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July 21, 2008
Caribbean Coffee
We still haven't gotten the kitchen entirely in order and I've been relying on the jar of instant coffee we got when we were living in the hotel for a week.
I hadn't had instant coffee for years, since I was in Europe, where instant coffee isn't scorned the way it is in the U.S. In fact, after trying it again, I much preferred it to anything I could get at a gas station or similar place where coffee sits for hours on a warming tray.
But, the coffee is not great and I've been searching for ways to enhance the flavor. I normally drink coffee black, but I tried adding other ingredients until I came up with a recipe that I had to share.
Caribbean Coffee
- 1 cup coffee (any quality will do, since the other ingredients would only obscure the subtleties in a high-quality brew)
- 1/4 cup milk (I used skim, but you could use full-fat milk for a richer flavor)
- 1 TBSP brown sugar (more or less to taste. You could also use molasses for a much stronger flavor)
- 1 tsp salt (this is critical, and it sounds odd to put salt in your coffee, but it's necessary as it really brings out the flavor of everything else)
- 1/4 cup coconut milk (this is great to have around if you like making curries, and is absolutely delicious in any form in my opinion)
- Optionally, add cinnamon or nutmeg. These spices don't dissolve well, so they are best used as garnish.
You'll need a large mug to hold all this, since you now have about a cup and a half of liquid. Mix it all up in any order and enjoy. The brown sugar, coffee, and coconut milk are the key flavors, and you may want to experiment with the precise amounts of these so that no one of them overwhelms the others. And don't forget the salt.
Posted by mslaybau at 02:03 PM | Comments (0)
July 17, 2008
Grits
I took a walk through the local cemetery (the Vanderbilt plot has a lovely view) and on the other side was a Kroger's grocery. Some people here seem to have opinions about which is better, Kroger or Publix (northern chains don't exist here) but they seem pretty much the same. You can sell wine in grocery stores in Georgia, which is a big improvement over New York or Delaware.
Something I had never seen up north was this:
What surprised me first was that the Quaker Oats man had branched out into other grains. What surprised me second was that you could have bacon or ham (there was a ham one) in a food product that's packaged only in paper and cardboard - no plastic or metal.
Naturally, I got it and tried the bacon one first. It wasn't bad - essentially salty cream of wheat. There was nothing particularly corn-tasting about it. The mild flavor of grits is perfect for breakfast.
Soon after I had moved to New York City, more than 10 years ago, I was sitting at a booth in a diner near Penn Station when a tall guy in jeans and a cowboy hat took a seat at the counter. He ordered grits and the lady wrote it down and brought them out a few minutes later in a bowl. The guy didn't touch them and said, "Grits don't come in a bowl. Grits comes on a plate." The lady looked at him for a second or two then took them away into the kitchen. And several minutes later came out with a plate. The guy took one bite, then put down his fork. Put some money on the counter and left.
I admired the man's perfectionism in his quest for an excellent example of a favored food, but I laughed at the Quixotic effort to get grits in Manhattan. It's similar to my initial frustration to get a decent bagel or pizza here. It's not worth it - there's plenty of other good things to eat and enjoy. Mangoes for instance.
Posted by mslaybau at 09:33 AM | Comments (0)
July 07, 2008
Day One in Decatur.
24 hours to fly from Burlington, VT to Atlanta GA because of backup air traffic in Philly.
Swampy weather. Thankful for central air.
Found a beautiful, tiny, iridescent green wasp on the stairs:
Less than 1cm in length, and so bright that the scanner couldn't capture the color - as though it were trying to take a picture of a mirror.
Posted by mslaybau at 09:24 PM | Comments (0)