Three Reasons to Buy a $1,500.00 Espresso Maker

Some folks think there is absolutely no reason to spend $1,500.00 on a fine expresso coffee machine.  Some folks say they don’t like coffee.

I wonder if those two groups of people might be the same ones who haven’t savored the full body, rich intensity, dark, deep, heavy, creamy experience of sipping a fine, boutique cup of the world’s finest coffee from Boquete, Panama.

The three coffee makes I’m reviewing here are the Pasquini, the Gaggia Titanium, and the Expression 2 Group Espresso Machine.

Once someone has the “coffee” experience, they are coffee lovers forever and they will pay almost any price to get the finest coffee grown anywhere and to make the finest cup of coffee possible.   The enjoyment and satisfaction experienced at the moment the coffee touches your palate is indescribable.  We are talking about spending lots of money to get that pleasure, $1,500.00, for that matter.

Let’s get back to the fact that the kind of expresso coffee maker I’m looking for is expensive and I’m trying to think of 3 good reasons to make such an big investment.

First, I live in Boquete, I grow coffee and I love coffee.  Notice my first reason actually contains 3 reasons, all actually very good reasons, but not good enough to justify an outlay of $1,500.00.  I’ll keep thinking about my first reason, especially when there are so many fine expresso makers for under $150.00.

Next, I need the challenge of learning how to make the perfect cup of coffee at home, you know, like a real barista makes at Starbucks.  The barista performs the incredible job of making the very finest cup of coffee possible and I really want to learn how they do it.  If you want to see just what every barista does during their day on the job, visit  http://www.greenbeanscoffee.com/pdf/GBCC_Barista_Job_Description.pdf.  After carefully reading the responsibilities of a barista, I’m not so sure this reason will hold up.

Lastly, very few private homes have a fine expresso maker and wouldn’t you think “The Boquete Gourmet” should have one?  Please let me know what you think – is it worth $1,500.00 to have such a fine appliance in my gourmet kitchen?

Anne’s “Super-dooper” Pie Crust

One of life’s greatest pleasures is the aroma and taste of a big, luscious piece of Mom’s warm, homemade pie, together with a cup of fine robust coffee from Boquete.  During our busy days, why don’t we bake more pies? Maybe it’s because the crust seems so difficult to make. Maybe we think it will turn out tough or soggy, or we think it won’t be able to roll out easily.

For me, it was all of the above and it just took too much time – until David’s sister Anne brought forth her “easy as pie”, “never-fail”, “super-dooper” pie crust recipe that includes an egg and vinegar, yes vinegar! Here it is:
Wisk 4 cups flour, 1T sugar and 2t salt in a large bowl.
Add 1 3/4 cup vegetable shortening with a fork
Beat 1 T vinegar, 1 large egg and 1/2 cup water in a small bowl.
Combine with a fork and divide into 4 portions, shape each portion into a round patty, wrap separately in ClingWrap and freeze the patties.

The fun part of making a pie is putting it all together and with Anne’s recipe it actually becomes a pleasure. First, I take out a patty from my freezer and while it’s thawing, I decide what kind of pie to make by visiting my favorite foodie sites or researching my specialty cookbooks. A trick I learned from Rachel Ray is to always have ingredients on hand to make my favorite dishes, so I have lots of pie filling possibilities in my pantry.

Any time you feel like making one of Mom’s tasty homemade pies, defrost a patty, roll it out between two pieces of waxed paper, transfer the crust to a pie plate, fill it up with your favorite pie filling and bake. Pecan, pumpkin and spinach quiche are my most frequent choices.