The Perks of Perfect Percolation…

… or how I learned to brew the perfect cup of coffee.

Java, Joe, Brew, Sludge.  Call it what you will; coffee is integral to the social proprieties of many cultures.  It is a concoction that provides the lubricant to many an interaction.  In our own family, it was a ” right of passage” signaling (with the addition of cream and sugar) that one was becoming an adult, after which coffee became a thing of beauty–something to always look for in its best presentation.

Yes, coffee snobs are we–it “ain’t purty” yet alas, it is what it is.  Anything less would be ordinary and a diminishment.  With that said, below are the steps to making your own perk perfect:

1. INVEST IN A BURR COFFEE GRINDER.   It’s amazing what a difference that one thing makes.  When you grind coffee you increase the surface area of the coffee bean that is exposed to air hastening the release of the oils that give it its rich flavor. Grind coffee right before you use it.
   

   Photo by Fancycrave.com on Pexels.com

2. Buy Good Coffee.  The better coffee you start with the better beverage you end with. Chocolaterie Stam has a full line of European style and flavored coffees roasted by an artisanal Iowa roaster.  They roast in small batches and ship weekly to our stores ensuring that the freshest coffee possible is each Chocolaterie Stam location.
3. KEEP YOUR DRIP COFFEE MAKER AND COFFEE POT CLEAN.  Coffee oils cling to everything and once they’re deposited they start growing rancid.  Wash out your pot and filter basket every time you make a fresh pot and clean your coffee maker once a week. Descale it once a month. And do remember to clean the shower heads up under where the filter basket goes
4. USE ENOUGH COFFEE   The biggest mistake that people make when making coffee in a drip coffee maker is using too little coffee.  You should use a full tablespoon of ground coffee for every 8 ounces of water.  Measure it out the first few times and you’ll be surprised how much coffee that actually is.
   

   Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

5. USE FRESH, COLD WATER.  Some people recommend using distilled water with all the minerals and impurities removed.  Frankly, distilled water is good for your machine, but it makes flat tasting coffee. If your tap water is good for drinking, it will make good coffee.  If it’s not, use a water filter or use spring water.
6. AVOID THE TEMPTATION TO USE THE BREW PAUSE.  The first cups or so of coffee will carry most of the coffee flavor.  If you pour that off and return the pot to fill the rest of the way, the first cup of coffee will be very strong, and the rest of the post very weak. Practice patience, grasshopper.
7. TAKE THE COFFEE OFF THE WARMING PLATE WHEN IT’S DONE BREWING. Coffee left on the warmer plate will continue to “cook”.  Instead, pour any coffee that’s left over into a thermal pot, preferably one with a vacuum seal.
8. THE RIGHT MUG. Great coffee comes from great mugs. Don’t forget it.
   

   Photo by Lisa Fotios on Pexels.com

Lift a glass to Chocolate!

Here’s the skinny.  First off…. GET GOOD CHOCOLATE!

The more sugar in the chocolate, the more sweetness we need to consider for the wine. #1 rule of thumb when pairing up desserts with wine; the wine should always be perceived as sweet as the chocolate. When it comes to chocolate, the higher the percent of cocoa, the less sugar in the chocolate

So to make wine and chocolate pairing easier, you may simply refer to the tables below.

Red Wines and Chocolate Pairings
Wines	Chocolate
Beaujolais	Extra Dark Chocolate
Cabernet Sauvignon	Dark Chocolate
Merlot	Dark Chocolate
Pinot Noir	Dark Chocolate/Milk Chocolate
Sangiovese	Dark Chocolate
Zinfandel	Dark Chocolate

White wines have a light body which goes very well with milk chocolates. But if you are feeling adventurous, you might also experiment with white wine and white chocolate pairing.

When it comes to dessert wine, you should toss the rules about wine and chocolate pairings. Champagnes seem to go well with almost any type of chocolate, while Port and Sherry are on opposite ends of the chocolate spectrum.

White Wines and Chocolate Pairings
Wines	Chocolate
Chardonnay	White Chocolate
Riesling	Milk Chocolate
Sauvignon Blanc	Milk Chocolate

When it comes to dessert wine, you should toss the rules about wine and chocolate pairings. Champagnes seem to go well with almost any type of chocolate, while Port and Sherry are on opposite ends of the chocolate spectrum.

Dessert Wines and Chocolate Pairings
Champagne & Sparkling Wine	Almost any kind of Chocolate
Port	Dark Chocolate
Sherry	White Chocolate

Next Month, we will show specific bonbons and chocolates from our Chocolaterie Stam selections that will pair best with the wines above.

Do you Crackle, Kladdkaka, or Hagelslag?

(L to R) Crackle, Kladdkaka, and Hagelslag

It occurs to us, at Chocolaterie Stam that, because we are of Dutch origin, we may enjoy common foods differently than our American friends do.  Don’t get us wrong, we loooooove (six o’s!) a good American apple pie, yet shouldn’t we stop to consider how the rest of the world loves their chocolate?

The Aussies eat crackles, and the Swedes love their kladdkaka…

Aussie Crackle
Easy to make, the Australian crackle is often a sweet treat associated with children’s parties, along with “fairy bread”.

Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup confectioners’ sugar
• 3 tbsp. Chocolaterie Stam baking cocoa powder
• ¾ cup coconut oil (available at most gourmet and health food markets)
• ½ cup shredded, unsweetened coconut
• ½ tsp. salt (optional)
• 2 cups rice crispies

Directions:

1. Sift the cocoa and confectioners’ sugar into a bowl. Whisk together gently.
2. To melt the coconut oil, immerse the jar in hot water for a few minutes. Measure out ¾ of a cup and whisk it into the cocoa and sugar until mixture is smooth.
3. Whisk in the shredded coconut, salt and then the rice crispies.
4. Spoon into cupcake holders and refrigerate.

Yields: 12 chocolate crackles

Swedish Kladdkaka
Known in Sweden as kladdkaka, or chocolate sticky cake, is another way that the world enjoys chocolate.

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs
• 1 1/3 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup cake or all-purpose flour
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup melted butter
• 4 Tbsp. Chocolaterie Stam baking cocoa
• 1 Tbsp. vanilla sugar (or substitute 1 tsp. vanilla extract)

Preparation: 

Preheat oven to 350º. Lightly butter a round 8” or 9” springform or cake pan.

Whisk together the eggs and sugar. Gradually mix in the flour and salt.

Stir cocoa and vanilla sugar (or vanilla extract) into melted butter until well-combined. Add cocoa-butter mixture to batter, stirring well until any lumps are removed.

Pour batter into prepared pan. Cook in 350º oven for 25 minutes. Check for doneness; the edges of the cake should be crisp but the center still moist and sticky (Tip: A good test is to insert a toothpick first into the cake’s edge: it should come out clean. Then, insert it into the center of the cake. It should come out smeared with gooey, melting chocolate). Do not overcook (but if you do, you’ll have stellar brownies as a compensation prize!).

Dust with powdered sugar and serve with whipped cream, if desired.

Yield: 6-8 servings, for people with restraint.

 

Dutch Hagelslag

The Dutch love their chocolate “hagelslag” or chocolate hail.  No need to use a recipe, just put the purchased sprinkles on buttered bread and enjoy.

Is this the first you’ve heard of chocolate kladdkaka, crackle or hagelslag?  What other international ways do you know of eating chocolate?  Leave a comment and let us know.

Bar in a Jar

I adapted a recipe from an old campfire cookbook for this Christmas season using ingredients from Chocolaterie Stam.  Stam Dark Chocolate Drops and chopped Stam Stroopwafels became the gooey basis for an updated classic version of S’mores.  I called them Sta’mores and the replacement of the graham cracker contingent with Chocolaterie Stam stroopwafels was an easy and delicious personalization.

And, of course it has marshmallows and Stam Dark Chocolate Drops.  This holiday, we decided to feature this in our corporate stores as a cookie in a Mason jar. Our chocolate production elves have been busy filling quart jars with the ingredients to make this humble and kid-friendly concoction.  So easy, that all one does is spray a non-stick baking pan with cooking spray, dump the jar’s contents into the pan, and add ¼ cup of melted butter, stir until coated.  Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 12 or 15 minutes.

If you want to fill your own Mason jar, I’ve included the recipe below:

Sta’mores in a Jar

In one quart jar layer in the following order

1 ½ cups Stam Stroopwafels, chopped
½ cup brown sugar
1 ½ cups miniature marshmallows
1 ½ cups Stam dark chocolate drops

The volume may seem to be more than the jar can take however by sliding a dinner knife down the sides you  and lightly packing on the top you will be able to close the jar and place the decorative square and hangtag.

Here’s the recipe to finish to baking the Sta’mores

Chocolaterie Stam Sta’mores Bars
A campfire classic but with a Stam Twist  

Servings: 12 squares
Prep Time: 10 min
Cook Time: 12 min

Ingredients:

Sta’mores in a Jar

1 ½ cups Stam Stroopwafels, chopped
1 ½ cups miniature marshmallows
1 ½ cups Stam dark chocolate drops
½ cup brown sugar
¼ cup melted butter

Directions

Preheat oven to 350ºF.  Prepare a 9” square baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Mix chopped Chocolaterie Stam Stroopwafel cookies, miniature marshmallows, Chocolaterie Stam dark chocolate drops, and brown sugar along with ¼ cup melted butter into the prepared baking dish and press firmly. Bake for 12 minutes at 350º F. Remove from oven and cool completely. Cut in to bars.

Can’t hold a candle to us!

As I wax lyrical (pun intended) about myself and my relationship to my family’s chocolate, it occurs to me at one time in my upbringing my Cousin Ginger would always make Christmas candies as a present.  It was always a special gift given with love, always appreciated, and it was often made with old fashioned ingredients.  Intuitively, you would think that with a classic, original recipe, it would be wholesome and without any artificial additives.  How untrue!

Cousin’s “go to” in this case was to make chocolate fudge with food grade paraffin.  I’ve a copy of one of her favorite recipes below:

Martha Washington Chocolates
(Makes about 5 lbs)

Melt 1/4 lb. of butter or oleo and add 1 can Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk, 2 lbs. powdered sugar, 1 can coconut, 1 pt. chopped fine pecans.

Mix together, roll into small balls and dip in chocolate mix.

Chocolate Mix

Mix 12 oz. of semi-sweet chocolate with 1 bar (1/4 lb) of paraffin (melt over low heat or double boiler). Stick toothpick in balls, dip into chocolate mix.  Drop on wax paper to cool.

Horrors!  Carnauba wax is used in so many things from make-up to caramel apples.

Buyers beware!

At Chocolaterie Stam, you can be assured that no wax has ever come close to our chocolate.  Even as we have followed the family’s tried and true, we never come across using paraffin as an ingredient.

Stam Chocolate Christmas Store display

My warm and fuzzy memories of my cousin’s Christmas gift, always reminds me that she did her best with what she was given.  It was from her hands and heart.

But still…  My gift to you is our guarantee that no wax, or paraffin, will ever be in Stam Chocolate.  In fact, no one can ever hold a candle to us!