I love the heck out of coffee. Back in the day when I worked at a coffee shop, there was nothing better than waking up early, biking into work and making myself the biggest espresso drink on the face of the earth. Now’a days, I don’t have that luxury (well, not for free anyway) SO I’ve done a little bit of experimentation. What’s the best home coffee? Anything french-pressed. I’ve received questions every now and then about where to being with french press coffee, so here you go: a comprehensive how-to. 

1. Buy a french press: Ikea and Target (where I purchased mine for about $20) have great, great deals on awesome presses. Important things to look for— buy a press that has a solid grate (the mesh part that eventually strains the coffee) that comes apart for easy cleaning!

2. Boiling your water: I love my electric teapot I got for Christmas! I’ll admit, I’m spoiled, but I recommend it if you ever get serious about french-pressing your coffee; most have a “keep-warm” setting that helps out IMMENSELY if you’re running around like me in the morning. Before this, I used a regular tea kettle and tap water! 

3. Choosing your coffee: Preferential, really. I love trying different brands and flavors, and everything is intensified with a french press which rules. THE MOST IMPORTANT THING: Make sure you grind your coffee very coarse. I don’t have a coffee grinder at home (I just use the in-store machines) and the 2nd to last “coarse” setting works perfectly. If you grind it too much, you’ll have grounds in your whole pot of coffee! 

How-to: 

Bring your water to a boil. In the meantime, scoop grounds into your french press.

For every cup you’re making, one tablespoon is plenty (though I tend to find myself doing more at times!). Once your water is at it’s peak boil, pour directly over your coffee grounds to fill up your press.

Add your filter over the top (covering the press) and let steep for 3-4 minutes. After you’re steep time is done, press down the filter until it hits the bottom, making sure you grasp the handle— we don’t want to make a mess!

From here, pour out your fresh coffee and FREAKING ENJOY! 

Nigella Lawson is, and will always be, one of my absolute favorites. Not for her recipes but her simple approach and awesome attitude towards cooking and life in general; recipes will never be prepared the same twice, and that’s ok (I’d like to think there are other, bigger metaphors in that). I saw her make something along these lines (via rerun on Youtube), but switched things up to make it seasonal (trust me, I tried my darndest to find plums!). 

French Toast: 

4 slices of stale wheat bread

2 eggs

2 tbs. brown sugar 

1/8 tsp. fresh nutmeg 

1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon 

1/2 tsp. almond extract 

Pear compote: 

1 unripe pear (I used Bosc), sliced

1 tbs. butter

1 c. cranberry juice 

1/4 c. sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon (ground! In the video she uses sticks, but I prefer ground)

In a sauce pan on medium, stir sugar, cinnamon, butter and cranberry juice until the sugar is disolved. Add pear slices, and turn down to low. Let simmer for 10-15 minutes, until tender. 

For toast, whisk together all ingredients (except for the bread!). Soak each slice of bread for a minute or two on each side (dense french toast is where it’s at). Heat up a griddle, and cook until each side is golden brown. Serve with hot pear compote over the top! 

NOTES AND SUCH: Most importantly, use an unripe pear! There really isn’t too many delicious, ripe pears in grocery stores right now (as they are out of season), and this is a great way to use fresh fruit during the dead of winter. In Nigella’s video, she talks about stirring sugar before turning on the heat— to tell you the truth, I’m not sure if that’s a real thing or not (it maybe effects the way the sugar caramelizes? I don’t know!). Maybe next time I’ll test it! 

Happy holidays and new year! I took this past week off to enjoy the festivities (and eat my weight in sugar daily). And I was absolutely spoiled this year! I think my two favorite things I got for Christmas were my new Instax Mini and a 50mm lens for my DSLR! Thanks Mom and Dad. Anyway, it’s officially winter! I’ll try not to bore you guys with an onslaught of stews and root vegetables. 

1 large head of cauliflower

1 onion, chopped

2 tbs. butter

3-4 cups of vegetable broth

White truffle oil, to taste. 

In a large pot, saute onions until in butter translucent. Add chopped cauliflower and roast until it starts to brown. Add vegetable broth and bring to a boil. Cook until the cauliflower breaks with the touch of a spoon. 

Take the soup off of the heat. Using a blender, puree soup until creamy. Put back on the stove to reheat, and add salt and pepper as needed. When serving, drizzle with white truffle oil. 

TIPS: Delicious! And so easy… It took me about 30 minutes to make from start to finish, including clean up. Be careful with the amount of truffle oil you use— you only need a little bit (or else it’ll get waaay too strong). WINTER SOUPS, AHOY!