They’ve adopted coffee-brewing techniques, using tea leaves instead of ground coffee. It’s happening from coast to coast.

Press Tea, which opened last year in Greenwich Village, uses specially adapted espresso machines to achieve a “crema” on the top and a fresh, new, delightful brewed tea flavor.

Java Tea Company, in Cardiff-By-The-Sea, California (south of Encinitas), also adapts a coffee-brewing approach to its fine teas. They use the classic Italian moka pot (see photo at left).

You can see the process on the company website, but we’ve included it below.

One caveat: Give your moka pot a sniff. If there’s any residue aroma from coffee, run it through the dishwasher until it disappears. Otherwise, you may need a new moka pot.

The moka pot process extracts the rich and bold flavors of the tea. Here’s how to brew it:

1. ADD water to base of the moka pot. Scoop two heaping teaspoons of your favorite loose tea blend into the cup.

2. BREW on high heat until percolation is complete. The tea will bubble over when ready.

3. POUR into a coffee cup and add a sugar cube if you like sugar (try these brown sugar cubes).

4. TOP with frothed milk or enjoy it black.

5. GARNISH with shaved dark chocolate or sprinkle with nutmeg.

Who knew? We typically see blue cheese crumbles in our New York City supermarkets. But since the stores in this cramped city tend to be smaller than elsewhere, we’ve never seen goat cheese crumbles. We simply take a log and crumble our own.

But the ease and convenience factor beckons, not to mention the delicious flavored crumbles Vermont Creamery has created:

The fresh goat cheese is crumbled by hand and mixed with carefully selected dried fruit and fresh herbs. Fresh Goat Cheese Crumbles are available in 4-ounce containers with an MSRP† of $5.99.

CLASSY CHEESE CRUMBLES

Not all crumbled cheese products are of top quality. When we’ve purchased blue cheese crumbles at the supermarket, for example, they’ve tended to be dried out, hard and not pleasant.

These crumbles are first-class, made with award-winning Vermont Creamery chèvre and the highest quality herbs and dried fruit.

Unlike most other crumbles on the market, Vermont Creamery’s Crumbles do not use any mold inhibitors or anti-caking agents like cellulose, so there isn’t a “dry mouth feel.”
 
*Chèvre is the French word for goat cheese (and also for the goat itself).

†MRSP is the manufacturers recommended sale price.

HOW TO USE CHEESE CRUMBLES

Naturally high in protein and calcium, each serving of the Fresh Goat Cheese Crumbles contains fewer than 100 calories, adding flavor and nutrition to salads and other dishes. Use them to top:

 
†If you are crumbling feta, first slice and run under cold water for 10 seconds to wash away any brine and firm up the cheese.

1. FIRM it. If the cheese is very soft, first put it in the freezer for 10 minutes to firm it up.

2. CUT into slices or in half-inch cubes (for blue and feta).

3. USE your fingers or the tines of a fork to break the cheese into small pieces, as fine as you like. Do not mash.

 
Read our review of Vermont Creamery, a Top Pick Of The Week (actually, a Top Pick forever!).

For the easy way, buy a pre-made crust, raw dough (we get ours at Trader Joe’s—delicious!) and add your favorite toppings. It’s healthier if you use a whole wheat crust.

For those who like to bake, here’s how to make your own pizza dough and a championship recipe from chef Bruno DiFabio, a six-time winner of the World Pizza Games / Pizza World Championships.

You may be a pure pepperoni person, or prefer a grilled veggie pizza. The most popular pizza toppings in America, according to one survey, are (in order) pepperoni, mushrooms, onions, sausage, bacon, extra cheese, black olives, green peppers, pineapple and spinach. (What, no anchovies?)

But if you’d like to consider more creative ingredients, including those that you rarely find at a pizza restaurant. You can also use your leftovers. For your consideration:

Proteins

 
Veggies

You can make pretty much anything work.

 
PERSONAL FAVORITES

We enjoy making these “fusion” pizzas, incorporating ingredients from other cultures into the iconic Italian food:

MORE RECIPE IDEAS

 
THE HISTORY OF PIZZA

How did the crust, tomatoes and mozzarella get together, especially when tomatoes were considered poisonous for their first 200-plus years in Europe?

Check it out!