Seared Scallops with Espresso Beurre Blanc

INGREDIENTS:

1 small shallot, finely diced

5 stems of parsley (stems only), coarsely chopped

4 black peppercorns

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon cider vinegar

1 teaspoon espresso dissolved in 1/4 cup recently boiled water

1 tablespoon heavy cream

1/4 teaspoon granulated sugar

Fine sea salt

1 stick (8 tablespoons or 4 ounces) very cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes, plus 1 tablespoon

12 to 16 large sea scallops

1.  In a small saucepan, add the shallot, parsley stems, peppercorns, cider vinegar and espresso powder dissolved in the hot water.  Bring to a simmer over medium heat and simmer until reduced to 2 teaspoons, about 10 minutes.

2.  Whisk in the heavy cream, then begin adding the stick of cubed butter, about 3 small cubes at one time, whisking constantly.  Add more butter only once the butter just added has melted into sauce.  Once all the butter is incorporated, remove from heat, add sugar and season to taste with salt.  Strain into a bowl and set aside.

3.  Working quickly, melt the remaining tablespoon of butter in a heavy-bottomed 12-inch stainless steel skillet over medium-high heat until butter foams at the edges of the pan.  Pat scallops dry on paper towels, and season lightly with the fine sea salt.  Sear scallops 3 minutes on first side, until golden brown.  Turn and sear 2 minutes on the reverse side.

4.  Plate the dish with a puddle of beurre blanc in the center, with the scallops nestled on top.  Serve immediately.

Chili- and Coffee-Rubbed Smoked Chuck Roast

1 dried whole Anaheim or new Mexico chili

1 dried whole ancho chili

2 Tbsp whole cumin seeds

3 Tbsp red wine vinegar

1 Tbsp brown sugar

2 tsp garlic powder

2 tsp espresso coffee, ground fine

1 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

1/4 cup water

4 lb chuck roast

1 cup apple, hickory or oak chips, soaked in water for at least 30 minutes

1. In a cast-iron skillet over medium heat, toast both chilies until fragrant, about 1 minute per side.  Transfer to a cutting board.
2. Add cumin seeds to skillet and toast, stirring constantly, until fragrant, 60-90 seconds.  Transfer seeds to a blender or the bowl of a mini food processor.
3. Remove and discard stems from chilies and cut into 1-inch pieces, then add to blender or processor.  Add vinegar, brown sugar, garlic powder, ground espresso, salt, pepper and water.  Process to a smooth paste, adding water 1 teaspoon at a time, if necessary.
4. Place chuck roast in a large bowl or baking dish and coat completely with chili paste. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 12 hours.
5. Remove from refrigerator and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before cooking.
6. Meanwhile, light a smoker, charcoal grill or gas grill and prepare for indirect cooking. Place a drip pan below cooking grates and stabilize the temperature at around 250 F.
7. Drain wood chips and scatter them over the coals (or place them in a smoker box and set over the heat source in a gas grill or electric smoker).
8. Place chuck roast on cooking grate over drip pan. Cover grill or smoker and cook, maintaining temperature at 250 F, until an instant-read thermometer registers 180 F at the center of the roast, 3 to 4 hours.
9. Wrap roast tightly in heavy foil and cook (with the grill or smoker covered) until fork tender and an instant-read thermometer registers 200 F to 205 F, about another 1 to 2 hours. Remove roast from heat and let rest, in the foil, for 30 minutes.
10. To serve, shred meat using forks or slice across the grain.

Makes 8 servings.

Coffee in the Morning

[Originally Posted 10/05/2010]

A new survey finds that a third of American workers say they need a cup of coffee to get through the workday.  By profession, nurses claim to be the most dependent on that caffeine, followed by doctors then hotel workers.  By age group, it is the young folks – ages 18 to 34 – that say they can’t make it through the day without drinking coffee.

Brand History: Dilmah

Built on Family Values

Dilmah Tea began as a small family business with a strong commitment to quality, integrity and passion for tea production.  In fact, the founder of the company was himself a tea taster, so he understood the requirements of tea production.  When Merrill Fernando started Dilmah, he committed to growing traditional tea that is single origin and packed fresh.  Naming the company using a combination of his sons’ first names (Dilhan and Malik), the 3 men built an integrated tea company:  Its own tea estates distributing tea to its own modern tea packing, packaging and printing facilities.  Today, the founder’s grandchildren are also involved in the business.

Brand Info: Sant Eustachio

For 3 generations and more than 70 years, Sant Eustachio has made coffee for the people of Rome.  In 1999, brothers Ramon and Roberto Ricci took over the café.  They were determined to carry on the tradition of selecting the best coffee varieties and offering a range of products prepared with the legendary secret blend.  Today, the shop still has the original mosaic paving and furnishings, with only 6 tables outside, and the natural wood-burning coffee roaster that slow-roasts the beans to coax unique flavors, including subtle notes of smoke and a gentle sweetness.  The company is committed to using the highest percentage of fair-traded beans in their blends and invests in farmers who keep all-organic, sustainable and eco-friendly farming.

Brand Info: Pellini

You’re the Tops

Pellini is one of the most popular coffee roasters in all of Italy.  The company’s humble beginnings in Verona over 90 years ago grew into a mission to make every cup of coffee more than a habit.  Instead, it should be a special ritual capable of expanding the pleasure and sense of well-being of those drinking Pellini coffee. The Arabica beans are roasted in a very specialized slow process that produces the best results without sacrificing any of the delicate beans.  Hot air is used to gradually heat the bean, followed by cool air to stop the natural roasting process.

Pellini also employs the  Panel Test method, which controls quality and flavor.  They are one of the few Italian companies to voluntarily follow this method, since the coffee must get the approval of these strict judges in order to be sold.  The Panel carefully inspects and reviews the coffee, judging based on all the senses, not just taste, but the smell and the appearance, to make their determination.  Pellini trusts in this level of quality assurance!

(Top is one of Pellini’s most popular roasts, in case you are wondering.)

 

Brand History: Lavazza

Italians Know Espresso

Lavazza is Italy’s favorite espresso, with about 75% of Italian families as customers!  The company started in 1895 when Luigi Lavazza purchased a small grocery store in Torino, in northern Italy.  At that time, coffee was purchased raw, then roasted and blended according to customer requests.   Luigi became skilled in the processing of blends and in roasting techniques.  The business expanded to wholesale, his 3 sons joined the firm and by 1927, that grocery store had grown into a specialized coffee production enterprise.  Lavazza introduced the first vacuum-packed ground coffee and was the first to invent coffee “blends”.  The firm would eventually build 4 new plants in Italy.

By the end of the 1980’s Lavazza had subsidiaries in Europe, Great Britain and the United States.  The brand has carried on the tradition of devoting special attention to developing new techniques and products.  Lavazza believes that quality is not ‘controlled’ but rather ‘developed’ through a system of strict procedures around bean selection, roasting, blending and packaging.

Reviews of Lavazza coffees always note the excellent crema, the foam at the top of espresso.  Hard-core espresso folks believe that the crema can indicate the freshness of the coffee, how well the coffee itself has been extracted of its flavorings and the quality of that extraction.  Lavazza has an intense and spicy aroma.