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Posted on » by Dino » Theme:

Turkish Coffee

turkish coffee foam

Notes

Many instructions on how to make Turkish coffee use the term “boil,” however those who have properly prepared it would never use this term. Unfortunately the instructions I followed not only used the term, but had me boil the coffee 3 separate times. This caused the lovely foam to evaporate and die. YOU BASTARDS!

If someone serves you Turkish coffee without foam, throw it in their face.

Ideally, Turkish coffee will have a layer of foam on top as pictured above. If desired, sugar is added at the brewing stage as stirring the coffee would break down the foam layer. Also, Turkish coffee is to be served in demitasse cups, not mugs. I obviously had no idea what I was doing.

When it comes to Turkish coffee, if someone had said it was my ‘first rodeo’ they’d have spoken a double entendre. What I prepared was more Cowboy Coffee than actual Turkish coffee. Here is a better-researched version of of how to prepare Turkish coffee.

Equipment

  • Ibrik/Cezve (Turkish coffee pot) or a small saucepan
  • A metal spoon
  • Demitasse cups
  • Thermometer (optional)

Ingredients

Serves 2

  • 6 oz cold water
  • 1 Tbsp extra-fine (powder consistency) ground Arabic coffee
    (finest burr grinder setting, or ask for Turkish grind at your grocery store or roaster)
  • 1 tsp sugar (optional)
  • 1/8 tspn ground cardamom, or 1-2 cardamom pods (optional)

Directions

  • Add water (and sugar) to the pot and heat on medium high, but do not boil; if using sugar, the water is ready once the sugar has melted
  • Remove from heat, add coffee but do not stir– allow grounds to float on top
  • Return pan to burner set to medium-low (temperature should never exceed 158°F)
  • When the grounds sink, stir several times; eventually a foam will form on top
  • When the foam begins to rise (will look like a boil-over), remove from heat
  • After it has completely settled down, return pan to burner
  • When the foam returns, keep it foaming for as long as possible. Once a second rise/boil-over occurs, remove from heat
  • First, pour some coffee fairly quickly into demitasse cups; then do a second, slower pour, allowing an equal amount of foam to transfer to each cup. Do not stir (sugar should be added at brewing step) as this would break down the foam
  • Allow ~30 seconds for the grinds to settle before consuming

Posted on » by Ashley » Theme:

Cucumber Gin Elderflower Smash

Cucumber Gin Elderflower Smash
Big Flavors from a Tiny Kitchen – Ashley Covelli

Ice
3 ounces english cucumber, peeled (around 4 inches)
1/2 lime, cut into 4 pieces
leaves from 2 sprigs mint (about 2 tablespoons)
8 ounces gin
8 ounces elderflower tonic
8 dashes orange bitters
Optional: 4 ounces seltzer, for nonalcoholic version

Fill 4 glasses with ice cubes.

In a cocktail shaker, muddle together cucumber, lime and mint. Add gin and shake well to combine.

Divide muddled mixture between ice-filled glasses. Top each with 2 ounces of elderflower tonic, 2 dashes of orange bitters and stir to combine.

For nonalcoholic variation, omit gin and bitters and add 1 ounce of seltzer to each glass instead. Enjoy!

Posted on » by Michael » Theme:

Bánh Mì Sandwich

This is the recipe I used to compile my pickled carrots & radish with sticky chicken and the modified baguette recipe. I didn’t end up making my own mayonnaise. I couldn’t find Maggi seasoning so I used light soy-sauce.

For each sandwich:

1 petit baguette roll or a 7-inch section cut from a regular length baguette, purchased or homemade
Mayonnaise, real (whole egg) or homemade mayonnaise
Maggi Seasoning sauce or soy sauce
Your choice of boldly-flavored meat or tofu, sliced and at room temperature
3 or 4 thin seeded cucumber strips, pickling or English variety preferred
2 or 3 cilantro sprigs, roughly chopped
3 or 4 thin jalapeño pepper slices
Everyday Daikon and Carrot Pickle (do chua)

  1. Slit the bread lengthwise, and then use your fingers or a bread knife to hollow out the insides, making a trough in both halves. Discard the insides or save it for another use, such as breadcrumbs. If necessary, crisp up the bread in a toaster oven preheated to 325ºF, and then let it cool for a minute before proceeding.
  2. Generously spreading the inside with mayonnaise. Drizzle in some Maggi Seasoning sauce or soy sauce. Start from the bottom portion of bread to layer in the remaining ingredients. (As with all sandwiches, you’ll eventually develop an order for layering the filling so as to maximize the interaction between flavors and textures.) Close the sandwich, cut it in half crosswise for easy eating, and enjoy.