Historically, different beers have been drunk from differently-shaped glasses. For example, Germans created the tall pilsner and the handled stein. The British prefer the pint glass. Belgians favor a globe glass.
It turns out that the Belgian glass may be the best for enhancing the flavor of beer.
The globe shape captures and directs the beer’s aromas toward your nose.
The tapered opening harnesses the foam and enhances the beer’s bouquet.
The stem keeps your hand from warming the beer.
Like a Champagne glass, a good globe beer glass has etched lines at the bottom of the bowl that help to create a continuous stream of bubbles.
Wine glass expert Riedel—which makes a different-shaped glass to enhance the unique qualities of each type of wine—sells a modified globe glass for beer.
If you’re in the market for new drinking glasses, check out the globes.
March 18, 2011 at 11:24 am
· Filed under Recipes, Videos
Some things that look hard are actually really easy.
Take Spring Salad In A Cucumber Vase. The “vase” is actually a cucumber wrap filled with a multicolor spring lettuce mix.
What’s a spring lettuce mix? It varies by producer, but can include arugula, baby spinach, endive, frisée, green and red oak leaf, mustard greens, red and green romaine, lolla rossa (a fully curled red lettuce), radicchio and Swiss chard.
Take a look at how to turn a cucumber and a bag of spring lettuce mix into a work of art:
The fine chocolate discs used for baking and making chocolates can also be used for snacking.
Also called baking wafers or couverture wafers, the discs, which are made by premium chocolate producers, come in one-pound boxes (and larger sizes for professionals). Guittard, for example, offers:
When you feel the need for a bite of chocolate, one or two small wafers can satisfy.
Or enjoy a triple treat: one disc each of milk, semisweet and bittersweet chocolate.
And the price is right: One-pound boxes of this fine chocolate cost around $10.00, and there’s no tax on baking chocolate. When you compare the prices of fine chocolate bars, $10.00 for 16 ounces of chocolate discs is a good deal!
Find our favorite chocolates, recipes and many pounds of chocolate information in our Gourmet Chocolate Section.
Matcha, the tea revered in the ancient Japanese tea ceremony (cha no yu), was brought from China to Japan by Zen Buddhist monks in the 12th century.
Unlike other green teas, matcha is made from leaves that are shielded from direct sunlight. The tea plant is covered with reed screens three weeks before harvest, resulting in a high concentration of chlorophyll and a deep dark green leaf. This gives matcha ten times as many antioxidants as regular green tea (it also has about half the amount of caffeine found in a comparably sized cup of coffee).
What makes matcha different is that no leaves are steeped (brewed). Instead, tea powder is frothed.
The dried leaves are deveined and destemmed, then ground into a fine powder — almost the consistency of talc. A spoonful of tea is then whisked into hot water with a bamboo tea whisk (chasen). The result is a foamy green drink with a fresh, vegetal sweetness.
It’s easy to make matcha at home. Photo courtesy Republic Of Tea.
Making Matcha Is Easy
1. Heat fresh water just short of boiling (filtered water or spring water is ideal).
2. Add 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of matcha powder to the bowl or cup.
3. Pour in 6 ounces hot water.
4. Using a tea whisk, whisk briskly for a minute or two until the matcha forms a nice green colored foam. If you don’t have a tea whisk, use a small kitchen whisk or a battery-operated frother. It isn’t “official,” but it works.
There’s no need to strain; just take a moment from your day and enjoy the calming drink.
Not your mother’s corned beef hash. Photo courtesy Delmonico’s Steakhouse & Restaurant.
When life gives you corned beef, make corned beef hash. If you’ve got leftover corned beef from St. Patrick’s Day, you can make this delicious gourmet corned beef hash recipe for brunch this weekend.
Hash is a mixture of foods cut into small pieces. Corned beef is typically mixed with chopped onions and diced potatoes. The addition of grated beets creates “red flannel hash.”
Corned beef hash is most often served with fried or poached eggs—it’s nice to mingle soft yolk with the hash—and toast. Some restaurants add hash browns or home fried potatoes.
But we’ve got something special for you: Corned Beef Hash Eggs Benedict. Created by Chef William Oliva of Delmonico’s Steakhouse Restaurant in New York City (the birthplace of Eggs Benedict), this version will dazzle.
If the recipe is too fancy for you, simply turn the leftover corned beef into a conventional hash for breakfast, or use it to make stuffed peppers for dinner.
Leftover pork, poultry, roast beef and veal can also be “hashed,” as can tofu.
