Pavlova for Valentine’s Day

Ashley Rodriguez, chef, award-winning food author and teacher writes:

“Consider Pavlova. With its crispy outer shell, interior that is reminiscent of marshmallows and limitless serving options, the Pavlova should be near the top of your list for dessert options this Valentine’s Day.”

Pavlova

Ingredients:

• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon rose water or orange blossom water
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup egg whites (from 3 to 4 large eggs), room temperature
• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

To serve:

• Unsweetened whipped cream
• 2 blood oranges, rind and pith removed, sliced

Directions:

In the bowl of a heavy-duty mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the egg whites starting on low and increasing the speed slowly to medium. When frothy add the cream of tartar. Beat until the mixture holds soft peaks and the egg white bubbles are very small and uniform, about 2 to 3 minutes.

For the full mouth-watering recipe, accompanied by beautiful photographs, visit Artazza.com. You can buy the full range of eco-friendly Terra Keramik tableware at Artazza.com.

We recommend that you check out Ashley’s award-winning food blog Not Without Salt for additional wonderful recipes and stunning food photography.

New Products: Hario V60 Coffee Dripper

Manual by-the-cup coffee brewing methods are being rediscovered as a simple, efficient and affordable means to extract the rich flavors from today’s superb specialty coffees.

Hario Glass of Japan is a leader in designing and crafting pour-over coffee brewers, press pots, servers and coffee mills, and we are thrilled to add Hario products to our line-up of premium quality coffee and espresso gear and accessories.

Brew a more flavorful cup of coffee with the Hario V60 funnel dripper. The 60° angle of the cone, the inner spiral ribs, and the large hole at the bottom optimize the extraction of flavors from the coffee. You can vary the taste of coffee by adjusting the flow of water. For lighter taste – pour quickly, for depth of flavor – pour more slowly.

This size V60 dripper prepares a single cup (8 ounces) of brewed coffee and is crafted from white ceramic or clear glass. We recommend you use Hario filters (not to be confused with Melitta filters) for the V60 coffee drippers. Place the V60 coffee dripper on top of the Hario V60 Range Server or directly on top of a Terra Keramik 8 ounce coffee mug or 16 ounce large coffee mug. Handcrafted by Hario Glass in Japan since 1921. Available from Artazza.

To get you started, we have produced the above short video that demonstrates the use of the Hario V60 Coffee Dripper. We would like to thank Edwin Martinez of Finca Vista Hermosa and Hario USA for demonstrating the Hario coffee dripper. And a shout out to Gabriel Rodriguez of Gabriel Boone Photography for filming, editing and producing the video. Thanks guys!

New Products: Hario Cafepresso Press Pot

Manual by-the-cup coffee brewing methods are being rediscovered as a simple, efficient and affordable means to extract the rich flavors from today’s superb specialty coffees.

Hario Glass of Japan is a leader in designing and crafting pour-over coffee brewers, press pots, servers and coffee mills, and we are thrilled to add Hario products to our line-up of premium quality coffee and espresso gear and accessories.

The insulated, double-glass Hario Cafépresso French press pot is ideal for small servings of richly brewed coffee, extracting wonderful taste and a pleasing aroma in a clean cup. The pot is made from lead-free, heat-resistant glass, and the lid, plunger, and filter are made of stainless steel. Compact and stylish, the Hario coffee press is simple to clean and easy to store.

Compared to traditional glass press pots, the Hario double-glass construction and improved heat retention leads to better coffee extraction, the finer mesh filter results in less sediment in the cup, and the compact design enables easier pouring into your cup. We recommend that you use the Hario Buono drip kettle to boil and pour water into the Hario Cafépresso French press. Made by Hario Glass in Japan since 1921. Available from Artazza.

To get you started, we have produced the above short video that demonstrates the use of the Hario Cafépresso French press pot. We would like to thank Edwin Martinez of Finca Vista Hermosa and Hario USA for demonstrating the Hario press pot. And a shout out to Gabriel Rodriguez of Gabriel Boone Photography for filming, editing and producing the video. Thanks guys!

Biodiversity at Finca Santa Marta, Honduras

Biodiversity and Coffee

Specialty coffee is marketed with numerous “eco-friendly” labels, many of which are not understood by the coffee consumer and therefore create confusion as well as the potential for abuse by unscrupulous marketers. These labels include organic, shade tree grown, rainforest alliance, bird friendly, and so on.

The benefits of cultivating coffee in a biodiverse environment are obvious: reducing the loss of natural forest habitat, maintaining indigenous species of flora and fauna, promoting genetic diversity, reducing soil erosion and maintaining adequate water table levels, reducing plant disease and the need for harmful chemicals fertilizers and pesticides, protecting migratory habitats for Northern Hemisphere songbirds, just to list a few!

Finca Santa Marta, Honduras

For the coffee lover, biodiversity also translates to better quality coffee. Award-winning Finca Santa Marta of Honduras, which we’ve featured on our Artazza online marketplace and on this blog, grows some of the best coffee in Central America. Ana Lucia Lardizabal de Hawit, a professional barista and member of the Hawit Chirinos family that owns Finca Santa Marta, has sent us several updates of the 2009-2010 coffee crop, including some gorgeous photos. We thought it would be a unique opportunity to applaud their efforts to promote biodiversity at Finca Santa Marta with select photos from Ana Lucia and her husband Raul. Keep up the great work!

The Finca Santa Marta property, approximately 121 acres (49 hectares), is planted with coffee cultivars at elevations ranging from 4,100 feet (1,250 meters) to 4,850 feet (1,480 meters). The lot “El Manguito” (“The Small Mango Tree”) lies at the highest elevations on the property and represents a unique microclimate with diverse shade trees, tropical rainforest conditions, and is irrigated by natural spring waters. This area of 57 acres (23 hectares) is dedicated to the special Pacamara Bandeira coffees.

Coffee grown at high altitude

Coffee cherries from the 2009-2010 crop

Pacamara coffee cultivar

Herons resting in shade trees

Banana trees growing amid coffee trees

Mandarin trees

Wild lemon trees and bougainvillea

Shade trees provide host environment for orchids

New Product: Titanium piston for TORR tampers

Artazza is thrilled to introduce a black titanium base for TORR tampers from Café Kultur of Germany.

Effective immediately, the TORR tampers are available with either the new black titanium base or the stainless steel base. The black titanium base is food-safe, harder than stainless steel, and finished in matte black.

The titanium base can be combined with any of the TORR tampers with handles turned from gorgeous hardwoods as well as aluminum.

Uncompromising quality in materials and craftsmanship. Fit and finish that must be seen to be truly appreciated. Café Kultur handcrafts each TORR tamper in Germany with the utmost care and attention to detail.

Shown in the image above is the TORR Burled Walnut tamper and the TORR Nero Matte tamper, both with the new black titanium base.

New Products: Mouthblown glass bean hoppers

Artazza is thrilled to introduce a series of glass bean hoppers from Café Kultur of Germany.

The glass bean hoppers are mouth-blown by artisans in a German glass factory from lead-free, food-safe and 100% recycled glass. Designed to fit the Mazzer Mini and Mini E and the Mazzer Jolly coffee grinders, the glass hoppers are superior to the standard plastic hoppers that are supplied with the grinders. The glass hoppers do not absorb the coffee oils and flavors, and are easier to keep clean.

The bean hoppers are available in green, blue, yellow and clear glass. The glass is infused with beautiful “bubbles” that create the appearance of movement in the glass. The covers are pressed and polished from stainless steel, and the adapter (with closure mechanism) is CNC machined from stainless steel and attached to the glass using silicon. All materials are food-safe.

Artazza was able to obtain a limited quantity of these beauties and we are selling them on a first-come, first-served basis. They will go fast and we will re-stock as Café Kultur produces additional pieces.

Available exclusively from Artazza.

Sushi Rolls (for beginners)

We have posted a new recipe “Sushi Rolls”, which was especially created for us by Ashley Rodriguez, chef, food author and teacher to demonstrate how to assemble a sushi roll using our Swiss handcrafted, eco-friendly sushi set.

Ashley writes: “Now a new year is upon us. A fresh start to make better choices, set new goals and to examine the year that has passed and look forward to the year ahead.”

“You will not find me catching the latest diet craze anytime soon. What I choose to do instead is to make small decisions that will better my health and will teach me new techniques and broaden my culinary understanding.”

“Sushi is the perfect choice – fun to make, endless possibilities and will most likely get you to use ingredients that aren’t in your everyday arsenal.”

Sushi Rolls

Before setting out to make sushi you need to gather a few ingredients beyond what you decide to put in your rolls. I had much luck at a local Asian market.

• short grained rice
• nori
• Japanese rice wine vinegar
• pickled ginger
• prepared wasabi
• bamboo mat
• soy sauce
• sharp knife

Now that you have your supplies, go ahead and make your rice.

For the full mouth-watering recipe, accompanied by beautiful photographs, visit Artazza.com. You can buy the handcrafted, eco-friendly crystal glass sushi set (plate and bowls) at Artazza.com.

We recommend that you check out Ashley’s award-winning food blog Not Without Salt for additional wonderful recipes and stunning food photography.

New Products: Burled Walnut Knockbox and Tamper

We are thrilled to introduce two new and exclusive Café Kultur products for the espresso connoisseur:

• Espresso knockbox handcrafted from burled walnut veneer and stainless steel
• Matching espresso tamper turned from solid burled walnut and stainless steel

These handcrafted products are unrivalled in terms of aesthetics, function and quality. As the exclusive North American reseller of Café Kultur espresso accessories from Germany, we were able to obtain a limited quantity of these beauties and are selling them on our Artazza website on a first-come, first-served basis. They will go fast and we will re-stock as Café Kultur produces additional pieces.

Burled Walnut Knockbox

Café Kultur of Germany handcrafts the exterior of the knockbox from burled walnut veneer mounted on hardwood. The veneer is sliced from Persian walnut burl (Juglans regia), considered one of the most valuable veneers and highly prized by cabinet makers, prestige car manufacturers and musical instrument makers. The wood is hard, dense, tight-grained and polishes to a very smooth finish; its color ranges from creamy white in the sapwood to a dark chocolate color in the heartwood.

The interior of the knockbox is manufactured by Rieber GmbH & Co. of Germany from premium food-safe stainless steel. Rieber is one of the leading suppliers of kitchen technology for professional gastronomy operations and private households, and supplies customers such as Bosch, BMW, Deutsche Telekom, and Gaggenau.

The knockbox is designed with “triple suspension” to reduce the shock, vibration and noise from knocking an espresso puck out of the portafilter.

Available exclusively from Artazza.

Burled Walnut Tamper

The burled walnut tamper expands our line of TORR tampers, which comprises tampers with handles available in different exotic woods and aluminum, as well as two styles of handles, and of course with pistons available with different diameters (both flat and convex bottoms) to fit various espresso machines.

Café Kultur of Germany handcrafts each tamper with attention to detail in numerous manual steps that results in a first-class fit and finish. The handle is turned from Persian walnut burl (Juglans regia), an attractive wood that is hard, dense, tight-grained and polishes to a very smooth finish, making it ideal for carving and turning. Its color ranges from creamy white in the sapwood to a dark chocolate color in the heartwood. To feel comfortable in the hand, the wood handles are sanded and polished to produce a smooth, lustrous surface. The food-grade stainless steel pistons are finished with a satin, soft-brushed surface that resists fingerprints and smudges. The black-lasered TORR logo on the stainless steel piston adds a touch of class.

Available exclusively from Artazza.

Holiday Gift Idea #4: Mouthblown Crystal Cruets

Our gorgeous set of mouthblown lead-free crystal cruets are perfect to store and decant your favorite olive oil and balsamic vinegar. The simple and elegant designs make these cruets decorative for the dining table or display in your gourmet kitchen. Their ergonomic shapes are designed for a natural fit in your hand when decanting and the long necks and small spouts enable a measured pour. Close with a metal reinforced cork stopper. Mouthblown by Glasi Hergiswil in Switzerland since 1817.

La Cucina Italiana Magazine raved about our cruets and wrote “These blown glass cruets for oil and vinegar come from the vaunted 200-year-old Glasi house of Switzerland. These eco-friendly bottels are made of lead-free crystal glass.”

Available exclusively from Artazza.

Holiday Gift Idea #3: Handcrafted Teapot

We would like to highlight our best selling Terra Keramik teapot as a great holiday gift idea. Featured as an Editor’s pick by Food & Wine and Traditional Home magazines, and blogged by ApartmentTherapy.com, this handcrafted and eco-friendly teapot has become an icon among teapots.

The teapot is ideal for steeping tea and holds about 8 cups of tea. It is characterized by a simple and clean design, and beautifully glazed outside surface in your choice of eight brilliant colors.

The stylized bird on top of the teapot accentuates the shape of the teapot, with the bird’s beak and its tail following the form of the spout and handle of the teapot. Both the bird handle and the rim of the cover are finished in a platinum glaze.

We offer matching 5 ounce cups and tea mugs in both 8 ounce and 12 ounce sizes. The teapot, cups and mugs are handcrafted in Switzerland by Terra Keramik.

Available exclusively from Artazza.