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OOD Wednesday, September 11,198S Section B Americans continue coffee love affair JBy June Cavarretta Herald news service f When it comes to American traditions, coffee ranks right up there with pm and apple pie. • "But according to Jan Rich, owner of That Coffee Place at Spring Hill Mall, Americans are just learning how to make and fully appreciate a ^perfectly-brewed cup of coffee. | "There is such a thing as a good cup of coffee," Rich said. We sat behind- «ithe-scenes of the shop she owns and manages with her husband, Jim, •totally enveloped by the heady aroma of fresh, subtly-flavored coffee fbeans. , , I "Europe has known that for centuries, but somewhere or other we got off *the track. We really drink dirty water in comparison to them." | Rich said coffee beans are graded, and commercial companies use a •lesser grade than the gourmet coffee markets. Customers often ask Rich if there's really a difference between those grades. "I ask them this: 'Is there a difference between the home-grown tomato from your back yard and the ones you buy in the winter that taste like little balls of red newspaper?'There's that much difference." According to Rich, coffee beans grow in practically every tropical country, but not all export it. People are most familiar with Brazilian or ^Columbian coffee, and with travel to Hawaii on the rise, more people are aware of Kona. * "Otherwise, they don't realize where coffee grows," she said. " Brazil is the largest coffee producer, but not the best. Coffee from Africa is high in its over-all quality, and, if they ever settle down over there, it could be the next South America as far as coffee beans go." Rich purchases beans from brokers, and the beans are shipped to the 's roasting plant located in Wauconda. The beans come to the plant green and maintain their freshness in that state until roasted. The beans are roasted at about 500 degrees for about 20 minutes, the actual roasting time dependent upon the type of roast and the number of beans. To make the flavored coffees, the beans are sprayed with flavor extracts^ which contain no artificial or synthetic ingredients. "The beans are especially porous after roasting and so they absorb the flavor," said Rich. "And then you get that nice hint of chocolate, or cinnamon, or whatever flavor it is." Rich said that of the flavored coffees the shop carries, ^chocolate is the most popular; vanilla almond and Irish •creme are two other favorites. I Freshness is one of the most important factors in that ^perfect cup of coffee, and it is here that Rich feels .commercial producers, grocery and department ^stores fall short. 4 "You have to be in a high-traffic area to sell "Jeoffee," she said. "We have to offer freshness or forget it. But the problem is volume. Even the 'jaest gets stale. We roast our own and get fresh !coffeeeach week. If a coffee is slow-moving % that means the last few people to buy will get ^tale coffee, so we drop it." : Rich said the shop sells close to LOOfrppunds of coffee each week, which is a loMor a single store, land some of the bins are emptied each day. * "A grocery or department store just doesn't have the ^ame turnover," she said. With over 50 varieties in stock, Rich said her sales staff *s carefully trained to help * customers make just the right selection. > ' "When a customer comes into the store, most of the time they don't know whatthey want," she said. "To look at our board without sales personnel to help make a selection is just about impossible. This isn't a self-service type business. We spend a lot of time educating the customer and making suggestions." By asking questions, the sales staff can usually pinpoint the exact flavor the customer would like. Rich finds customers new to the gourmet coffee shop generally start with a mild variety, such as Kona. They find they like it and then go to a nAre exotic bean. The shop's biggest growing category is decaffeinated coffee. With concern over caffeine intake and the chemicals American coffee producers use to remove the caffeine, many consumers have turned to the gourmet coffee shop for a healthier decaffenaited coffee. The shop now carries 12 varieties, each decaffeinated by the Swiss water process. Rather than using chemicals to remove the caffeine, the beans undergo a steam process that extracts and washes away the caffeine. ̂ While the canned variety of decaffeinated coffee has improved a bit, Rich said it in no way compares to the gourmet variety. "The Swiss water process leaves no bitter Chemical taste," she said. "Many people get headaches from drinking decaf coffee, and that's because of the chemicals. " •- \ The cost of gourmet decaffeinated coffee is more expensive than other varieties. Since it's an expensive process, only nigh-quality beanS are used. Since the process is only done in Europe, shipping also adds to the final cost. While Europeans have long enjoyed coffee decaffeinated by the Swiss water process, the American market for it is considerably smaller. , "Caffeine is actually an odorless and tasteless oil." Rich said "People want a better decaf coffee. With the gourmet decaf they can cut out caffeine and still have a good cup of coffee. Commercial people don't use the Swiss water process, and until the gourmet coffee shops started using it, people were not aware of the alternatives." 'II M T ? l K r « £ U i n : Rich believes the Midwest market for gourmet coffee will catch up to the East and West coast markets. She sees that people want better things In "general, and with more disposable income, the market has risen to me?t their demands. , * ' * * "Think of it," she said. "This is a very affordable luxury A millionaire canU buy a better coffee than what's available to ycu You can have the very best available and still spend only six dollars. And that appeals to a lot of people." , HISTORY There's no doubt about It, Americans definitely have a love affair going with coffee. Coffee is today's number one non-alcoholic beverage, and a great deal of our lifestyle is colored by that fact. We drink coffee when we get up add before we go to bed. The office pot is standard equipment, and it's always nice to sip our way through those long, tiresome meetings While we may think the coffee break is a relatively new phenomena, it's actually a l .000-year-old custom. « . Unions write coffee breaks into workers' con­ tracts, and secretaries struggled to eliminate coffee preparation from their job descriptions We can buy coffee pots in every conceivable shape,'size, and color, and there's a coffee cup or d coffee mug available for any occasion with any inscription, to boot. We sit by coffee tables and look at coffee books, or we have a coffee klatsch and eat coffee cakes. We stop for coffee btefore we go, after we've gone, and we often sip while we're there. Coffee is a given for the morning paper. It's a must for a stack of jacks, and any chocolate dessert begs for It. People go to great lengths to take coffee with them. Coffee was a part of each soldier's ration pack in the CivU War. Cowboys still drink it on the range. Special coffee mugs for commuters are big sellers. On mv last vacation, I .personally saw one woman carry a Mr. Coffee into tier hotel room. Coffee and danish have almost given way to cap- ceino and a croissaint; and coffeehouses of the 60s ave long been replaced by the cafes and coffee boutiques of the 80s. Perhaps our love affair stems from the most famous tea party in history; when young American patriots dumped En­ gland's favorite commodity into the sea. Thereafter, it Was considered near-treason to drink tea. Coffeehouses sprang up in America in the mid-eighteenth century, and IMs said the idea for the American Revolu­ tion was conceived in « Boston coffee­ house in 1783. But while coffee was then a fairly new beverage in the colo­ nies, it was by no means new to the rest of the world. My research this week reeled some interesting facts on coffee con- OOFTEB- Page 7B r What's cooking June Cavarretta Turn love of foods into own cookbook You love to eat. You love to cook. Your friends never turn down an invitation to dine at your table, and you get rave reviews from your family after each night's performance. Maybe you should write a cookbook. If that has always been your fantasy, you need to read "How To Write A Cookbook and Get It Published," by Sara Pitzer. While bookstore shelves are filled with cookbooks on everything from chocolate to tofu, getting a book actually published is not easy. Consider these facts: Cookbooks regularly make the best-seller list. About 6,000 new cookbooks are published each year. Yet that number represents just a fraction of the cookbook proposals that cross editors' desks each year. So how do you make your proposal stand out? Pitzer, who authored five cookbooks as well as numerous award- winning food articles, shares with you her extensive cooking background and takes you step by step through the publishing process. And that first step is determining the format. Cookbook categories-general, single subject, thematic, gimmick, and hybrid-need to be examined first to determine what format is best suited to your proposal. The next step is finding and testing recipes. No matter how good your idea is, it's worthless unless the reader can duplicate your results at home. Cookbook authors and food writers spend a great deal of time testing recipes (Lora Brody made one of her desserts 200 times to get it just right) and Pitzer discusses the how-to's of testing. Plagiarism can be a sticky issue in the world of cookbook publishing, since recipes cannot be copyrighted. But editors can easily spot "bor­ rowed" recipes. To make an honest cook out of you, Pitzer discusses how to adapt, collect, borrow, and create new recipes. Once recipes have been assembled, tested and perfected, it's time to write, and for many, this is the hardest part. It's no joke that, for many writers, the best thing about writing is having written. And it's up for debate on who has an easier time: writers who cook or cooks who try to write. In either case. Pitzer shares valuable insights into the process of writing. §o you end up with a cookbook that's consistent, accurate, and entertaining. Who should publish your book? Pitzer explains trade, personal, and self-publishing, and her analysis, including the advantages and disad­ vantages of each, should help you decide which is best for your cookbook. Most cookbook authors aspire to trade publishing because it seems to offer the most visibility and money. Studying the marketplace is a key factor in placing your book, and Pitzer acquaints you with different cookbook lines. She includes a sample proposal and tips on preparing your own. Self-publishing is another option to consider, and many regional and group cookbooks find their way to the market place this way. There are inherent pitfalls in this method, and Pitzer includes sources for more information and help. Cooks not interested in a wide distribution may find personal publish­ ing attractive, and this chapter tells you how to go about creating a COOKBOOK-Page 7B Patties quick fix for chicken loverS Chicken, glistening with a zesty sauce and crispy from roasting over the coals, is one of summertime's favorite party foods. It tastes great, goes with almost anything, and always draws a crowd of hungry guests waiting for it to finish cooking on the grill. The long, hot wait for grilled chicken can now be cut to a cool 15 minutes, and with no bones, either. Prepared chicken patties -- frozen, breaded and fully cooked -- make any-size summer party extra easy. Basted with a choice of three piquant sauces, the frozen patties quickly heat on the covered grill, and can be served from a platter or slipped into buns. Lightly touched with the flavor of the grill's charcoal heat, the juicy patties team up well with other good foods of summer: corn on the cob, fresh garden salads, grilled sweet onion and watermelon. Even the sauces ar# simple, with no more than six ingredients in each: sweet and sour, herb and mustard and lemon-tarragon. Ideal for backyard grilling, these sauces can also be brushed on the chicken patties while they heat in an oven on those days when the outdoor cooking moves inside. And all the recipes for chicken patties include nutrition information. Sweet and Sour Chicken Patties Vi cup prepared sweet and sour sauce 1 tablespoon soy sauce 1 package (12 oz.) frozen prepared breaded boneless chicken patties In small bowl, combine sweet and sour sauce and soy sauce. Set 'aside. On cookie sheet, arrange chicken patties. Heat in 425*F oven 10 minutes. Turn chicken over. Brush sauce on top of chicken. Heat an additional 6 minutes or until hot. Makes 4 servings. Grilling Instructions In small bowl, combine sweet and sour sauce and soy sauce. Set aside. Place frozen chicken patties on grill 6 inches above hot coals. Heat, covered, 15 rflfciutes, turning occasionally. Brush sauce on both sides of chicken. Heat an additional 5 minutes or until hot, turning occasionally. Nutrition Information Place frozen chicken patties on grill 6 Inches above hot coals. Heat, covered, 15 minutes, turning occasionally. Brush sauce on both sides of chicken. Heat an additional 5 minutes or until hot, turning occasionally. Nutrition Information Per Serving: 330 calories lmedium (at meat exchange* 14 gms. carbohydrate* I bread exchange Per Serving: 255 calories l'/i medium (at meat exchanges Mgms. protein 25 gms. (at '297 mg sodium 3'/j fat exchanges 13 gms. carbohydrates 1 bread exchanges Mgms. protein 15 gms. fat 483 mg. sodium 1 fat exchange Herb and Mustard Chicken Patties 3 tablespoons vegetable oil 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar 2 tablespoons Dijon-style mustard 1 tablespoon parsley flakes 1 teaspoon instant minced onion >/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce l package (12 oz.) frozen prepared breaded boneless chicken patties In small bowl, combine oil, vinegar, mustard, parsley, onion and hot pepper sauce. Set aside. On cookie sheet, arrange chicken patties. Heat in 425*F oven 10 minutes. Turn chicken over. Brush sauce on top of chicken. Heat an additional 6 minutes or until hot. Makes 4 servings. Grilling Instructions In small bowl, combine oil, vinegar, mustard, parsley,.onion and hot pepper sauce. Set aside. Lemon-Tarragon Chicken Patties 2 tablespoons lemon juice 1 teaspoon crushed tarragon leaves V« teaspoon ground black pepper >/4 teaspoon onion powder 1 clove garlic, crushed 1 package (12 oz.) frozen prepared breaded boneless chicken patties In small bowl, combine lemon juice, tarragon, pepper, onion powder and garlic. Set aside On cookie sheet, arrange chicken patties. Heat in 425*F oven 10 minutes. Turn chicken over. Brush sauce ei^top of chicken. Heat an additional 6 minutes or until hot: Makes 4 servings. • Grilling Instructions In small bowl, combine lemon juice, tarragon, pepper, onion powder and garlic. Set aside. Place frozen chicken patties on grill 6 inches above hot coals. Heat, covered, 15 minutes, turning occasionally Brush sauce on both sides of chicken. Heat an additional 5 minutes or until hot, turning occasionally. Chicken patties can be grilled In just 15 minutes - and without any bones. INDEX/SECTION B Bridal «MB Classified 14B-19B Comics 13B DearAbty 2B Foods... 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