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.
   

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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.
   

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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.
   

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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.

No Yolks. Just Fun.

Drink recipe of the Month: April

Born of the soda fountain era, the legendary Egg Cream is deceptive, for its flavor and texture depend entirely on the correct preparation. There is no egg in an Egg Cream, but if the ingredients are mixed properly, a foamy, egg-white-like head tops the drink. The invention of the Egg Cream is credited to Louis Auster, a Brooklyn candy shop owner in 1890. Auster’s concoction sold for three cents, and he sold as many as three thousand on a hot summer day. Lines would form down the street and around the corner, and it tarted a tradition of drinking the egg cream while standing — never sitting.

Stam Chocolate Easter Egg Cream
No yolks, just fun. (Get it?)

Ingredients

1/4 cup cold whole milk
2 tablespoons chocolate syrup (store-bought, or homemade Stam syrup)
Cold club soda

Ice

Directions

In a 16-ounce chilled tall glass, stir together the milk and chocolate syrup until combined.

Slowly fill the glass with club soda. Serve immediately.

(Click here to see an egg cream how-to video.)