A Good Dish

making food simpler

Need Coffee? Ordering A Coffee Subscription Online Is An Easy Way To Try New Beans From Many Different Roasters

Wood-fired stoneware mug
by Linda Christianson
from St. Croix Valley Pottery Tour

I used to think coffee was bad for me but since quite a lot of recent studies say just the opposite, I drink a cup every morning. I’d like to drink more but then I would be up all night. Now the decision to drink coffee is an easy one but finding coffee beans I like is tougher. In a typical pre-pandemic week, we would buy coffee beans from a local coffee shop like Plowshares and Variety. In a pinch, if I was being lazy, I might pick up a bag at Whole Foods or, if feeling thrifty, a 2 pounder of organic beans at Costco. We had been trying out different roasters across the city (Devocíon, East One, Box Kite with mixed results) to find beans we liked when the stay at home order was issued in March. Since then, we have been ordering beans online. Wow – there is a whole huge world of freshly roasted coffee available to be delivered to your home!

Porcelain espresso cup and saucer
by The Bright Angle
from Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show

I am happy we can order consistently good tasting beans from local roasters online instead of actually going to their brick and mortar shops, grateful they still roast and ship. (We are just about to try Partners (in Brooklyn) because they offer 20% off your first order). But when a friend recently turned us on to online coffee subscriptions (thank you, Melea), we realized what endless possibilities we have. Now our eyes have been opened to Bean Box (so far we’ve enjoyed 1 out of 3 of their selections), Trade Coffee (2 for 2), Misto Box (0 for 1), companies who will send coffees from different roasters all over the country. Sites like Condé Nast Traveler and Roasty Coffee have descriptions of the various companies but I thought Homegrounds was the most helpful because they actually compare the various subscription services to help you choose. Homegrounds is one of many coffee focused sites (such as The Coffee Compass, Coffee Geek and Perfect Daily Grind) that discuss all aspects of coffee from sourcing to storing to brewing. And, of course, there are many opinionated threads on Reddit that argue the merits and faults of different coffees and subscriptions.

Earthenware mug by Maggie Jaszczak
from Northern Clay Center

A subscription where you leave the choice up to someone else is always a gamble and a coffee service is no different. You might like what they choose and you might not. The first bag of beans I got from Misto Box (from a roaster in Kentucky) brewed up watery and flavorless, even though the beans had been roasted that week. But that may be true with any beans you buy at a store or order yourself solely based on a description without having tasted them. I said that I liked a medium roast with full body and caramel flavor but that didn’t guarantee that I would like the beans they said tasted that way. Some companies (like Trade) will send a different bag of beans if you don’t like the first selection. Disappointingly, the “coffee curator” at Misto was so slow to respond to my emails requesting a replacement that I debated canceling and trying a different service but, after a week of emailing, he finally agreed to send another bag of beans.

Kurinuki (carved from a block of clay)
earthenware mug by Joe Pintz
from Worcester Craft Center

Like beer and wine, choosing a coffee involves knowing the terminology. Coffee is described by its roast level (with, strangely, light having the most caffeine and dark the least) as well as by adjectives like smoky, mellow, fruity, rich and toasty. According to JavaLush, another coffee lover’s site, there are 172 words to describe coffee, even more than to describe wine! I’ve been drinking coffee for decades and am only now beginning to learn a vocabulary to use to explain what I like. Unfortunately, knowing some words doesn’t guarantee I will get something I like. The only real way I know to do that is to taste. And like with beer and wine, I may or may not like someone else’s recommendation. So I take a chance trying new beans, both single origin and blends, and brew and taste them until I find the ones I like. Part of the fun of a subscription is getting new coffees to try that we wouldn’t have chosen ourselves. Sometimes they please us and when they don’t, we try combining different roasts or brewing them a different way (drip or aeropress or cold brew) or changing the grind size or varying the amount we use. If all else fails, they go in the compost. So far that has only happened twice. I continue to look forward to the next bag to arrive, ever hopeful that it will be my new favorite.

Peonies

Ceramic Reamers: One Of The Kitchen Tools Contemporary Potters Are Creating

Porcelain reamer
by Jen Allen

We have been to many ceramics sales in the past few years and while we have continued to find many beautiful pots, what has surprised me is the growing number of potters making specialty items, such as salt cellars, butter keepers and even citrus reamers. When I was still making pots, it never occurred to me to make a juice reamer. I had seen many lovely Depression glass versions but hadn’t remembered any made of clay. Well, times have changed and creative potters are producing beautiful and useful reamers in many formats. 

Porcelain citrus reamer
by Jen Allen
Porcelain reamer and rest
by Gwendolyn Yoppolo

The simplest reamer, like the standard wooden version, is just the juicing head (the part inserted into the cut fruit) attached to a handle. We found a delightful porcelain model with a beautifully ornamented handle by Jen Allen at the Old Church Pottery sale two years ago. It is easy to use,  easy to clean and feels comfortable in my hand. Another, a sleeker but equally comfortable version, with a crystalline glaze by Gwendolyn Yoppolo, rests in its own dedicated holder. Both the forms and surfaces are dazzling, with every detail thoroughly designed and thought through.  A third variety, like the Depression glass originals, sits in the center of a dish which collects the juice and has a pouring spout. I was gifted a brightly colored, well-designed and crafted version by the skillful Swiss potter Peter Fink and it works wonderfully. Berkshire potter Lucy Fagella makes yet a fourth variety of reamer, an elegant two-part thrown composition in which the juice drips through holes in the top half and collects in the bottom. Fagella generously made an instructional video to demonstrate how she makes her simple but well-structured solution. I’m sure there are other beauties waiting for us to discover out there.

Ceramic juicer/reamer
by Peter Fink
Ceramic juicer/reamer
by Peter Fink

Growing up, I used to enjoy squeezing orange juice for breakfast. Even as a kid, it is a good feeling to feel useful around mealtime. But since I don’t really drink fruit juice any more, I use my reamers for juicing mostly lemons and limes, which I use quite frequently in cooking (and an occasional grapefruit or orange, depending on the recipe). It is a useful tool for getting the most juice out of any citrus fruit. I am happy to have found a few useful ceramic versions to beautify my kitchen and heighten my own aesthetic pleasure while cooking. I love handmade culinary tools of all kinds – wooden spoons and cutting boards, cheese knives and spreaders, seed grinding bowls and colanders. They certainly enhance the pleasure of preparing and serving food in the same way a beautifully made cup betters your morning coffee or tea. Thanks to all the creative potters out there who are brightening our kitchens every day!

Stoneware citrus juicer/reamer by Lucy Fagella
Photo by Lucy Fagella
Stoneware citrus juicer/reamer by Lucy Fagella
Photo by Lucy Fagella

Green Tea May Be Great For Us But Can We Learn To Love It? It’s Not Easy Going Green…

Sencha Green Tea
Wood Ash Glazed Stoneware by Richard Aerni

Green tea sounds almost magical in its widely researched medicinal qualities. It is thought to fight both cardiovascular disease and cancer. It contains polyphenols and antioxidants that may reduce inflammation and catechins that may kill bacteria. Although some doubters question the medical data, I am willing to drink it just in case any of those benefits pan out. It also gives me the opportunity to use the many lovely teacups, tea bowls and tumblers I have collected over the years. My problem with green tea is that I don’t love the taste.

There is a wide range of loose and bagged green teas and prices!

Some people, my husband and son included, really like the taste of green tea. Unfortunately, I don’t. Until I find an organic green tea I like (and I am determined), my solution is to use one green tea bag and one teabag of a fruity herbal tea. What I end up with is a fruity, tasty brew which I find pleasing. If I make a potful, I add ice to the second cup and enjoy it cold. Because green tea has caffeine (although about 1/3 that of coffee), for an afternoon cup I make sure to use a decaf green.

Kalustyan’s carries many varieties of green tea

There are so many types of green tea and such a huge range of flavorings that I might just spend many years trying different ones. My son likes sencha (basic and grassy) and genmaicha (made with toasted rice) while my sister prefers matcha, the powdered version used in tea ceremonies and in baking. So far, I find I enjoy an organic passion fruit green but I’ve barely scratched the surface. I’m hoping it is an acquired taste and that I will soon start to like it more as I drink more of it. Fighting off potential illness with a few cups of green tea a day? Why not try?

Passion Fruit Green Tea
Wood Ash Glazed Stoneware by Richard Aerni

It’s The Season – Specialty Items And Seasonal Produce Are Available Now

Clementines are now in season
Bowl by Melissa Weiss

As those of you who have been reading this blog for a while know, I am a big advocate of eating seasonally. Not only does it make more sense in terms of avoiding excessive shipping and pesticides, supporting local farmers and adapting to temperature shifts by cooking with weather-appropriate vegetables, but it also makes foods which are only available at certain times of year seem more special and tied to seasonal celebrations.

These cherries are good in all kinds of drinks and on ice cream

Now that Thanksgiving is over, the holiday season is in full swing. It doesn’t matter what holiday you celebrate or if you celebrate any, the shorter, darker days of December need festivity. Perhaps the fact that so many holiday are grouped at certain times of year (harvest, spring and the start of winter) is because we need connections at these moments of transition. Whatever the reason, this is a great season for using specialty items – things that are either only available around the winter holidays or are in season now.

Pomegranates are one of my favorite seasonal fruits
Plate by Melissa Weiss

In New York, bags of domestic little orange clementines and big red pomegranates have begun to appear. Both are perfect for adding splashes of color and juicy bursts to otherwise drab winter salads and tabletops. Pomegranates can last up to two months refrigerated so I often try to stock up in December for after the holidays, when we also will need some vitamin C and rosy color. (This year I may even try freezing the arils). Ditto gorgeous orange Fuyu persimmons, although they don’t last as long, perhaps only a week or two. Persimmons are delicious eaten on their own, sliced or diced into salads or slow roasted in the oven. Domestic Meyer lemons are at their best right now through the winter and are fragrant and tasty. Leave a big bowl on your kitchen counter and use them to brighten vinaigrettes, sauces and cocktails.

Meyer lemons add vibrancy to all kinds of dishes and cocktails
Plate by Melissa Weiss

At my favorite local market from Thanksgiving through January, a giant bag of mixed in-shell nuts will tempt me to buy some every time I am there. A bowl of nuts with a cracker serves two purposes; one – fresh nuts are just that – fresh – much less likely to be rancid than packaged nuts which may have been sitting around a long time and two – having to crack nuts by hand slows down how fast you can eat them (they are both nutritionally and calorically dense). When you visit your local farmer’s market, now is the time to stock up on winter squashes like buttercup, butternut and kabocha, onions and garlic, all of which will last for a couple of months in a cool, dark place. Root vegetables, like carrots, parsnips, daikon and beets, will keep in a crisper drawer in your fridge for a month or two, especially if you leave them dirty. Don’t forget fresh thyme and rosemary, which you can hang in bunches to dry or use fresh to stuff inside poultry and fish or to chop and sprinkle over roasted cauliflower, carrots, parsnips or squash.

Fresh nuts just taste better!
These are at Mani Market on Columbus Avenue

Besides seasonal produce, there are specialty items which appear only around the holidays and which I try to remember to buy while they are available, both to use and to give as gifts. This year I discovered Amarena cherries – jars of real Italian cherries in syrup to use in place of those scary neon Marischinos we stopped buying long ago. These jarred cherries are delicious to use for a Shirley Temple, cherry milk or especially for a cocktail like a Manhattan, if you can resist eating them right from the jar. This is what I will stock up on and bring for house gifts this season. I’ve also seen tins and boxes of  spiced cookies, herbed crackers and flavored Marcona almonds around, canisters of peppermint or marshmallow hot chocolate mixes, scented fir, eucalyptus or gingerbread candles, truffles, filled chocolates and boxed or planted Amaryllis bulbs. (These will be even better when given in or with a piece of handmade pottery in which to eat, drink, store, serve or display them). Get them while they are available. All make wonderful (and easily transported) gifts for others or just for treating yourself.

Amaryllis bulbs and plants are available late fall and early winter

The Holiday Pottery Sales Are On!

A detail from the wall of cups available for sale at the Clay Studio in Philadelphia

Some people wait all year for the Black Friday sales. I wait for the holiday pottery sales. Just as September always feels like the beginning of the year to me because of the start of school, the holiday season starts off with pottery sales. I hosted a sale for decades but always managed to get to some of the others. Now the season is here – the clay sales have begun!

A corner of Melissa Weiss‘ booth at the PMC this month
Pots by Nick Moen-The Bright Angle
at the PMC show earlier this month
Bryan Hopkins Pots at this year’s PMC
Paul Eshelman Pottery at the recent PMC show

The PMC (Philadelphia Museum Craft Show) has come and gone (it was a beauty this year) and every weekend from now until the end of December, there will be wonderful exhibitions and studio sales of ceramics and other media all across the country. Not only do you get to see and buy pots but you also get to meet and chat with their makers!

Donna Polseno pots at the Old Church Pottery Sale

One of my favorite shows (and these are really exhibitions as well as sales – a chance to see new work as well as buy it) is the annual invitational Old Church Pottery Sale in Demarest, New Jersey. We have been going for more than 25 years and a number of our favorite pots were purchased there, including some early Ayumi Hori mugs, Bernadette Curran tumblers, Silvie Granatelli bowls and Matthew Metz cups. This year a number of young potters will be exhibiting there and I can’t wait to see their work!

Peter Beasecker pots at the Old Church Pottery Sale
Some of Adero Willard‘s pots at the Old Church Pottery Sale
Mark Pharis pots at the Old Church Pottery Sale

Of the many terrific group shows I can’t get to this year but wish I could, the 16 Hands tour that takes place this weekend in Floyd, Virginia seems particularly appealing. And I would love to peruse Art Providence and the Foundry Show in Pawtucket the 2nd weekend in December. I have listed below the group sales I know about but there are certainly plenty more. If you have favorite potters, contact them to see when their sales are or in which group shows they will be participating. Many college and university ceramics departments hold holiday sales as do clay galleries, both brick and mortar and online. If only we could get to them all…..Happy hunting!

Holly Walker Pots at
Society for Arts & Crafts in Boston

(A little consolation if you can’t get to some of the shows or miss the pieces you desire online – there will be another batch of sales around Mother’s Day).

A favorite mug by Perry Haas purchased at the Old Church Pottery Sale