Coffee, the new "microbrew"

For the first part of my life in food, much of it was in orbit of the Coffee Business- long before it became the "it" thing, meaning back in the '80's and early 90's. Education was a large part of my job, as many didn't know the difference between a latte and a cappuccino, much less a coffee blend versus a varietal. These were the days just before Charbucks rolled into town and turned coffee into a carnival of super sweet, whipped cream topped, blended, stupor inducing, "pretty" drinks- now available in a can! Of course that is just marketing, but it does detract from what should be their core focus.

I was very lucky to have worked for two local Portland companies that roasted their coffees daily, fresh, on premise- The Kobos Company (still roasting in Portland), and Caffe Luca (at the time located in Lake Oswego, now roasting out of Seattle). They educated their staff in coffee, all the way from selecting green beans to brewing techniques as well as drinks. I was spoiled, enthralled and in love. I still am....

Coffee is a huge subject, all derived from such a small bean. I probably bit off more than I could chew, at least to cover in a significant and meaningful way. Over the next couple of posts I shall try to delve into the brewing processes, equipment, recollections and recipes.

I must say that my fascination with quality coffee and deepening my interest in cooking is due in a large part to Mr. David Kobos. It is thru his passion and his company that I was exposed to what quality coffee is truly about. It is his company that also nudged me into the Culinary Institute and worked their schedules around my classes, so that I could go to that school and not loose my job. Thank you, David, and all the "Kobots" that helped me along- I would not be who I am without you!

Oh, how I miss those early days....

OK, well grab yourself a cup of your favorite "Joe" and we'll head into the world of what keeps American productivity moving forward- the simple coffee bean.

"One Way" needs to stay on a street sign!

In my passing through the culinary landscape, one of the most important lessons I picked up along the way was "There are rules, and then there are guidelines". Rules are the things that must be followed as they are about working with the physical/chemical properties of the products being used- "do not over-work the muffin mix, as you don't want to develop gluten thereby making the muffin tough".  Guidelines are things that are to be followed if you are trying to replicate a dish, but can and often should be deviated from to reflect what you have on hand- go on, make your Grandma proud. Use what you have rather than making another Albertson's run. Creativity is what food is all about.

This post springs from a dear friend of mine over at Tight Kitchen. She posted her recipe for Gumbo- a quintessential Southern signature dish. Her family, as mine, puts tomatoes in the Gumbo. A daring, and rather uppity, Southern "lady" looked down her nose saying tomato "has no place" in a "real" Southern Gumbo. KABOOM! After witnessing the vivisection in real time via Face Book, that belle showed her lack of cultural understanding, boiling down to rules vs. guidelines. She forgot that a Gumbo was the ultimate collection of what you have on hand to keep from wasting, even if it was just scrap. That scrap adds to the whole flavor. Keep in mind the "Southern Culture" itself is referred to as a Gumbo- a melting pot! What got stuck in her mind was a guideline for her geographical region. Period. The only real rule for Gumbo is that it must be thickened one of three ways, or a combination thereof: Okra, Blackened Roux, or Gumbo File. Everything else is open for interpretation.

Now, there are times when you do want to follow the guidelines. One example is when you are trying something completely unfamiliar, for example a new recipe or cuisine. You should replicate the dish just to see how it actually works. Once you are familiar with the interaction of ingredients, you then can play a bit. There are times when you cannot completely duplicate a dish- you do not have access to a particular item in your market. That is when creativity steps in. Can't find Kale? Try Chard, Chickory, or Mustard Greens. When you have no options, you can always leave it out- just realize you may not have the full picture, and you should try making it with the item if you ever run across it in your meanderings in the future. Remember, recipes are not straight jackets.

So the food world turns on variations, don't get stuck on a detail. Humanity has too much to offer to get hung up on one thing. Tomato is too small to ruin the Gumbo, or your night's sleep for that matter. Suck it up, babe, the Gumbo's damn good!!

In the beginning there was lefse

Being that I have been focused on making my own bread for nearly a decade now, it is a mystery to me why I had not made the savory Scandinavian bread "lefse" before.... Perhaps it was the thought I needed a special "lefse roller" to make it authentic- and having been the salesman who would have sold it to you in the local Kitchen Shop, I might have fallen under my own spell. But no special roller was actually needed, though it would have been handy. Maybe it was that the recipes I researched made emphatic statements about using absolutely stone cold potatoes, and my rather hyper-conscious time management mind couldn't wait the extra 2 hours to actually begin making bread. However, a cold and blustery day solved that for me, as nature provided the cooling convection with no effort or expense on my part. So hmmmm,why was I so shy to approach lefse? Then it struck me- there was no yeast! I am so used to how my little living, eating, breathing, co2 belching friends work that I was put off by their absence! In actuality there is no leavener at all- so in essence it has all the hallmarks of a cracker, but a cracker it most definately is not!

It actually took a fellow cook and friend of mine, Jon, to bring it to my attention that I had not yet made this variety of bread. Who would have thought it would take redheaded Swede to point out my oversight? Well Mr. Murphy, thank you for the push, and I will credit your Irish side when we delve into the world of drinking with no hang-overs at some future point.... oops, I meant to say when we look at Irish Soda Bread! Heh, I wonder- is lefse your magic cure??? Well, you know how it is in the Food Service Industry....

Anywaaaaaay- this dough is quite different than any other bread I can recall working with. It is very soft, velvety to the touch. The amount of riced potato is massive compared to the relatively small amount of flour, which is used solely as a binder and for rolling out the dough. Heavy cream and butter are used primarily for flavoring but also to some degree as texture enhancers too. The ingredients combine to make a deceptive dough. In handling it, one would think it would just fall apart, feeling so delicate. In reality it is no more delicate than pita dough. I will admit- I did veer off from tradition in not using a griddle on the stove, rather a pizza stone in the oven for greater production ability- I had other meal items to make besides this one component, and I could produce four at once rather than one at a time. And like a pizza, I used a pizza peel to manipulate the rounds.

The rounds puffed up slightly while cooking, from the trapped moisture alone and whatever slight gluten that was developed when mixing in the flour, as again no leavener was used.

The finished product was amazingly moist, very flavorful, and had far more texture that I would have thought considering the few basic items in the recipe. What few remained became some of the best grilled cheese sandwiches one could want in our frigid blustery weather- suprising depth of flavor, yet obviously a stout filler. Perfect for tomato soup!

The required items are:

6 pounds Idaho/yukon gold potatoes, peeled, cooked in salted water, drained, riced, and allowed to cool to room temp.

1 1/2 Cups all purpose flour, more as needed

1/3 cup salted butter, melted (margarine would be OK, but butter is better)

1/4 cup heavy cream (must have, other dairy too "wet")

1 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt, or more to taste

1 teaspoon sugar

Cook the Idaho Russet and Yukon Gold together (equally sized potato pieces in a large pan with cold salted water, bring to boil, reduce to simmer, check with a fork, and when tender drain, and then rice) I did 3 pounds each- Idaho for the texture and Yukon for flavor and buttery color. All Russet would be okay too- remember, this was originally supposed to be made with what was on hand- I just like to play with my food. Once the riced potatoes are at room temp (hint: spread them out on a cookie sheet and they will cool very rapidly), add the remaining ingredients above and mix until all is combined. Touch the dough- if it is at all sticky/wet add more flour and mix some more, repeat until it is smooth "like a baby's bottom"- yeah, literally, that is the best tactile description. Cover and place into refrigerator for about an hour- it will allow the gluten to relax, and it will firm up the mixture which will make easier handling when rolling out.

First of all, heat the oven with the pizza stone on the bottom shelf to 450-500 degrees. After the dough is cooled and relaxed, form tennis ball sized rolls of dough which you then flattened out into a disk shape, and with a rolling pin and a heavily floured surface (both under and on top) starting in the center of the disk, rolled outwards away from you. Then from the center again towards yourself. At this point get a spatula/ dough scraper, pick up the rolled dough give it a quarter turn (making sure the under and top remain floured), and roll from the center away, and the center towards you. You are looking for about the size of a pita, and about the same thickness, so keep rolling/turning until the desired thickness is reached. Work through as many balls as can be fit on the pizza stone at one time. I fit four at one time, so I am sure to have four rolled out before I pull the previous batch out.

Each oven is quite different, so despite it being set at 450, it does not guarantee that it is actually cooking at 450. It is better to judge by sight rather than by time/temperature. After about 7 to 10 minutes, using your spatula check the underside of the lefse, and once it appears mottled brown, turn it over with your spatula/pizza peel. Careful not to burn yourself- it can be quite painful if you brush any surface with your hand. Check the second side after about 5-7 minutes, again looking for the mottled surface, but slightly less so than the first side. After you pull each batch out, cover it with a damp towel until all are completed, and this will keep the "just baked" quality until the rest of the meal is finished. Serve with sweet cream butter.

Any remaining bread make knock-out grilled sandwiches!

This bread and subsequent sandwiches have the "6 year old's seal of approval". The tomato soup- not so much.... eeeah, that comes with time.

This is a blog about my culinary and cultural meanderings

Coming from a family that has always placed great importance and even reverence on food that we share, it was only natural that I would be persuing food and the tools, emotions and the memories that come with it. I am so lucky that my Mom while I was growing up in the 70's and early 80's would make most everything from scratch, partially because it stretched the family buget, but largly because she knew how to instinctively (thanks to my Grandma), and she wanted to controll the quality of what we ate.... bread, butter, pickles, home grown veggies, and on and on. I now consider myself spoiled being raised with such quality- back then it was all that my brother and I knew, my wonderful sister had yet to join us at that point. Looking back, I am truly thankful for that amazing food and the influence it has injected into my culinary awareness.

On top of the quality of ingredients, my Mom also broadened our flavor horizons by cooking Mexican, Chinese, Hawaiian, German and everything in between- it must have been a chore, and at times a gamble, but one that paid off in the long run. Because of her input my siblings and I don't have culinary blinders- everything is open to try. Deo gratias!

So this blog is my mental as well as culinary wanderings thru the wide and deep subject of the Culinary Globe, interjected with memories of family and friends.

So, Cheers! Here's to a life reflected in food!