You always hear that fresh herbs have better flavor but they're hard to keep available. I typically use dried herbs but am looking into adding fresh versions when it makes sense. This post will try to answer the basic questions associated with using fresh herbs.
When is it most important to use fresh herbs rather than dried ones?
Fresh herbs should be used when you need to add the flavor quickly. This happens for recipes when there isn't any cooking involved, like for salads or cocktails, or when the spices are added at the last moment, such as folding into sauces or stews near the end of the cooking process just prior to serving.
Dried herbs have had their flavors concentrated through dehydration. They do best when given enough time to enable rehydration during the cooking process. They should be added early in the cooking process. Try adding them as one of the first ingredients so that they can be toasted to add more depth to their flavor. Deglazing a pan of toasted spices will incorporate extra levels of goodness to simple recipes.
How do you know how much of an herb to use when the recipe doesn't specify whether it's fresh or dried?
General rule is to use one teaspoon of dried herbs for one tablespoon of fresh herbs. This is about a 1:3 ratio. You may want to increase the amount of dried herbs as they get older. Dried herbs lose their flavor as they get older and should be replaced every year. You may also want to back off on the amount of dried herbs used if they are freshly ground.
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Dogfish Head Punkin Ale Review (18 September 2011)
What is a pumpkin beer?
Typically released as a fall seasonal, pumpkin beers are made with either actual pumpkin in the mash or pumpkin flavoring added at later stages of the brewing process. They also tend to have pumpkin pie spices, such as allspice, nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon and ginger, added. Most are mild and malty with little to no bitterness. Seems to be more of an East Coast style.
Description of Dogfish Head Punkin Ale
From the Dogfish Head website, “a full-bodied brown ale brewed with real pumpkin, brown sugar, allspice, cinnamon, and nutmeg."
Brewery: Dogfish Head Craft Brewery
Location: Delaware
Style: Pumpkin Ale
ABV: 7.00%
Not recommended for aging.
Poured into a pint glass, this beer has a medium carbonation which generates a decent head. There's definitely a pumpkin pie aroma and taste but nothing overpowering. Taste has more flavor than the smell and the 7% alcohol is well hidden. The pumpkin pie spices work well together without overpowering each other and the entire beer is well balanced.
Conclusion
Dogfish Head is having trouble keeping up with the huge demand for their beers and this is another example of why their beers are so highly sought out. This was my first pumpkin beer and it met my expectations for a malty, spicy beer that isn't overly sweet.
Typically released as a fall seasonal, pumpkin beers are made with either actual pumpkin in the mash or pumpkin flavoring added at later stages of the brewing process. They also tend to have pumpkin pie spices, such as allspice, nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon and ginger, added. Most are mild and malty with little to no bitterness. Seems to be more of an East Coast style.
Description of Dogfish Head Punkin Ale
From the Dogfish Head website, “a full-bodied brown ale brewed with real pumpkin, brown sugar, allspice, cinnamon, and nutmeg."
Brewery: Dogfish Head Craft Brewery
Location: Delaware
Style: Pumpkin Ale
ABV: 7.00%
Not recommended for aging.
Poured into a pint glass, this beer has a medium carbonation which generates a decent head. There's definitely a pumpkin pie aroma and taste but nothing overpowering. Taste has more flavor than the smell and the 7% alcohol is well hidden. The pumpkin pie spices work well together without overpowering each other and the entire beer is well balanced.
Conclusion
Dogfish Head is having trouble keeping up with the huge demand for their beers and this is another example of why their beers are so highly sought out. This was my first pumpkin beer and it met my expectations for a malty, spicy beer that isn't overly sweet.
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Cold Brewed Coffee Experiment
Why Cold Brew?
Cold brewing provides a milder, less acidic coffee with less caffeine. Letting hot brewed coffee go cold and then adding ice makes a bitter iced coffee. Heating up a cold brewed coffee should provide a more soft and supple coffee than achievable by traditional hot brewing coffee maker techniques.
How to Cold Brew
Most sites recommend using lighter roasted coffees that have higher acidity than those used for hot brewing methods. A medium grind is preferred. This should enable enough coffee surface area to make contact with the water while not becoming completely soluble within the water. Some coffee shops use a concentrated cold brew method to make their iced coffees. Concentrated cold brew can be diluted with milk or water. Concentrated cold brew can also be used for hot coffee when reheated with hot water. Probably want to use a darker roast for coffee that is going to be reheated. General recommendation of 9 cups of water to ½ pound of coffee.
Cold Brewing Coffee Experiment No. 1 (17 September 2011)
Ingredients:
2 ½ cups of tap water
5 scoops of Seattle's Best pre-ground Breakfast Blend Level 2
Procedure: Poured water into a small jar. Add ground coffee then stir until coffee is completely incorporated into water. Put lid on jar and let sit for 15 ½ hours at room temperature. Finally, strain coffee through gold drip coffee wire mesh strainer, put into a jar, seal, then place in refrigerator.
Results:
Poured over ice, the cold coffee was pretty good and very similar to but slightly cleaner than Starbucks iced coffee. There was a slight bitterness on the finish and the texture seemed a bit gritty.
Next Steps:
Try again with 4 scoops of the same pre-ground coffee. Should also try with same coffee but with a coarser grind.
Cold brewing provides a milder, less acidic coffee with less caffeine. Letting hot brewed coffee go cold and then adding ice makes a bitter iced coffee. Heating up a cold brewed coffee should provide a more soft and supple coffee than achievable by traditional hot brewing coffee maker techniques.
How to Cold Brew
Most sites recommend using lighter roasted coffees that have higher acidity than those used for hot brewing methods. A medium grind is preferred. This should enable enough coffee surface area to make contact with the water while not becoming completely soluble within the water. Some coffee shops use a concentrated cold brew method to make their iced coffees. Concentrated cold brew can be diluted with milk or water. Concentrated cold brew can also be used for hot coffee when reheated with hot water. Probably want to use a darker roast for coffee that is going to be reheated. General recommendation of 9 cups of water to ½ pound of coffee.
Cold Brewing Coffee Experiment No. 1 (17 September 2011)
Ingredients:
2 ½ cups of tap water
5 scoops of Seattle's Best pre-ground Breakfast Blend Level 2
Procedure: Poured water into a small jar. Add ground coffee then stir until coffee is completely incorporated into water. Put lid on jar and let sit for 15 ½ hours at room temperature. Finally, strain coffee through gold drip coffee wire mesh strainer, put into a jar, seal, then place in refrigerator.
Results:
Poured over ice, the cold coffee was pretty good and very similar to but slightly cleaner than Starbucks iced coffee. There was a slight bitterness on the finish and the texture seemed a bit gritty.
Next Steps:
Try again with 4 scoops of the same pre-ground coffee. Should also try with same coffee but with a coarser grind.
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