Thursday, June 21, 2012
Espresso Chocolate Mousse
4 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, cut into pieces
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon instant espresso powder
2 large eggs, seperated
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
3 tablespoons superfine sugar, divided
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
Set a medium sized bowl in the freezer- you will use this later to whip the cream.
In a medium sized bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water, melt the chocolate, butter, and espresso powder. Remove from heat and allow to cool for a few minutes, then whisk in the two egg yolks. Set in the refrigerator.
In yet another medium sized bowl, whip the two egg whites and cream of tartar on medium speed until foamy. Gradually add two tablespoons of the sugar, increase the speed of the mixer, and continue to beat until stiff peaks form, yet the whites are still glossy and not dry. Set aside.
Take the bowl out of the freezer, and in it whip the heavy cream, vanilla, and remaining 1 tablespoon of sugar until soft peaks form.
Remove the chocolate mixture from the fridge and stir in a couple of spoonfuls of the beaten egg whites to lighten it, and then gently but thoroughly fold in the rest. Fold in the whipping cream. Don’t stir, fold!
Spoon into individual serving glasses, eat right away, or cover and refrigerate. Makes 6 servings.
source
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon instant espresso powder
2 large eggs, seperated
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
3 tablespoons superfine sugar, divided
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
Set a medium sized bowl in the freezer- you will use this later to whip the cream.
In a medium sized bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water, melt the chocolate, butter, and espresso powder. Remove from heat and allow to cool for a few minutes, then whisk in the two egg yolks. Set in the refrigerator.
In yet another medium sized bowl, whip the two egg whites and cream of tartar on medium speed until foamy. Gradually add two tablespoons of the sugar, increase the speed of the mixer, and continue to beat until stiff peaks form, yet the whites are still glossy and not dry. Set aside.
Take the bowl out of the freezer, and in it whip the heavy cream, vanilla, and remaining 1 tablespoon of sugar until soft peaks form.
Remove the chocolate mixture from the fridge and stir in a couple of spoonfuls of the beaten egg whites to lighten it, and then gently but thoroughly fold in the rest. Fold in the whipping cream. Don’t stir, fold!
Spoon into individual serving glasses, eat right away, or cover and refrigerate. Makes 6 servings.
source
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Friday, June 8, 2012
Thursday, June 7, 2012
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Atkins Diet Plan - What's The Catch
The Atkins diet Plan breakfast can usually composed of eggs strips of bacon and coffee. A snack might include coffee with cream, and chunks of cheese. A huge steak fried in butter could be dinner. Doesn't this sound really good? It seems very tempting but there is a catch.
In the beginning you will have to give up most carbs, such as breads, potatoes, pasta, rice and other things like chocolate, cake, some fruits. In theory, when carbs are eliminated from the diet, the body burns stored fat. Weight loss is quicker because fat burns more calories than carbs.
Stable blood sugar levels help you to feel fuller thereby damping your appetite. The Induction is the first phase of the Atkins diet, which you follow for at least two weeks. Only 20 grams of carbs a day, but you can eat lots of red meat, chicken, fish, eggs cream and butter. That you want.
During this phase, your body learns to burn fat and not carbs. The ongoing weight loss phase is the second stage. Add 5 grams of carbs a day until you get to your critical carbohydrate level for losing weight. How many carbs can YOU eat and still lose between 1 and 3 pounds a week? Bread, pasta rice and potatoes are still taboo.
The pre-maintenance or third phase is started when you have only 5-10 pounds left to lose in order to reach your goal weight. Yes! Now you get to add 10 grams a day for one week, to your carb intake, to help your body adjust to the addition of carbs to your diet, and to the final phase of the diet.
Lifetime maintenance, phase 4, teaches you ways to stay motivated. Your carb intake is limited to 90 grams in a day. You will be eating low carbs for the rest of your life. Some doctors have expressed concern about the long tern effects of the Atkins and other low carb plans.
High saturated fat consumption may cause an increased risk of heart disease. The lack of certain nutrients in this diet could cause future health problems. The limited intake of calcium could possibly put you at risk for Osteoporosis. The low antioxidant nutrients could lead to cancer, heart disease and premature aging.
The Atkins diet is boring in the Induction phase. Vegetarians have a hard time with Atkins, particularly in the early stages, due to the limited amount of vegetables, nuts seeds and beans. The Atkins diet presents an image of good health from a proper diet. Some are concerned that once you go off the diet the weight comes back quickly.
The very low carbs in this diet could cause ketosis which can be dangerous for diabetics. The high cholesterol of this diet may cause constipation and heart disease because of the high fat content. This diet, low in fruits and veggies is consequently low in antioxidants that fight cancer. The Atkins plan is that it's not intended for long term use and has serious side effects.
The Atkins Plan works, it is that simple. Weight loss is rapid and you can eat as much protein and fat, as you would like. The carbs eliminated by the Atkins diet can cause a loss of antioxidants which are known to prevent some cancers.
This high fat, high protein diet can increase the risk of elevated cholesterol and heart disease. This Diet really works, although some believe you can't stay on it long term. If you go off the diet or cheat , you will begin to re-gain the weight. Once you start eating a more normal diet the initial weight loss will return.
As with any diet check with a physician-to make sure you are healthy to begin with. The Atkins diet, some believe, is not for long term use and that it poses some serous health risks. If you are overweight, you are already at risk for heart disease and other health problems, and Atkins could increase those risks.
In the beginning you will have to give up most carbs, such as breads, potatoes, pasta, rice and other things like chocolate, cake, some fruits. In theory, when carbs are eliminated from the diet, the body burns stored fat. Weight loss is quicker because fat burns more calories than carbs.
Stable blood sugar levels help you to feel fuller thereby damping your appetite. The Induction is the first phase of the Atkins diet, which you follow for at least two weeks. Only 20 grams of carbs a day, but you can eat lots of red meat, chicken, fish, eggs cream and butter. That you want.
During this phase, your body learns to burn fat and not carbs. The ongoing weight loss phase is the second stage. Add 5 grams of carbs a day until you get to your critical carbohydrate level for losing weight. How many carbs can YOU eat and still lose between 1 and 3 pounds a week? Bread, pasta rice and potatoes are still taboo.
The pre-maintenance or third phase is started when you have only 5-10 pounds left to lose in order to reach your goal weight. Yes! Now you get to add 10 grams a day for one week, to your carb intake, to help your body adjust to the addition of carbs to your diet, and to the final phase of the diet.
Lifetime maintenance, phase 4, teaches you ways to stay motivated. Your carb intake is limited to 90 grams in a day. You will be eating low carbs for the rest of your life. Some doctors have expressed concern about the long tern effects of the Atkins and other low carb plans.
High saturated fat consumption may cause an increased risk of heart disease. The lack of certain nutrients in this diet could cause future health problems. The limited intake of calcium could possibly put you at risk for Osteoporosis. The low antioxidant nutrients could lead to cancer, heart disease and premature aging.
The Atkins diet is boring in the Induction phase. Vegetarians have a hard time with Atkins, particularly in the early stages, due to the limited amount of vegetables, nuts seeds and beans. The Atkins diet presents an image of good health from a proper diet. Some are concerned that once you go off the diet the weight comes back quickly.
The very low carbs in this diet could cause ketosis which can be dangerous for diabetics. The high cholesterol of this diet may cause constipation and heart disease because of the high fat content. This diet, low in fruits and veggies is consequently low in antioxidants that fight cancer. The Atkins plan is that it's not intended for long term use and has serious side effects.
The Atkins Plan works, it is that simple. Weight loss is rapid and you can eat as much protein and fat, as you would like. The carbs eliminated by the Atkins diet can cause a loss of antioxidants which are known to prevent some cancers.
This high fat, high protein diet can increase the risk of elevated cholesterol and heart disease. This Diet really works, although some believe you can't stay on it long term. If you go off the diet or cheat , you will begin to re-gain the weight. Once you start eating a more normal diet the initial weight loss will return.
As with any diet check with a physician-to make sure you are healthy to begin with. The Atkins diet, some believe, is not for long term use and that it poses some serous health risks. If you are overweight, you are already at risk for heart disease and other health problems, and Atkins could increase those risks.
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Coffee: Is It Getting Too Complicated?
Plain coffee is fast becoming a thing of the past. It's now quite simple to whip up a gourmet hot beverage for guest, family, or just for yourself. Nowadays there are a number of coffee clubs and circles in which coffee drinking has become somewhat of a social club. These social clubs meet in the community or on the Internet.
Where did the good old days go where you could get just a regular, good cup of coffee all across America.
It's all because there is a big craze over coffee these days. People are almost worshipping the coffee bean now. People get a thrill out of ordering and buying special coffees from specialty stores. They really like grinding their own coffee beans. They like visiting places such as Costa Rica and bringing back their special blends. And "coffee tasting" seems to be about as popular as "wine tasting".
They even have furniture and home interior designs with a coffee theme. This would make great gifts for the coffee buff.
Coffee got its beginnings around 900 A.D. where it was at first used as a stimulant. It was also at times used as a wine and a medicine. It doesn't look like anything is much different today.
There are not many products such as coffee that have continued "as is" for hundreds of years. And yet people are still scrutinizing and getting creative with it today and probably will be for years to come.
What is also interesting is that coffee is second to oil in dollar volume as a world commodity.
Did you know that there is two times more caffeine in a pound of tea than in the same amount of roasted coffee? This may be good news for those of you who hate the taste of decaffeinated coffee however wait just one moment. A pound of tea will make about 160 cups whereas a pound of coffee will usually make about 40 cups. This means that a cup of tea has about 1/4th the caffeine of a cup of coffee.
The content of caffeine in coffee decreases as it is grown at higher altitudes. If you want less caffeine in your coffee, grow it higher. Gourmet coffees are typically grown at higher altitudes so they have less caffeine than their grocery store counterparts.
There are many different types of coffee beans and way too many to describe in this article. Here are just a few of them:
You have Latte, Espresso, Low-Fat, Organic, Cal, Decaf, Half-Decaf, Black Forest, Cappuccino, Cafe au Lait, Alpine which has brown sugar, Arabian (lightly spiced and without filter), Cafe con Miel (Spanish for coffee with honey), and Cafe de Olla (a sweet coffee made with chocolate).
And you really should attend a coffee tasting at least once. You will get to experience how making and brewing gourmet coffee is slowly becoming a form of art. What is fun about the coffee tasting is that you could get a chance to taste two dozen or more different blends. You may even leave to start your journey as a coffee connoisseur. Any way you look at it, the tasting experience will be fun if you like coffee.
Where did the good old days go where you could get just a regular, good cup of coffee all across America.
It's all because there is a big craze over coffee these days. People are almost worshipping the coffee bean now. People get a thrill out of ordering and buying special coffees from specialty stores. They really like grinding their own coffee beans. They like visiting places such as Costa Rica and bringing back their special blends. And "coffee tasting" seems to be about as popular as "wine tasting".
They even have furniture and home interior designs with a coffee theme. This would make great gifts for the coffee buff.
Coffee got its beginnings around 900 A.D. where it was at first used as a stimulant. It was also at times used as a wine and a medicine. It doesn't look like anything is much different today.
There are not many products such as coffee that have continued "as is" for hundreds of years. And yet people are still scrutinizing and getting creative with it today and probably will be for years to come.
What is also interesting is that coffee is second to oil in dollar volume as a world commodity.
Did you know that there is two times more caffeine in a pound of tea than in the same amount of roasted coffee? This may be good news for those of you who hate the taste of decaffeinated coffee however wait just one moment. A pound of tea will make about 160 cups whereas a pound of coffee will usually make about 40 cups. This means that a cup of tea has about 1/4th the caffeine of a cup of coffee.
The content of caffeine in coffee decreases as it is grown at higher altitudes. If you want less caffeine in your coffee, grow it higher. Gourmet coffees are typically grown at higher altitudes so they have less caffeine than their grocery store counterparts.
There are many different types of coffee beans and way too many to describe in this article. Here are just a few of them:
You have Latte, Espresso, Low-Fat, Organic, Cal, Decaf, Half-Decaf, Black Forest, Cappuccino, Cafe au Lait, Alpine which has brown sugar, Arabian (lightly spiced and without filter), Cafe con Miel (Spanish for coffee with honey), and Cafe de Olla (a sweet coffee made with chocolate).
And you really should attend a coffee tasting at least once. You will get to experience how making and brewing gourmet coffee is slowly becoming a form of art. What is fun about the coffee tasting is that you could get a chance to taste two dozen or more different blends. You may even leave to start your journey as a coffee connoisseur. Any way you look at it, the tasting experience will be fun if you like coffee.
A guide to gourmet coffee
Even a Coffee Bean or San Francisco Coffee outlet frequenter won’t be able to master the art of appreciating true gourmet coffee unless they know the history and info about gourmet coffee. Oh, of course, you don’t have to an EXPERT to enjoy and understand gourmet coffee, but knowing a little bit more than the grocery store owner who sells instant coffee would help you appreciate the taste, smell and absolute heaven that gourmet coffee fans know gourmet coffee is absolutely capable of.
Gourmet coffee is nothing like wine. With wine, the longer you leave (some wine, anyway), the better the taste, the higher the quality and the pricier it is. But with gourmet coffee, freshness says a lot. If possible, get coffee beans that have been roasted no more than 1 week before. And if you’re going to learn how to appreciate gourmet coffee, only buy 100% Arabica coffee.
It’s pretty hard to find freshly roasted coffee bean on the shelves of the local supermarket. Chances are, the coffee beans that you’re consuming today have been roasted at least 3 months back. One way to counter this problem is to buy the whole bean in batches and grind them with a home-coffee grinding machine as and when you need it. It’s really easy with the kind of machines they have today, so, if you want to learn how to appreciate gourmet coffee, grind it when you need it.
Once you’ve purchased the gourmet coffee beans, don’t just leave out there in room temperature. What you should do with gourmet coffee beans is to store them in an air-tight container in the fridge if you’re planning to use it soon. However, if you’re going to keep it, store the gourmet coffee beans in an air-tight container and keep it in the FREEZER.
You need the right grinder for the right brewer. Generally speaking, you can use about 2 tablespoons of gourmet coffee powder for 6 oz of water. Adjust the way you make your cup of gourmet coffee according to the way you like to drink your gourmet coffee.
With wine, the country where the grapes are grown makes a difference. With gourmet coffee, not only is the country of origin for the gourmet coffee bean makes a difference, the company that sells the gourmet coffee beans matters too. Buy only from reputable companies for gourmet coffee.
And one last thing about gourmet coffee is this – learn to enjoy it, appreciate the smell, love the taste, experiment with it and you’ll soon see the wonder of gourmet coffee. If you’re hurrying off for work in the morning, forget about gourmet coffee! During the morning rush, just stick to instant coffee.
Gourmet coffee is nothing like wine. With wine, the longer you leave (some wine, anyway), the better the taste, the higher the quality and the pricier it is. But with gourmet coffee, freshness says a lot. If possible, get coffee beans that have been roasted no more than 1 week before. And if you’re going to learn how to appreciate gourmet coffee, only buy 100% Arabica coffee.
It’s pretty hard to find freshly roasted coffee bean on the shelves of the local supermarket. Chances are, the coffee beans that you’re consuming today have been roasted at least 3 months back. One way to counter this problem is to buy the whole bean in batches and grind them with a home-coffee grinding machine as and when you need it. It’s really easy with the kind of machines they have today, so, if you want to learn how to appreciate gourmet coffee, grind it when you need it.
Once you’ve purchased the gourmet coffee beans, don’t just leave out there in room temperature. What you should do with gourmet coffee beans is to store them in an air-tight container in the fridge if you’re planning to use it soon. However, if you’re going to keep it, store the gourmet coffee beans in an air-tight container and keep it in the FREEZER.
You need the right grinder for the right brewer. Generally speaking, you can use about 2 tablespoons of gourmet coffee powder for 6 oz of water. Adjust the way you make your cup of gourmet coffee according to the way you like to drink your gourmet coffee.
With wine, the country where the grapes are grown makes a difference. With gourmet coffee, not only is the country of origin for the gourmet coffee bean makes a difference, the company that sells the gourmet coffee beans matters too. Buy only from reputable companies for gourmet coffee.
And one last thing about gourmet coffee is this – learn to enjoy it, appreciate the smell, love the taste, experiment with it and you’ll soon see the wonder of gourmet coffee. If you’re hurrying off for work in the morning, forget about gourmet coffee! During the morning rush, just stick to instant coffee.
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