r e . a l i t y

ɹǝʌo ǝɯ uɹnʇ – sıɥʇ pɐǝɹ uɐɔ noʎ ɟı

November 17, 2007
by ray
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Tiramisu

  • 6 egg yolks
  • 1.25 cups sugar
  • 1.25 cups mascarpone cheese
  • 1.75 cups whipping cream
  • 1.75 cups cold espresso
  • 2 tbsp. brandy (or coffee liqueur)
  • 2 tbsp. grappa
  • 48 ladyfinger cookies
  • chocolate shavings and cocoa powder
Combine egg yolks and sugar in a large mixing bowl until smooth and creamy. Add mascarpone and mix well for a couple minutes.
In another bowl, whip the whipping cream until it forms stiff peaks.  Fold into egg and mascarpone mixture.
In a third bowl, combine espresso, brandy, and grappa.  Lightly soak ladyfingers one at a time in the espressp mixture, and lay them side by side on the bottom of a 10″ x 15″ serving dish leaving the width of one ladyfinger all around the edges, creating one layer. 
Layer half of the mascarpone mixture over the ladyfingers. 
Repeat the soaking process with another 15 ladyfingers, and layer these onto the layer of mascarpone. Cover these with the remaining half of the mascarpone mixture.
Using a sifter, sprinkle a cocoa powder evenly over the tiramisu.
Cut the remaining ladyfingers into halves, and place them standing up around the edges of the cake, sliced side down.
Refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
To serve, cut into squares, and decorate with chocolate shavings.

Popularity: 1% [?]

November 13, 2007
by ray
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Direct connecting the Andreja Premium

my coffee shrineNow that the water softener was installed and running for a couple weeks, I figured it was about time to get the espresso machine connected to the water line. I got it all completed this past weekend, and put a page together about the process.

Popularity: 1% [?]

November 12, 2007
by Ray
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Plumbing in the Andreja Premium

One of the deciding factors in purchasing my Andreja Premium, was the availability of a direct connect conversion kit – as I definitely wanted to plumb the machine in eventually, whenever we could get around to renovating our kitchen.

Little did I realize how soon eventually would really be!

The machine has been fantastic, and I’ve actually been using it even more than I had originally anticipated. And with that use, comes the refilling of the reservoir over and over again.

Prior to plumbing the espresso machine in, I had to do something about our water. Over the last number of months, the hardness has varied between 160 and 170 ppm. After looking at the various options, I purchased a Kenmore whole-house water softener. Plumbed the water softener in a couple weeks ago, and the whole family now enjoys the benefits of soft water. I really enjoyed being able to fill the espresso machine with water from the tap, instead of buying bottled water every week.

When I plumbed in the softener, I included a valve from the water outlet, where I can now run some flexible copper tubing up near the espresso machine. With any luck, I won’t have to make any trips to Home Depot, but we’ll find out this weekend. (as it turned out – no trips were needed!)

Andreja Premium - direct connect kitI purchased the direct connect kit from CaffeTech (it’s the same kit sold by ChrisCoffee in the US), which is also where I bought the espresso machine in August.

Okay, time to unplug the espresso machine and let things cool down. While I waited for the machine to cool down, I laid out all the pieces from the direct connect kit and began going through the instructions.

Hmmm. . . Step 1. Remove the outer shell. Well, this is the first machine of this type that I’ve ever owned, and as a result, I was little bit clueless. At least there was a note to see instructions under Removing Outer Shell. Well, in the 5 pages of instructions, there were no Removing Outer Shell instructions. So a quick Google for Removing Outer Shell Andreja, and voila, the first result was this page on the ChrisCoffee website. I think that the instructions should have just been included, but no big deal, they were at least easy to find.

Removing the shell was a bit tricky, but wasn’t too bad. Sliding it off was the most difficult part, and I would recommend following the tip regarding loosening the hex bolts that attach the cup rail. I didn’t have my Allen wrench set handy, so I proceeded with care. When I put the machine back together, I went out to the garage, got my Allen wrenches, and it made things go back together much easier.

Doing the wiring was pretty straightforward, but one criticism of the instructions was the fact that they were a bit presumptuous. They really assume that you are familiar with many of the innards of the machine. For example, in Step 3, where you are instructed to disconnect the magnetic float switches, there are references to the relay, and there are a couple different ones apparently. As long as you study the photos provided in the instructions carefully, things are fine. They have a photo of the relay that you need to match prior to proceeding, but a photo of the location where you actually disconnect the float switches from would have been a nice addition (the float switches are mounted against the stainless panel that separates the reservoir from the boiler section, and they are connected to a spot on the opposite side of the machine from the relay that they have you examine). I think that larger photos would improve the instructions a great deal. Even better, would be if ChrisCoffee & CaffeTech just posted the instructions right on their websites… along with some nice large photos.

I should have taken some photos myself while I had the machine opened up and posted them up myself, but I forgot in all my excitement of getting everything set up.

Everything else went pretty smooth. . . I did have to file the opening for the drip tube at the front of the machine a little bit, and I stress the little. You definitely don’t want to take too much. . . a nice snug fit holds the piece in place nicely, and still allows you to remove the drip tray easily enough. If it’s loose, I could see hooking up on the spout a lot.

When wiring things up, larger photos would have been nice, but I managed (and anyone with better eyesight would likely manage just fine as well).

The whole connection of the kit took me about an hour. Tomorrow I open up a cabinet and drill down into the laundry room below, and get the water up to the machine. Hopefully the fittings and pipe that I picked up will be fine for getting the connection all finished.

These are the pieces that I have left from the kit after getting the machine itself wired up:

Connect off the main lineI had set things up to use 3/8 inch flexible copper tubing, but fortunately one of the provided fittings went into the shutoff valve I had installed. I had to take a short length of flexible copper and hammer one end flat to seal it. To be sure the seal was good, I also soldered it.

The John Guest tubing then plugged in (be sure to plug it as far as it will go into the fitting. I didn’t the first time, and had water spewing out when I first turned on the water). Oh yeah, don’t forget to put the green washer onto the braided hose at the end that connects to the machine.

Having the machine hooked up like this is great! No more having to move cups around to refill the reservoir, and never having stale water for my espresso’s

Popularity: 1% [?]

November 4, 2007
by ray
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Soft water

Normally when I speak of soft water, I’m thinking of water that I can fish on (as opposed to the conditions during the winter when ice prevents the fly line from getting to where the fish are).

This time though, I’m referring the the mineral content of the water in Edmonton – and how its qualities affect things such as water heaters and my new espresso machine. Since getting the espresso machine, I’ve found that I use it even more than I had anticipated – and this makes refilling the reservoir very tedious – not to mention the frequent trips to the store for bottled water.

I’m half-way there as far as resolving the problem – having installed a whole-house water softener. I ended up getting a Sears Kenmore model – to get it installed I had to get some copper pipe and some bends, and a valve that will ultimately get connected to the Andreja Premium.

I’m not making as many trips to the store for water now – and I haven’t noticed any adverse affects flavor-wise to my espressos since adding the softener. I have certainly noticed all of the other soft water benefits though! Can’t wait to get the water connected directly to the espresso machine!

Popularity: 1% [?]

September 26, 2007
by ray
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Water

Been contemplating getting my espresso machine plumbed in – and from the looks of things, it would be advisable to soften the water going into the machine first. Here in Edmonton they used to soften the water at the treatment plant, but a few years ago they stopped doing that.

Since then I’ve noticed more scale build up on things like the shower head, vegetable steamer and electric kettle, etc. So rather than just softening the water to the espresso machine, I’m thinking about a ‘whole house’ solution.

So, the Google’ing begins -

Popularity: 1% [?]

September 14, 2007
by ray
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Classic Belgian Waffle's

From the Waring Pro Belgian Waffle Maker instruction booklet:

Classic Belgian waffles have a crispy outside and are soft and moist on the inside. They are often served as a part of a celebration—even to celebrate something as simple as a beautiful day. Try these waffles with your favorite syrup or a topping such as sliced fresh strawberries and freshly whipped cream.

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups water
  • 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast (one packet)
  • 3 cups sifted flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3 large eggs, separated (for 3 yolks and 1 egg white)
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
  • 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cups whole milk

Minimum-required Tools

  • waffle maker
  • measuring cup and spoons
  • whisk or hand mixer
  • small sauce pan
  • large mixing bowl and spoon
  • heat safe spatula

Directions

Heat half of the water to lukewarm, 105°-110°F. Dissolve the yeast in the water with a pinch of sugar; let stand for 5-10 minutes, until the mixture begins to foam.

Put the flour and salt into the large bowl; stir to blend and reserve. Add the egg yolks, one of the egg whites, and remaining sugar to the yeast mixture; stir to blend. Add the remaining water, milk, melted butter, oil, and vanilla; stir until the mixture is smooth. Stir the liquid mixture into the flour mixture and beat until the mixture is smooth.

Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form when removing the mixer. Fold the egg whites gently into the Belgian waffle batter. Let the batter stand for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes.

Helpful Hint

Setting #4 for the Waring Pro Belgian Waffle Maker achieves a golden brown baked Belgian waffle. You can adjust the browning control if you prefer lighter or darker waffles.

Preheat your waffle maker on your preferred setting (use setting #4 for the Waring Pro Belgian Waffle Maker); the ready indicator light will turn on when preheated (the green indicator light for the Waring Pro Belgian Waffle Maker).

For best results, do not open the waffle maker during cooking of the Belgian waffle recipe. Doing so will offset the timing mechanism.

For the Waring Pro Belgian Waffle Maker

Using the measuring scoop to measure the batter and pour into the preheated waffle maker. Use a heat-proof spatula to spread the batter evenly over the grids. Close lid and rotate waffle maker 180° to the right. Bake the Belgian waffle in the waffle maker until beeper indicates that the waffle is done. Rotate waffle maker 180° to the left.

For any waffle maker

Measure out enough batter for your waffle maker and pour into the preheated waffle maker. Use a heat-proof spatula to spread the batter evenly over the grids. Close lid and bake the Belgian waffle in the waffle maker until it indicates the waffle is done; in professional waffle makers, this is usually indicated by a light, a tone sounding, or both.

Remove waffle and repeat until all batter is used. Waffles may be kept warm in an oven at low-heat (200°F). Place Belgian waffles on a cookie sheet on a rack in the warm oven. Serve with whipped cream, fruit, jam, powdered sugar, or a warm fruit syrup.

Popularity: 1% [?]

September 6, 2007
by ray
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Classic Waffles

(from AllRecipes.com)

Original recipe yield: 10 to 12 waffles.
Prep Time: 10 Minutes | Cook Time: 15 Minutes | Ready In: 25 Minutes | Servings: 5

Ingredients

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 4 teaspoons baking powder
  • 2 tablespoons white sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 1/2 cups warm milk
  • 1/3 cup butter, melted
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

In a large bowl, mix together flour, salt, baking powder and sugar; set aside.

Preheat waffle iron to desired temperature. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs.

Stir in the milk, butter and vanilla.

Pour the milk mixture into the flour mixture; beat until blended.

Ladle the batter into a preheated waffle iron.

Cook the waffles until golden and crisp. Serve immediately.

Popularity: 1% [?]

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