As Rare as A Unicorn...

...making a good cup of Cuban coffee at home!  The smell of percolating coffee is embedded in my deepest memories.  Even as a child and long before I tasted coffee for the first time I was able to brew a perfect pot of coffee.  My dad was amazed at how strong a little kid could make coffee and still have it taste good.  Cuban coffee touches on memories of living on Miami Beach in the mid-70's during the time my father was seriously ill and then passed away.  Rather than being a sad memory it is actually connected to the last good memories I have of him. 

Over the years I have learned tricks for making good stovetop coffee... how to make crema from a Venezuelan roommate (the technique later confirmed by Lidia Bastianich, amazing Italian chef); the right type of coffeemaker from various and sundry Cuban/Puerto Rican/Dominican friends; etc. 

Recently I bought a new stovetop espresso maker, a name brand of coffee, and a metal cup for making crema.  My first batch was perfection with crema on the surface of the espresso (made with sugar and the first drops of percolated coffee).  I mixed that with warmed milk for the most delicious cafe con leche! 

That was yesterday....

Today alone I have thrown out two batches because they tasted like burned metal.  The coffee maker is sputtering out the first few drops of coffee all over my stove... the spuma is eluding me!!!  Is the heat too high??  Did I fill the basket too tightly with coffee??  I washed the newness off of the coffeemaker when it came out of the box but since then I have only rinsed it to give the coffee oils a chance to work their magic on the pot.  (I am glad that the good coffee was on sale and I bought several bricks because I would be crying at all the coffee I am dumping out otherwise!!!)

So.... feet first into the fray!!!  One of the many things I inherited from my grandmother is an unwillingness to settle for less than perfection.  If it doesn't taste right I will throw it out and try again until it does.  Along with that is tweaking the recipe and noting what works and what doesn't.  A method for creating perfect espresso and cafe con leche with this particular coffeemaker is my goal!!!

Taking on quixotic adventures like hunting unicorns or making perfect Cuban coffee on my stovetop is not intimidating to me!  Rather, as a fan of chaos theory, I feel that the more elusive the result the more intriguing the journey!!  Once I have a reliable method I will update this post... in the meantime any suggestions or comments are encouraged!

My Vision

What is incuisitive?  Curiosity about cuisine... interest in food... writing down my ideas about food and trying to improve on what I bring to the table.  While blogging is new for me journaling is not, I have journals dating back to when I was 17, and cooking is a lifelong passion.  This blog is an attempt to combine my love for journaling and cooking into one forum.