Marcus' Gourmet Kitchen Blog

Frittatas and French Omelets

From now on when I teach a cooking class I will post the recipes here.  Although, I have already written an entry on omelets I have learned some things since then. I haven't written anything about frittatas to date. I made these recipes for two classes recently and they went over well.   

The beautiful thing about frittatas and omelets is their versatility.  You can fill them with practically anything savory.  The only limit to them is your culinary imagination.  Fillings can be as basic as ham and cheddar cheese to something a little more gourmet - like the filling I will tell you how to make. We will get to this later; first, let's start with the frittata.

Frittatas are Spanish "omelets."  They are not flipped to cook the top, rather they are cooked a little over halfway in a nonstick pan or cast iron pan and then placed in the oven or under the broiler to finish them off.  You can add whatever you want to them--just make sure that what you are adding has most of its moisture cooked out of it before adding or you will have wet spots in your frittata.  (A funny story:  I was teaching this class on Thursday and a lady, who was taking the class, lived in Spain for a spell.  She talked about how she missed Frittatas and how after they would eat them they would go to a tapas bar.  The people in the class started laughing and cackling.  I immediately knew that they had mistaken what she said as "topless bar" because I thought she said "topless," too.  She was quite embarrassed, but I cleared it up for her.  Yes, the wine was flowing for some folks that night.  Maybe you had to be there; it was funny at the time!)

Savory Frittata (serves 4-6 people)

8 eggs

5-6 Red or white potatoes (small)

½ Medium onion (large dice)

½ cup cubed ham (ham steak)

½ cup of good grated Swiss or Gruyere cheese

Enough freshly grated Parmesan to sprinkle over the top

12” nonstick pan

Transfer the pan to the broiler and broil until the top is browned and the frittata has puffed. Keep an eye on it while it is in the broiler or it WILL burn.  Sprinkle the top with the grated Parmesan cheese and serve with sour cream condiment.

Sour Cream Condiment

16oz Sour cream

1 bunch of scallions or chives (or both)

Salt and white pepper

1 t. ground roasted garlic or garlic powder

1 t. parsley

10 inch nonstick pan. I am linking to this pan because it is the slickest pan that I have ever used.  This is the pan I reach for every time I make eggs.

1 T. cream to thin the mixture

Thinly slice the scallions or chives and add other ingredients.  Mix well and let sit for an hour or two (a day is better) in the fridge. Other uses: use as a vegetable dip or as a condiment for crackers or baked potatoes.

Port Wine Omelet Filling (serves 10-12 people)

1 medium onion cut into strips

3-4 red and/or yellow bell peppers cut into strips

¼ cup of ham sliced into strips (used for flavor)

2 flats of mushrooms rinsed and sliced (Appx. 30-40 medium mushrooms)

1/2-3/4 bottle of inexpensive Port wine

1 t. beef or chicken base

Chopped parsley for garnish

2 T. Butter for sautéing

2 T. Butter for finishing the filling

1 T. Worcestershire sauce

Salt and pepper

Sauté onions, ham and peppers for a few minutes to soften and add the mushrooms (you will think there are too many, but they will cook down)—season with salt and pepper.  Once well cooked (very little moisture left in the pan, deglaze with the bottle of Port wine.  Reduce the liquid until it starts to “tighten.”  You are looking for the consistency of high quality maple syrup (sauce will coat the back of a spoon).  DO NOT LEAVE THE PAN.  This sauce can go from liquid-to-syrup-to-burnt quickly.  Remove pan from the burner and finish the filling with the butter.  Now it is time to make your omelets! Grab a

2-3 egg omelets will give you the tenderest omelets. The French omelet involves a technique that I can’t really write about, but that you need to know. The beautiful thing about the technique is that there is no flipping or turning of the omelet. I will let Julia Child—God rest her soul—show you how to make omelets the “French” way. Click here to see her do it.

Excerpts below are for educational purposes only and are borrowed from: Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume I.

Let the eggs settle in the pan for 2 or 3 seconds to form a film of coagulated egg in the bottom of the pan.

Then increase the angle of the pan slightly, which will force the egg mass to roll over on itself with each jerk at the far lip of the pan.

As soon as the omelet has shaped up, hold it in the angle of the pan to brown the bottom a pale golden color, but only a second or two, for the eggs must not overcook. The center of the omelet should remain soft and creamy. If the omelet has not formed neatly, push it with the back of your fork.

Grasp the handle of the pan with both hands, thumbs on top, and immediately begin jerking the pan vigorously and roughly toward you at an even, 20-degree angle over the heat, one jerk per second. It is the sharp pull of the pan toward you which throws the eggs against the far lip of the pan, then back over its bottom surface. You must have the courage to be rough or the eggs will not loosen themselves from the bottom of the pan. After several jerks, the eggs will begin to thicken. A filling would go in at this point.

Making Panini--A Great Fast Food with Gourmet Taste!

Panini are Italian sandwiches made of rustic, crusty breads and cured meats.  Generally they are toasted and have grill marks on them. They supply a gourmet taste and are simple to make.  (I want to make a disclaimer from the outset. In no way am I telling you that my Panini recipes below are authentically Italian; however they do use Italian elements and Panini are Italian-style sandwiches.  Panini in Italy are served on a bun and filled with Italian cured meats like prosciutto or salami and are served either hot or cold.)

Equipment: You will need a grill pan and press or you can opt for an electric panini maker like the Krups Panini Maker or Cuisinart Griddler. We sell both the electrics and the grill pan kinds.  I like the electrics because I am impatient--they cook from both sides at the same time thereby cutting cooking time in half.

I like to use a rustic sourdough bread or simple focaccia for my Panini.  They both offer a toasty crunch and flavor, but use whatever bread you like as long as it is not an overly processed bread like Wonder bread. I also use mozzarella cheese instead of the traditional Mortadella cheese.

Panini Florentine

One of my favorites--take two slices of bread, place mozzarella cheese on one slice of bread along with fresh baby spinach.  Then add garlic infused oil, salt and black pepper onto the the spinach.  On the other side place ham or prosciutto.  Put the two sides together, drizzle with olive oil and place the sandwich on the grill where the ham layer is on the bottom.  Let gravity pull the melted cheese from the top layer to the ham.  The cheese will "glue" both sides of the sandwich together.

Chicken Pesto Panini

Either grill chicken on your panini maker or buy deli sliced chicken breast.  Spread basil pesto on one slice of bread and put on the amount of chicken you desire.  On the other slice place the cheese.  Drizzle both outer sides of the sandwich with olive oil.  Place sandwich on the grill pan or maker with the cheese as the uppermost layer in the sandwich.  After cooking, open the Panino and add fresh tomato slices and serve.

Grilled Veggie Panini

Grill on a grill pan or in a panini maker, zucchini slices cut into thin ribbons (you can do this easily with a nice peeler), onion and sweet red or yellow peppers (cut into strips).  Remove grilled vegetables and then build your sandwich.  Spread sun-dried tomato pesto on one slice of bread and then layer your vegetables.  Place cheese on the other slice. Drizzle olive oil on the outside of the sandwich and place in the maker. Grill with the cheese layer as the upper layer so it will melt downward.

When you cook the sandwiches it is important to achieve brown grill marks on the outside.  We use olive oil to promote browning.  Your sandwich should be crispy and crunchy.  Now that you see how easy it is, invite your friends over for a panini party.  Provide the ingredients, panini maker and wine and you are sure to have a great party.  Let your guests build and cook their own!

Back in the Saddle Again.

For those of you who check my blog regularly I apologize for being absent.  The last half of the year was pure busy-ness.  We added a new www.distinctive-decor.com showroom and moved our whole online operation to a new physical location.  It was a lot of work, but it was well worth it.  The store looks great and is getting some attention.

I had a new Viking kitchen built into the new showroom for cooking classes--a big thanks goes out to Viking Range Corporation for their cooperation on it.  The classes have been fun.  Recently I taught a class, "A Classic French Bistro Meal."  It was well attended and I received nice feedback from it.  Below I give the recipes for this class. 

Anyone can make this meal and it will taste fabulous.  I cooked the entire three-course meal in less than two hours, teaching all the way through.  Seriously, anyone can do this meal. You will wow your guests with it. Here is the menu. 

French Onion Soup                                                                                           

1/2 cup unsalted butter                                                                                            
4 onions, sliced thinly                                                                                              
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 bay leaves
2 fresh thyme sprigs or ½ t. of dry
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup port wine, about 1/2 bottle

2 tablespoons of young Balsamic Vinegar
Tablespoon of Worchester Sauce
2 quarts beef broth
1 baguette, sliced and toasted
1/2 pound grated Gruyere or sliced baby Swiss

Caramelize onions over medium heat in batches. Once sufficiently browned transfer onions to a stock pot. Add garlic, bay leaves, thyme, port wine, balsamic vinegar, Worchester sauce.  Cook until the smell of alcohol subsides and add the beef broth or stock. Taste…season…taste…and season again. You can "beef" it up a bit with beef base.  I know it is cheating, but I do not have time to make my own beef stock reduction.

Potato Gratin

1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 sprig fresh thyme or ¼ t. dried
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Butter
2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and sliced thinly
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup grated Parmesan, plus more for broiling—total of one cup.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Heat the cream and butter a casserole. Place one layer of potato in an overlapping pattern and season with salt and pepper. Remove cream from heat, then pour a little over the potatoes. Top with some grated Parmesan. Make 2 more layers. Bake, uncovered, for 45 minutes. Sprinkle some more Parmesan and broil until cheese browns, about 5 minutes.

Marcus’ Steak Au Poivre

4 to 5 tender cuts of beef.  (filet mignon, strips, whatever you like)

Fresh cracked pepper to coat the steaks

Salt

Olive Oil and butter for sautéing.

Heat fry pan over medium heat

Add oil and butter

Add steaks

Cook 4 minutes per side to create a sear and crust (steaks will be medium-rare).

Transfer pan to 400 degree oven 5 minutes for medium (depends on size of steaks)

Remove and tent with foil.

For sauce:

1 shallot minced

2 cups beef broth (reduced by half) traditionally one would use demi-glace, and I encourage that, but can't find it in my neck of the woods.

½ Cup Brandy

½ Cup Cream

1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard

Parsley

Pour off fat from the steak fry pan.

Add minced shallot (and a pat of butter if needed) and sauté over medium heat

Add beef broth and reduce by 1/2.

Add Brandy to pan while off heat. Pre-measured and in a measuring cup. NEVER POUR FROM BOTTLE!!!!

Flame carefully with a lighter or tilt pan over flame

Add cream and parsley and heat through

Spoon sauce over steak.

Spinach Cakes

2 packages of frozen chopped spinach

½ cup grated parmesan cheese

1 egg

½ cup Italian bread crumbs for mixture and ½ cup for breading

¼ cup softened onions, scallions or shallots and 1 clove garlic softened

Salt and pepper

¼ freshly ground nutmeg

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Heat a fry pan to medium heat, add olive oil. Add the cakes and cook one to two minutes per side or until browned.  Serve warm.

Quick Mousse

2 cups whipping cream
12 ounces quality semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 ounces espresso or strong coffee

1/3 Cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 tablespoons butter

Melt chocolate and butter in double boiler and stir to cool

Beat cream, vanilla and sugar to medium peaks

Add portion of cream to melted chocolate and mix in to lighten the chocolate

Add chocolate in thirds to the cream by folding.  Viola!

Either serve immediately or cool in refrigerator. (If you want to serve it later, spoon into individual dishes and wrap tightly with plastic wrap.

Mac and Cheese

I made baked macaroni and cheese for a July 4th family get together yesterday. There were leftovers so we decided to bring the dish to work.  The ladies in the office scarfed it up fast and told me I had to give out the recipe--so here goes...

4 T unsalted butter, 1 small onion finely diced, 1 clove garlic minced, 4 T all-purpose flour, 1/2 t cayenne pepper, 1 bay leaf or 3 healthy sprigs of thyme, 1T dried mustard, 2-3 cups of whole milk, 1/4 cup of heavy cream, 1/2 lb elbow pasta, 1/2 lb cheddar cheese, 1/4 cup of grated parmesan and 1 cup of crushed saltine crackers.  1 egg is optional if your sauce is too thin and you need a binder while baking.

Using medium heat, melt the butter and add the onion.  Cook until the onion is soft and add in the flour, cayenne and dried mustard.  Use a flat whisk and stir.  Cook the mixture for approximately two minutes to get rid of the raw flour taste. At this point, you can add a bay leaf or thyme and add 2-3 cups of milk to the mixture and 1/4 cup of heavy cream (start with 2 cups of milk and if your sauce is too thick add more).  Stir like a madman (or woman) with a flat whisk to remove all lumps.  Be sure to run the whisk across the bottom, corners and side of your saucier. The mixture will thicken gradually and thicken completely when you see the boil coming.

After mixture has thickened, remove from the heat and add 1/2 lb of grated cheddar cheese (or whatever cheese you like). Stir to melt.  STOP, taste your sauce and season for taste. Add 1/2 lb of cooked macaroni pasta and fold the macaroni into the sauce.  Pour sauced pasta into a baking dish.  Top with cheddar and Parmesan cheese and 1 cup of crushed saltine crackers (place pats of butter on the cracker topping to aid in browning and add more calories!).  Place in a preheated 350 degree oven and bake for 30 minutes, or until the top has browned. Garnish with chives or green onions and eat.  Serves: A lot of people.

Bow Tie Pasta with Vodka Tomato Sauce

My son asked me to make some pasta for his lunch on Saturday (like most kids he loves pasta).  Also, like most children he is impatient. I decided to stray from my regular tomato sauce that takes a little more time to cook and try a quick vodka tomato sauce.  It was great, so I am passing it on to you here. The sauce comes together in about the same amount of time as it takes to cook the pasta.

Boil 1/2 pound of small penne or bow tie pasta according to the package directions.

In a large skillet heated to medium-high heat add olive oil, 1/2 diced red or yellow onion, 2 cloves of minced garlic and as much red pepper flakes to suit you--cook just to soften the onions.  Take your skillet from the fire and add 1/4 to 1/2 cup of vodka (BE CAREFUL; the alcohol will flame up on you). Once the alcohol has evaporated or burnt off add 2 cans of whole tomatoes that you have squished (Is that a real word?) with your hands.  Add salt. Allow the sauce to cook for about 5 minutes and add 1/2 cup of cream to the sauce.

Drain your pasta thoroughly and pour it into your vodka sauce. Add fresh basil and stir--coating the pasta with sauce.  Serve with grated parmesan cheese. Enjoy!  Serves four.

Spinach Quiche

Here is the recipe for a great spinach quiche I made the other day. My wife and I made a mistake and bought a huge bag of organic spinach at one of those wholesale clubs.  We intended to eat much of it immediately in salads, but it just sat in the refrigerator.  We refused to let it spoil so I thought about what I could make.  My wife said, "just cook it all."  She really likes cooked spinach.

Let me be honest with you. There are few things that I enjoy less than eating cooked spinach; I do like it raw, though.  I don't like the texture or the mouth feel of cooked spinach.  I decided to make a quiche--something that I had never made.  I figured that I could dispatch at least half the bag of spinach in it.  I was pleasantly surprised when the quiche turned out tasting rich and wonderful.  I couldn't stop eating it--I ate it for dinner and breakfast!

Buy a frozen 9 inch pie shell and bake it according to package directions (or make your shell from scratch if you enjoy that type of exercise).  Either prick the pie shell with a fork or fill with beans before cooking the pie shell to reduce rising during cooking.

Add to a bowl and whisk:

1 cup cooked spinach (Spinach should be seasoned with salt, pepper and garlic.  Once cooked, squeeze out as much moisture as possible and chop.)

2 whole eggs

2 egg yolks

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup of milk

pinch of salt

pinch of cayenne pepper

pinch of nutmeg

Whisk well and pour mixture into your baked pie shell. Sprinkle a small amount of the cheese of your choice over the top.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees and place the quiche on the middle rack.  Cook for 30 minutes; the top should be brown around the edge and have brown spots on the top when done.  Allow quiche to cool for 30 minutes before slicing.  Enjoy!

Choosing The Right and The Best Cookware

Trouble Deciding What Cookware to Buy?

Choosing the best cookware is all about materials and the quality of materials. Sure, you can purchase cookware from a bargain chain store, but odds are that you will have to replace that pan or pot 4 or 5 times over time when you could buy a quality one that lasts a lifetime. The surface material and the material running throughout the pan are of paramount importance when deciding which set or individual piece you should purchase.

When purchasing cookware you will need to think about the surface material, pan construction material, and the overall appearance and design.

Surface Material

The most prominent cookware surface options available in the marketplace are nonstick, stainless steel, and hard anodized aluminum.

Nonstick pans release food better and are easier to clean than stainless steel and hard anodized aluminum. Every home cook should have at least one good nonstick pan on their pot rack. However, it doesn’t necessarily make sense for the entire set to be nonstick. Nonstick pans can be too slippery for sauce making and make it difficult to properly brown your food. Non-stick surfaces serve an important purpose and can make cooking foods that tend to stick a breeze. See below for tips on how to choose the best nonstick surface coating.

Stainless steel cookware surfaces are the best choice for browning red meats, fish and poultry as well as for simmering your favorite sauces. (When you brown meats you want “fond.” Fond is the little dark bits of meat and seasoning that stick to the pan after browning meats. The fond creates the base for sauces and can easily be lifted from the hot pan when a liquid is added.) Some argue that the downside of a stainless steel surface is that it is more difficult to clean. While this is true, deglazing a pan after cooking will greatly minimize the time you spend scrubbing the pan in your sink. By far, stainless steel is the best all-around cooking surface because stainless steel is non reactive and can take a beating.

Hard anodized aluminum cookware surfaces are sealed through the anodizing process. Allow us to say from the onset that there is a contingent who argue that cooking with non-sealed aluminum cookware is harmful. Also, non-sealed aluminum will react with some foods causing either a funny taste or a change in the color of the food. However, hard anodized aluminum is safe and will not react with food. The anodizing process not only hardens the aluminum, but also seals the surface creating a non-porous and non-reactive cooking surface. Anodized aluminum will not leach out into your food. The hardening and sealing produced by anodizing creates a cooking surface that is easy to clean and will brown meats sufficiently.

Choosing the Right Nonstick Pan

DuPont makes six different qualities of nonstick surfaces: (listed here from the most basic to the most advanced level) Classic, Xtra, Select, Platinum, Platinum Pro, and Autograph 2. Autograph 2 cookware surfaces will release food the longest, resist scratching the longest and last the longest overall. When you buy a pan with a nonstick surface make sure you know these six DuPont surfaces and which surface is the best.

Cookware Material

Look for stainless steel pans that are fully “clad” or “plied.” For instance, Viking Cookware calls their fully clad pans “7-ply.” When a pan is clad or plied it means that aluminum, or some other good heat conductor like copper, has been sandwiched between layers of stainless steel. This way you get the even conductivity of the aluminum or copper with the durability of the non-reactive stainless steel.

Be sure to read about the pans and know if they are “bottom clad” or “fully clad.” Bottom clad pans are the least desirable of the two, but still perform well and are less expensive to purchase. Bottom clad pots and pans will have the aluminum sandwich on the bottom of the pan only and stainless steel on the sides. Fully clad pans have the aluminum sandwiched throughout the entire pan including the sides. Herein lays the superiority of fully clad pans — heat is distributed up the sides of the pan for more even cooking while bottom clad pans do not heat well up the sides.

Maybe hard anodized aluminum pans tickle your fancy. Make sure to find out how much pure aluminum is contained in them. Don’t buy a pan containing less than 80% pure aluminum. Hard anodized aluminum pans like the Anolon Titanium Cookware have aluminum running throughout the pan and will heat evenly from the bottom to the sides. (If you have a induction range, make sure that you buy a hard anodized aluminum pan that has an induction disc in the bottom or your induction range will not heat the pan. Infinite Circulon hard anodized cookware works well on induction ranges.)

Allow us to throw in cast iron cookware and ceramic cookware. Cast iron surfaces must be properly seasoned to seal the pan. The seasoning process creates a nice stick-resistant coating. Cast iron is heavy, will heat slowly and hold heat longer than any other type of cookware. When enamel coating is added there is no need to season the pan. The enamel seals the surface. Here we have to go with what we know and what we have used. Lodge has full line of fantastic pre-seasoned cast iron cookware. When buying enamel coated cast iron cookware, look no further than Le Creuset.

Emile Henry has perfected ceramic cookware. Their unique firing enables the cookware to be used on your range or in the oven. It is lighter than cast iron and has many of the same uses. Ceramic cookware aficionados swear that using ceramics is the best way to preserve the nutritional qualities and flavor of food. Emile Henry stewpots are perfect for searing and then braising in the oven at low heat.

Other Considerations

Make sure that the pans are oven proof to 400 or 500 degrees with stainless steel handles, make sure the lid is tight fitting and that the pan feels good in your hand (not too heavy or imbalanced). Look at the overall design: what design factors do you find appealing, what design aspects make the pan safer to move around, pick up and prevent burns?

While this is not an exhaustive buyer's guide for choosing cookware hopefully it provides help in choosing the best cookware. Using the information given here will give you the proper foundation to choose cookware that is of the quality you expect. The outside color, style and attractiveness are important, but the materials that make the pan are crucial.

Happy cooking!

You Probably Think You Don't Like Them

A few Sundays ago I invited my parents and grandmother over to eat after worship services.  It was a standard Sunday meal that my mother fed my siblings and me growing up on Sundays.  Pot roast, potatoes, carrots, steamed broccoli and brussel sprouts.  Wait a minute; my mother never fed us brussel sprouts!

A few days earlier I was browsing my local supermarket produce section and saw almost perfect brussel sprouts.  They were very firm ones (never buy mushy, slimy or loose-leafed brussel sprouts) and they had a nice green color.  I had to buy them, but was a little apprehensive about doing it.  I knew that my wife and I liked them, but I also knew the reputation these little guys have.  Most people turn their noses up and say, "yuck" and move to the next dish.  I was determined to make great brussel sprouts and change perceptions--at least my family's perceptions.

Sure enough, when my family arrived I told them what we were having and when I arrived at brussel sprouts the enthusiasm for the meal seemed to wane.  It was like someone let the air out of a tire.  I told everyone to have an open mind and that I had already tried them and they were great.  After that everyone agreed to try them.  We all ate far more than we should have and after the meal I received the only accolade I wanted.  My 86 year-old grandmother said, "those were the best brussel sprouts I have ever eaten; how did you make them?"

Grandmother asked, so I am sharing with the world.

Rinse the brussel sprouts and trim their bottoms.  Peel off the outer loose leaves.  Cut the larger sprouts in half long way and leave the smaller sprouts whole.

Cut 3 thick pieces of bacon into thin 1 inch strips and render the fat from them in a saute pan.  (I have two saute pans a Kitchen-Aid and a Viking one.  I used the Kitchen-Aid that day.) Once the bacon has rendered all of its beautiful fat take out the crispy bacon strips and placed them on a paper towel to drain.  [Save them for the garnish.]

Pour out all but about a tablespoon of the bacon fat and saute 1/4 cup of diced onions in the fat until the onions are softened (use medium heat).  Season with salt and pepper. Once softened, throw in the sprouts and cook for 2 to 3 minutes.  After the brussel sprouts have been sauted, pour in one cup of chicken broth or stock and cover.  Cook for 10 minutes and try one.  If it needs to cook longer--let it cook longer.

Once you are satisfied with the texture of your brussel sprouts pour them into a serving bowl and sprinkle the cooked bacon over the top.  Enjoy.  Like my grandmother said, they will be the best brussel sprouts you will ever eat.  Don't be a chicken; try them!

Fragrant Sauce

I made Fragrant Beef the other night and my wife raved about it. She loves the sweetness and heat of fragrant sauce and I wanted to make something for her she would like. She wasn't necessarily excited about the tender beef, but she raved about the vegetables--of course (see the omelette post for her attitude toward meats). It was tasty; I must say.

After the successful meal she said, "Don't write about this in your blog.  Everyone will think that we eat only Chinese food."  She said it in a slightly condescending way and her tone was--you know, when someone rolls their eyes at you and says something.  Sorry honey, I am going against you here--mainly because you rolled your eyes.  For those reading this we eat a lot more than Chinese food.  However, lately we have been on an Asian kick--exploring Chinese, uh, American Chinese, cuisine.  What can I say, we do love the stuff!

I had no idea how to make "fragrant sauce," so I did what I always do.  I hit the web and began searching.  I had a hard time locating some recipes, but with determination I found a few.  I took what I liked from each recipe and began to assemble ingredients.  Here is what I did:

Prepare:

T. peanut oil (Why peanut oil? It can take the high heat needed to properly stir fry without smoking. You can use canola, but will need to watch it or it will smoke up your kitchen.)

10 oz beef loin slightly frozen (cut into thin strips)

1 red bell pepper julienned

1 carrot julienned

Broccoli florets

1/2 onion cut into thin strips

T. minced garlic

T. grated or minced ginger

Red pepper flakes or hot chili sauce  The amount is up to you.  I add in as much red pepper flakes as I can stand. 

Tip:  Add red pepper flakes early when stir frying the meat to have even heat throughout the dish.  If you add red pepper flakes at the end of cooking you will not have a consistently spicy dish, instead some bites will be void of spice and some bites will be astonishingly hot!

Marcus' Fragrant Sauce

T. grated ginger

T. minced garlic

2 T soy sauce

1/3 C plum jelly

1/2 C beef stock

1/4 t. sesame oil

Heat your wok or frying pan as hot as you can.  Add the Peanut oil and stir fry the beef, carrots, onion, red pepper flakes or chili sauce and red bell pepper.  Add in the garlic and ginger.  When beef is nearly done throw in the broccoli.  Add the sauce components.  Just dump them all in and stir.  Thicken the sauce with 1T of cornstarch mixed with enough cold water to make a slurry.  Pour in the cornstarch slurry and allow sauce to tighten while stirring.  Serve immediately over steamed rice or lo mein noodles.  Serves 4 moderate eaters or two over-eaters!

Choosing Great Coffee

Log on to any coffee blog or newsgroup and you may begin to wonder, “What is with this whole coffee thing anyway? You will find that many people are as passionate about their coffee as they are about their wine and tea! At www.distinctive-décor.com it is our goal to demystify, or at least simplify, the coffee world in this short informational segment.

The truth is that volumes of books have been written on the subject of coffee and it is impossible to be thorough here, but we will do our best. Understanding the intricacies of coffee is akin to understanding the complex worlds of both wine and tea. The various names of coffees, coffee bean types, degrees of roast and a few other tidbits will be explored here.

What’s in a Name?

Choosing coffee based solely on its name is a bad idea. Names given to coffees are misleading since names may be attached to designate the region where the coffee was grown, to describe how dark it is roasted or a name may be attached arbitrarily by the roaster. Suffice to say there are thousands of names.

What Type of Bean?

When you go to your local coffee house, supermarket, online retailer or local roaster (if you should be so lucky to have a local roaster) you need to know what type of beans you are buying. There only are two types of coffee beans: robusta and arabica. Robusta beans are cheaper to produce, contain twice the caffeine of Arabica beans and generally have a harsh flavor. Robusta beans are used primarily by the instant and canned coffee producers.

Arabica beans are superior to robusta beans and can be purchased anywhere. However, you need to be aware that there are varying qualities of Arabica beans in the marketplace. It is good to know a local roaster who you can trust to give you the highest quality beans—again, if you are so lucky to have a local roaster—or you can join a coffee newsgroup to find opinions and options on where the best beans are to be found. Update: I found a local roaster in my small town and his coffee is superb!

What About Roast Strength?

This depends totally on your palate and the type of coffee you are serving.

Cinnamon Roast- The beans are roasted to a Cinnamon color, hence the name. The brew will be acidic and fruity.

Light-medium roast- usually called “Columbian” or American Roast. The beans are dry (no oil on the surface of the bean). The brew will taste slightly acidic and lively.

Medium roast- This roast is often called “breakfast,” light espresso, Viennese and is most likely used in a blend. The beans should have small droplets of oil on them.

Dark roast—Used for dark espresso and may be called “Italian Roast.” The beans are dark in color and shiny because of the beans’ oil escaping. Extra dark roast- Also called French roast, these beans are intensely deep in color and have a smoky taste. The beans are roasted thoroughly and if they taste burnt they have been roasted too much. Throw them out!

I advise you to try various roast strengths and choose what you like. Always choose the roast strength YOU like.

Storing Your Beans

Coffee is like bread in that it absolutely hates air. As soon as air contacts the surface of the bean it begins to loose its flavor and depth. Always buy your coffee whole bean and store in an air tight container or roll down the top of your bag and secure firmly with a rubber band and store in your freezer. The best storage is to keep your beans at room temperature and use within a week. If you buy in bulk be sure to separate what you will use in that week and freeze the rest in an air tight container, bag or vacuum pack it for the freezer.

Check out our full line of La Pavoni espresso makers and coffee grinders imported from Italy. Also, check out our airtight canisters, coffee scoops, coffee tampers, and frothing pitchers.