The Perfect Cup of Coffee

Ever stop to think that it's always beverage time, always beverage weather? Morning, noon, night, and the hours in between; summer, winter; surrounded by family, entertaining friends, or relaxing along. You can be as festive, as ceremonial, as casual as you please with beverages. Here is my favorite beverage - coffee.

Maine, Acadia Park, Part One and Perfect Boiled Lobsters

We took a week off and ventured in the Acadia Park, Maine, wandered in the rocky forest, as well enjoyed some ocean breeze and lakeside sunset.


Small lobsters under 2 pounds are the most delicate and desirable. Larger ones tend to be tough. The tail carries the great part of the good meat. The white flesh of the claws and the body, the roe, and the liver of the lobster are all edible. The shell of a live lobster is a mottled green and red, which turns to a bright red when cooked.

There is a great difference between the North Atlantic Coast lobster and the so-called lobster or Langouste of the Gulf and the Pacific Coasts, the most obvious deference being in the claws. An Eastern lobster has large, meaty claws, while the Langouste's are small.

Boiled Lobster
Bring a large pot of sea or salted water to a rolling boil. Add two tablespoons of salt for each quart of water. If sea water is available, even better, skip the salt.  Grasp the life lobster by the middle of the back and push it into the boiling water headfirst. Cover the pot and simmer 15-20 minutes. The lobsters will be a clear, bright red when done.

To serve boiled lobster, which may be eaten hot or cold, arrange lobster halves on serving plates or a platter, removing the claws and cracking them lightly with a nutcracker. Discard the dark vein, spongy tissue, and the sac near the head, but save the green liver and coral, if any. They are considered a delicacy. Hot boiled lobster may be served with melted butter, parsley butter, Hollandaise sauce, or a Sauce Mousseline.

Kougelhopf - Fruit and Almond Ring, the Perfect Breakfast and Brunch Dessert

Kougelhopf - Fruit and Almond Ring, is the symbol of Alsace baking.

Gugelhupf, Kougloff, kougelhopf, or guglhopf are the various versions of the name of the famous yeast ring cake. The Alsatians have used this name from time immemorial, but they still do not know how to spell it, although they all agree that the cake is part of a good breakfast or something to eat with afternoon coffee. When a glass of Tokay Pinot Gris or Gewurztraminer is offered, a piece of cake should be offered too. Savory versions with diced bacon instead of currants accompany the aperitive.



Its appearance is due to the high-walled wavy mold in which it was baked. Traditional ringcake molds are fired in terracotta and are tile red. The name is derived from German, although it comes from Austria, from where Marie Antoinette brought the recipe to Versailles. An exception is the kougloff of Ribeauville, where the inhabitants claim that the originator of their ringcake was a former village baker.

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp/ 30 ml kirsch
• 1 cup/ 150 g raisins or (sultanas or Malaga currants)
• 5 cups/700 g flour
• 1 oz/ 30 g compressed yeast
• 2 cups/ 500 ml lukewarm milk
• 5 eggs
• 1 tbsp/ 10 g salt
• 2/3 cup/150 g sugar
• ¾ cup/180 g soft butter
• 2 tbsp almond flakes

Directions:
Pour the kirsch over the raisins, stir, leave covered for a few hours to soak. To prepare the starter dough sieve 2 cups/300g flour into a bowl, make a hollow in the center, crumble in the yeast, pour on half the lukewarm milk and stir. Lightly knead and leave to prove for 2 hours.



Then add the remaining milk, the remaining flour, salt, sugar, and eggs to the starter dough, mix all the ingredients well and beat vigorously for at least 10 minutes, which is very important for the texture of the cake. The loose, semi-solid dough should come away from the bowl easily. Mix in the butter and knead the mixture, until it becomes a smooth, supple dough. Now add the raisins or currants and work them in until they are evenly distributed in the dough.


   
Carefully grease two ringcake molds with butter and sprinkle the almond flakes evenly in them. Fill the mold up to halfway with the dough and leave to prove in a draught-free place.

Preheat the oven to 390F/200C. Bake the kougelhopf for 20-30 minutes, depending on the size of the mold. When the surface is golden brown, remove the cake from the oven and leave it to cool on a cake stand.

Tip: I don’t have two ring molds, so I used one ring mold and one pan for 6 small bandt cakes. Worked perfectly for me. I baked small cakes for only 15 minutes.