I fit the Seattle stereo-type through and through. I love coffee. In the morning, afternoon, evening and well into the night I enjoy this jitter inducing, sleep-preventing, delicious drug.

I love coffee’s smoky complexity. It fascinates me that one roasters bean tastes of citrus and berries while another’s interpretation brings out hints of chocolate and tobacco. Coffee enthusiasts are a passionate bunch and I am always learning from and being entertained by their continuous debates.

A good cup of coffee is the first thing I want in the morning. The thought of slowly sipping on a hot cup of the black gold is often what encourages me to actually get out of bed. And in the evening when the two little punkens are tightly tucked into bed and the house is in its rare silent state, we will often fire up one of our five brewing systems to create the perfect cup to end a good day.

Yes that’s right. Five brewing systems. Pretty sure I have now just “outed” myself as a coffee nerd. I blame my husband who is much nerdier then I. It wasn’t long ago that he wouldn’t touch the stuff. That all changed when he traveled to Guatemala to photograph the production process – from bean to cup – on the family farm of a good friend. Since that point he’s been collecting geeky coffee paraphernalia like this drip Kettle by Hario.

I love it. I think his fastidiousness is hot.

Our five brewing methods:

1. Chemex

2. French Press (Storyville knows its way around a french press)

3. Hario Dripper

4. Italian Stove-top – the way the nuns made it for me when I lived in Italy

5. Ms. Silvia – the Espresso Machine

Each morning we ask each other “do you want coffee?” If the other responds “no” then we know something is terribly wrong. If Gabe is brewing he will often go with the Hario Dripper (similar to the Melitta – which is very portable). If I am in charge of the coffee making then I turn to Ms. Silvia who produces silky foam and a luscious shot with a nice thick crema.

So since I am the one writing this post from here on out I will be focusing on espresso. By the end of these posts you will be one step closer to being the typical Seattle coffee snob.

In this multi-post lesson we will learn the classic Espresso Drinks – as some large coffee companies, who shall remain nameless – may have tainted our understanding of true espresso beverages.

Tonight we will study two drinks because if we do much more of that I won’t sleep at all.

1. Classic Espresso – is made by forcing hot water though finely ground coffee beans – often dark-roast.  Single shots are 1 – 1.5 ounces. Double shots are 2 – 2.5 ounces. All espresso should take 20-25 seconds to brew. A well pulled shot will should produce a fine layer of foam known as crema.

Besides single and double there are a couple of different types of shots.

1a. Ristretto – or “short” shot. This is a smaller shot (double – 1 – 1.5 ounces)  that gives you a higher ratio of flavorful coffee oils to caffeine. You end up with a richer, bolder shot with more body. Ristrettos are often preferred by coffee lovers – some of my favorite coffee shops in town only pull Ristrettos.

There are a few ways of pulling a Ristretto – the most common way is to simply stop the extraction early so that less water passes through the coffee.

2a. Lungo – is the Italian term for “long”. This shot allows for nearly twice as much water to pass through taking up to a minute to pull. This is not the same as an Americano (espresso and hot water). A Lungo is not as strong as a regular shot but is more bitter as some of the coffee components that are typically undissolved are extracted in this extended shot.

2. Caffe Macchiato – Literally means “espresso marked with milk”. This drink simply is a shot of espresso dotted with a touch of milk or velvety foam. Everyone’s definition of how much milk should be involved is a bit different. The general ratio is 80:20.

All right. Class dismissed. Now I am going to go lie in bed. Awake. All night long. With the shakes. But in the name of coffee education – it is well worth it.

Here is more information from some real experts.

Espresso – Artazza

Macchiato– Artazza

Pulling the perfect shot – How Stuff Works

The milk frothing guide from Coffee Geek

All you ever wanted to know about frothing milk from Whole Latte Love

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Oh man. Eek. I’m cutting it close tonight. 11:12pm my computer is telling me.

So let me just start with a little disclaimer – this post won’t be an award winner, it won’t be prolific  – in fact I have no idea what I am going to say. This here is the nitty gritty of NaBloPoMo (or NaMoWriMo – the difference I have yet to figure out).

I had great expecations for the day – recipes flagged, grocery lists written, camera batteries charged and while I did manage to get started on my edible Christmas presents by making 5 jars of Quince Brandy (I will share the recipe soon) that was about all I was able to check off my list.

Instead of finishing the to-do list I had the great pleasure of filling in at Delancey (famed pizza restaurant owned by Molly (Orangette and her husband, Brandon)  tonight. Due to some sick staff members I was called in to help feed the pizza-loving Seattleites their perfectly blistered and charred pies.

At 2 o’clock Brandon called to see if I wanted to create some sort of dessert to serve tonight. Doors open at 5. Three hours. No problem.

My head began to spin with possibilities and of course my first thought was apples – as we have been using them so much around here lately.

Apples. So many possibilities but my mind always goes back to the classic flavor pairings – caramel, almonds and butter – lots of butter.

Puff Pastry, roasted apples marinated in Calvados and caramel, almond frangipane and Creme Fraiche. And there it was – tonight’s dessert special.

2 1/2 hours remaining until dinner service I quickly cut up my butter then threw it into the freezer to chill while I measured out the flour. Caramel on the stove, almonds toasting. Measure the sugar, add the butter, fold, roll, stir, blend, mix, chop. Breathe.

For a brief moment I felt that all too familiar rush that used to be a nightly occurrence when I worked in the restaurant. I still seek that rare rush. It’s that feeling of – can I do it? You’re pushing myself to the limits to see what you can accomplish. It’s a thrill and then when it’s all over and you’ve succeeded you are flooded with intense pride – and exhaustion.

Tonight, after the dessert was all prepped and ready for Kari to work her plating magic when the orders arrived, I took my position next to Brandon and the intensely hot wood-burning oven. For the next five hours I pressed, stretched, placed, topped and repeat.

The dough warm from the active yeast working its magic to produce perfect bubbles stretched from the weight of itself as I gingerly worked it over my knuckles.

The smell of the housemade fennel pork sausage wafting off of the pizzas was enough to make me so envious of the diners until I too was able to devour my own.

I walked into Delancey wearing a black t-shirt, as I walked out the color was questionable as a coat of flour covered every inch of me – even my face which gave Brandon a good laugh.

So now I’m home. Full, tired, happy. It feels so good to return to a restaurant kitchen. It feels familiar – as a home should. In that place I am confident and sure.

8 minutes remain until the clock strikes 12. And I can’t help but think that this post is exactly the reason why I pushed myself into posting everyday for a month. Had I not have set this goal for myself I would probably be sitting in bed with my computer watching some tv show having forgotten the premise of the show by the morning. Don’t get me wrong, as soon as I hit the publish button I’m crawling into bed with my computer.

But the point is that I did it. I posted. It wasn’t a great post and I didn’t even include a recipe. But in order to truly excel at something you have to push yourself to be in daily practice even when the exhaustion and they layer of flour coating your hands makes it hard to type.

I apologize for not having more to offer you in the way of photos and recipes but I guess this post was for me. To remind me that it’s okay not to know what to say but that just the act of doing it is an accomplishment.

Tomorrow is a new day and a new post. Also, for those of you following the Food: A-Z project we are now on to “B”. This time we will only have one week to upload your “B” photos – so get them in soon.

Thanks for letting me write through my flour-covered, tired self. I will see you back here tomorrow – oh shoot. I guess technically I’ll see you back here today since it is now 12:07 am.

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