Like tea and hot chocolate, there are many ways to serve coffee, but did you know that over 50 countries actually grow the beans? Only a handful produce them in commercially viable quantities. However, there is a growing number of specialist coffees from smaller producers reaching our shores. They include Jamaican Blue Mountain, Java Estate Kuyumas and Indian Mysore.
All are at the higher end of the market. However, the most expensive coffee in the world is Kopi Luwak. Made from beans that have been eaten and passed by the Asian Palm civet, it is produced in Indonesia, Timor and the Philippines. With a totally different chemical structure to ordinary coffee beans, it has a mild, aromatic flavour.
Brazil and Columbia are the coffee growing nations of the world, producing more beans than anywhere else. Prized for their light, tangy quality, they are ideal for blending. Other Latin producers include Mexico, Guatemala, Panama and Costa Rica. Some of these countries are equally prized for their cocoa beans, used to make hot chocolate.
The coffees of Eastern Africa and the Middle East are like wine: complex and alluring, with copious flavours including citrus fruits, blueberries and spices. Asian coffees, on the other hand, are full-bodied and thick, and are often used to deepen lighter blends.
The coffee of each country has its own distinct characteristics and flavour. Coffee tasters, like tea tasters, are employed by importers to ensure only the best beans reach our shores. These connoisseurs sample each batch as though it were the finest wine. It’s certainly something to think about, when you next reach for a cup.
Christmas 2009 gave us one of the worst winters we’ve ever had in the UK, with seemingly endless snowfall and icy conditions on the roads. The weather meant it was better for many of us to stay indoors, with the fire on and firmly hold on to a nice warm drink, while other people went outside to work or to build snowmen.
So what are the best drinks to enjoy during the winter, while you sit by the fire and look at the thick blanket of white snow on the ground?
In Britain we’re known as a nation of tea drinkers, and that is one stereotype that we’re comfortable with. A good hot cup of tea certainly serves the purpose of keeping your toes warm when it’s too cold to go outside. There are also a wide range of teas available to drink, rather than just the usual brands that you see advertised on TV by monkeys and men with flat caps.
If tea isn’t to your liking, you could always stay indoors with a good, strong coffee. Many people find that a cup (or usually mug) of coffee is the best way to start the day, whether it’s snowing or not.
Perhaps the best drink for staying warm in winter is hot chocolate. A tall mug of hot chocolate, filled with marshmallows and sprinkled with chocolate flakes, is the ideal way to sit out the cold weather. There’s no need to venture outside, so long as you have an ample supply of marshmallows on hand.
Like every year, you have been once again designated to cook the Christmas lunch for everyone! Lucky you! Unfortunately, you can’t impress them with your traditional turkey and cranberry sauce as you have been cooking this for the past three years!! Your mother-in-law, as usual can’t stop complaining about your lack of creativity and your husband doesn’t want to be in the middle of the fights!
As a matter of fact, cooking can be really stressful and painful! You are always thrilled to discover new and funky recipes but they are always too long and too complicated to prepare!
To help our desperate housewives, we have combined a list of delicious and easy recipes to help you impress even the most sceptical ones!
Let’s start with the dessert. Yes, ladies! Even if it is the last course, it is generally the first one you prepare!
If you want to show some master chef gifts of yours without putting too much effort in it, go for the Baklava. (http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Baklava/Detail.aspx) To add your own touch, you can sprinkle some delicious hot chocolate powder.
If you are more into traditional dishes, here is a delicious recipe for a pumpkin pie. (http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Libbys-Famous-Pumpkin-Pie/Detail.aspx)
Let’s look at the first course now. How about Bacon and cheese tartlets with a nice tomato coulis and a side salad?(http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Crescent-Bacon-Cheese-Tartlet/Detail.aspx)Really mouth-watering isn’t it?
Finally, (we’ve saved the best for the end) the main course which needs to be your master piece if you want to earn extra points with your Old and Bitter!
If you are sick and tired of making turkey every year, go for something different. Why not try the Lamb with Balsamic Fig and Basil sauce? (http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Stuffed-Leg-of-Lamb-with-Balsamic-Fig-Basil-Sauce/Detail.aspx)! Seems very fancy right? Don’t worry, all the instructions are there to help you make it easier!
Or, if you are a Turkey lover and can’t imagine your Christmas without it, here is a recipe to shaken up the traditions: the Sherry’s German Turkey (http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Sherrys-German-Turkey/Detail.aspx)
This will make you without a doubt the Queen of the Kitchen for 2010!
Bon Appetit and Merry Christmas!
