Author: jstv

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Pour Over coffee

There are many different ways to brew a cup of coffee.

We prefer black coffee and have found that pour over or drip style brewers works well.  Current brewer of choice is an Asobu  a Chemex style (we also have a classic Chemex pot) that has an insulated carafe. We also use a OXO coffee maker that is a Melta style drip brewer.

To make a really good pot of pour over you need to follow some basic rules. Start with fresh roasted whole beans. You are grinding at home right?  If not stop reading right now and buy a grinder. This alone will improve your morning joe regardless of brewing method.

The ratio of grounds to water is important, but you’ll need to find the right mix. Suggestion is that you start at 60 grams of coffee and 1000 grams of water. We are using a 75% mix ratio … dial it in to taste.

A scale is pretty important but the one you are using for everyday cooking is fine, if you don’t have one … why not?

We use stainless steel on the Chemex style brewers and paper on the OXO coffee maker. We find that the steel filters allow some fine particles to pass, but it really doesn’t affect the taste of the coffee.

Brewing method is a simple three step process. First you wet and bloom the coffee. Pour about 150 grams of 200 degree water over the grounds make sure they are all saturated. This stage is the bloom. Let that sit for about a minute or so.

Now add more water, bring the weight up to half of your finished amount.

Again let this sit a bit and then do a second pour. We do this because the full brew is more than the cone will hold.

If you are using a paper filter on a Chemex brewer you can just pour a steady stream into the middle of the grounds until the maximum water weight is reached. In the end you are trying to get this whole process finished in about five minutes.

If you want to watch some great vidoes on coffee techniques and styles here are a couple of YouTube links, enjoy.

Elemental Coffee co. 

James Hoffman

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River Dog games

There’s a spot on the Upper Deschutes river that has become a favorite of Tip’s for swimming / fetching.  On exiting the car he will locate  a stick and lead the way down the trail.  Then it’s game on!

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Lemon Blueberry Scones

In our search for lower carbohydrate food we discovered almond flour. These won’t beat your scone recipe but are a really tasty alternative and with a third of the sugar.  They have become a regular breakfast treat at our house.

Print Recipe

Lemon Blueberry Scones

Servings: 9
Calories: 233kcal

Ingredients

  • 315 grams almond flour about 3 cups
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/8 tsp sea salt
  • zest of 1 lemon or 1 tbsp dried lemon zest
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tbsp honey
  • 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • 3/4 cup fresh blueberries

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
  • Add the almond flour, baking soda, salt, and lemon zest to a large bowl and combine.
  • Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and add the wet ingredients. Startiing in the center, stir the dough until well combined. Fold in blueberries.
  • Using a large cookie or ice cream scoop, drop the scones onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Lightly wet hands and gently flatten the tops of the scones. They should be 1 inch thick.
  • Bake 18-20 minutes, until the tops are golden brown. Cool on wire rack.
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Ice a la tube

Summer is ice chest season. That means you’re loading up on bags of ice that inevitably turn to water. The hassle of soggy picnic supplies is actually an easy fix … more annoying is no ice cubes at cocktail hour.

We’ve got a solution.  ice tubes. If you add these frozen PVC  tubes to your cooler it will stay cold longer, there will be less mess, and you’ll have ice for your drinks.

So I headed over to Ace Hardware to pick up some 2 inch PVC pipe and end caps (2 per tube). You may find short cuts of pipe or if you ask they’ll cut one of the 8 foot lengths down. You’ll also need a can of PVC cement, hack saw, coarse grit sandpaper, a sharpie and a tape measure. These tube will soon be filled with tap water and table salt.

Start by measuring the cooler(s) to see how long the tubes need to be. The end caps will add to the overall length of the finished tube so you need to subtract this extra amount when cutting. There is also some air pressure resistance in the final capping that can add to the finish length. If you make your pipes about an inch and a half shorter than the desired length, that should work.

Measure and cut the pipe into pieces and then use some coarse grit sand paper to clean up the rough ends and rough up about an inch of the outside ends of each tube.

Using the dabber on the PVC cement spread a generous amount around the inside of the cap and fit one to the end of each of your tubes. Now let that set for a couple of hours.

You’ll need some way to stand the tubes on end … a wide mouth mason jar works. Sand all the tubes up on their capped ends and add a table spoon of salt to each tube. Fill about ¾ of the way with water. Repeat the cap sealing making sure you push the cap firmly down against the air pressure so you get a good seal. Leave them standing for a couple of hours.

Throw them in the freezer and they are ready to add to your ice chest. These ice tubes will work to keep things cold as is, but will also extend the life of any ice cubes you bring along.

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Summer Salad part IV

This final installment of our Summer Salad Series is Salsa (try saying that five times fast).  

Considered a sauce, we’ve chosen to elevate our salsa to it’s proper status … Tomato Salad Extraordinaire. The moment summer tomatoes begin to make their appearance, our fridge always has a deli cup full of fresh salsa. It’s importance can not be underestimated .. so we’re including it.

The ingredients need to be chopped fine and we think a mince of fresh cilantro is important, however not critical, Nan. What you don’t want to omit is the jalapeño and needless to say, the quality of your tomatoes plays a huge role in the final product.

Also not a salad … the one egg omelet has become a staple breakfast at our house and salsa must always be included on the plate. This video is an experiment in food photography style, rather than thinking you need a tutorial on cooking an omelet … but we hope you enjoy.

Print Recipe

Super Simple Salsa

Ingredients

  • 4-5 Compari vine ripened tomatoes
  • 1/3 cup fresh cilantro or parsley, chopped
  • 1/2 cup red onion, diced
  • 1 jalapeno, seeded and diced
  • 1/2 lime, freshly squeezed

Instructions

  • Chop tomatoes and fresh herbs of your choice.
  • Dice red onion.
  • Seed jalapeno and dice.
  • Squeeze 1/2 fresh lime.
  • Combine ingredients and stir. Place in container and refrigerate. Use within 2-3 days.