But first I want to go on a little rant. Today I got up and went for a long walking tour of coffee shops knowing I would end up at Sweet Pea... Saturday means vegan donuts... boston cream that is. I needed to work up to the french toast I'd been dreaming about making for a week. Topped with cashew cream.
First stop was a place I didn't even know existed. I walk by it every week on my way to the Night Light... guess I can be a little too focused. Anyway, I saw the sign for a new cafe, so I swung in to get my mug filled with morning caffeine delight.
Looked like a nice, clean, sleek spot. The menu board listed local farms, soup of the day, compote of the day, and that they made everything in house. I was impressed until I saw something that has been getting me boiling hot for awhile now. Single cone filter coffee... melita is what I believe it is called. Here they were making several at once to fill a pump pot. I watched as they used a single disposable filter cone for every cup they poured into the pot.
I understand the desire for good coffee. I don't see the point in wasting land and labor on cheaply harvested, roasted, etc. for a morning rush. But I came to love coffee in a strange way. It was either as a hot beverage in a 32 oz glass loaded up with kahlua cream on a Sunday opening shift after closing the bar just hours before. Or, it was the nights I went dancing with my friend who, at 22 was 3 years sober. We liked to go dancing. It was the 90's in Dallas. We would get crushes on the same women. We had fun. When we went out together, I just drank fruit juice. However, I would meet him at his apartment and we would load up on double cappuccinos with chocolate syrup, vanilla creamer and whip cream (I was not yet vegan, but I can make a damn good vegan version). He had a special way and order of doing the whole procedure. He ended up teaching me because it took him longer to get ready, so I'd make it while he did whatever he was doing.
So that is the long way of saying, I don't drink Folgers. I respect good roasters who take care of those who take care of the bean and the process. I understand that improper brewing can totally mess all that work up. But I do not understand all this waste. I also get pissed when I hear baristas talk about not using natural filters, but to use bleached white filters because it has a subtle effect on the flavor. What gets me the most is that you can get reusable filters that are easy to clean, made of metal or cloth.
Anyway, this coffee thing is driving me crazy. Compote's americano was pulled very nicely, and I proceeded to the vegan utopia of Sweet Pea, then to the french press at Cellar Door and time in the sunshine. Finally, I made it home to make French Toast and a strange but tasty spontaneous tofu maple bacon thing. I ate the French Toast so fast (3 cups of coffee and 2 hours of walking around will do that) I forgot to photograph it, but I am here to tell you, Sara is right, chick pea flour makes the difference in french toast. Also using homemade almond milk with a dash of cinnamon. Oh and artisan bread picked up at the farmers market 3 days prior. It was killer.
However, last nights dinner was a delight. I looked over cook books, overheard conversations, have tasted various forms of polenta that have amazed and confused me. I decided it was time to venture into this new realm of cooking... polenta is my new favorite grain.
I sauteed onion, garlic, celery, fennel, and asparagus before I boiled the polenta. Pre-heated the oven to 400. Poured 1/2 of the polenta in a pie pan, then a layer of black beans I made earlier in the day, sprinkled some nutritional yeast, and topped off with the rest of the polenta mix. Baked it long enough to saute some collard greens, and had an amazing dinner!
So easy. So simple. And so malleable to seasonal vegetables.... food I can relate to!
I am in love with this food. One more way of one pot meals if I choose it.
Now, what will I do with all that remaining cashew cream?
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