the pan with some marsala wine and added a little sugar and parsley. A couple teaspoons of dijon mustard was also added. This may seem weird, but I remembered it from a chicken marsala recipe I once made. When the sauce was reduced, the chicken was returned to the pan to heat through. The chicken was served with a nice garden salad (lettuce, cucumbers, carrots, red bell pepper, and celery) and some roasted vegetables (zucchini, onion, bell pepper, and carrots.)

This lower calorie version of chicken marsala was delicious. It really wasn't much different from its higher calorie and fat cousin. All the major flavors were there and it was still satisfying. This will definitely be made again very soon.

First Solo French Press Escapade

So I decided to finally use the present my best good friend/cousin Pepper got me for Christmas. Thats right, I finally broke out the french press and coffee. This is my favorite way to make and drink coffee, so needless to say I was excited to use it.

To make my delicious evening beverage, I followed the instructions given to me by Pepper, as well as those contained in the box. First, I added about a tablespoon and a half of coarse ground coffee to the press. I then poured in about a cup of hot, but not boiling, water. I put the lid on and let it brew for about three and a half minutes, as instructed. When the time was up, I slowly pressed the coffee and poured it. I put a little milk and sugar in and I was ready to enjoy.

The coffee was great, as always, but it could have been a little stronger. Even my dad said it was a little weak, and he doesn't really like strong coffee. Next time I will be sure to add some more coffee, perhaps even two tablespoons, but most likely just short of that. I look forward to experimenting with my french press and figuring out the best blend. There's nothing better than a nice, hot, french pressed cup o' joe!

P.S. It went great with a cannoli from Iavarone!