Coffee

For those who like me LOVE coffee here are some things you may not know.

1. To make any chocolate recipe better add a small amount of coffee.  Some recipes may call for espresso powder.  You can use that but I prefer strong left over coffee.  It seems to have a smother more complex flavor.

2. Fresh water makes better coffee than water added the night before.  As strange as this may sound, the reason is that water as it sits overnight loses some of its oxygen.  That changes how the water affects the grind as it trickles over.  So even though I would love to wake to smell of fresh brewed, I have everything ready to go except the water. 

3. Storing coffee – always store as air tight as possible.  Plus I have found that beans store better at room temperature.  I used to freeze the one pound bags and take them out every time I ground the beans.  But I found out that doing that thaws and the refreezes some of the beans causing them to loss flavor.  So now I leave the bag on the counter once it is open.  If I buy two or more bags the unopened ones go in the freezer. You can get an air tight container for beans and/or ground coffee too.

These are just a few facts that may help you enjoy your coffee a little more.

New Gadgets

I am always looking at new gadgets and gizmos for the kitchen.  What can I say I am addicted!!  I am sure there is a support group out there filled with lots of people just like me.  So when I find one I like to share. Here are two that I find very useful

The Jar Key  A great way to open jars with out making them on the bottom or turning red in the face as you try to open a stubborn lid,. Here is picture of this simple yet wonderful item.

The othe item is the

Klip-It® Lunch Cubes

These very clever BPA free lunch mates make taking a lunch very easy and helps to add versatility to your menu.  Both of these are found at The Container Store. 

Smoked Turkey Breast

I have had a craving for smoked Turkey Breast for a few weeks.  I decided that it was time to take care of that.  Three days ago I found a nice 8 – 9 pound frozen turkey breast with the bone (very important), I let it thaw out in the fridge for a day and then brine it to finish the thaw and give it some flavor. It is important to keep the water below 40 degrees so I keep adding ice to make sure. It did help that the breast was only partially thawed – it was like a big turkey ice cube.  I only let sit in the brine for about 6 hours before I started cooking.  Here is the brine and method for cooking.

Brine

½ cup of Kosher Salt

3 tablespoons of garlic powder

4 fresh rosemary stems

4 quarts of water – enough to cover the breast.

Mix all of the above to ensure that the salt is dissolved.  Add the turkey and enough ice to cover.  I use a round Igloo cooler, it works great!

After 6 hours or overnight, remove the Turkey.  Get your smoker ready and set the temperature at 225.  Smoke for at least 3 hours.  Then move the turkey to a 325 oven and cook until the internal temperature is 165 – 180.  The last step will ensure that the breast is completely cooked and will crisp the skin.

Let the turkey rest for 20 minutes before carving.

If you do not have a smoker just cook the turkey in your oven at 325 for about 3 hours or until the correct temperature is reached.