1 1/2 pounds boneless chuck roast, trimmed of as much fat as possible and blotted dry
1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/3 cup strong brewed coffee or espresso
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch mixed with 1 1/2 tablespoons water
Rub all sides of roast with salt and pepper. Place onion in bottom of slow cooker and toss with olive oil. Place meat on top of onion. Add coffee and vinegar. Cover and cook on “low” for 8 to 9 hours, until tender.
Transfer beef to cutting board, tent with foil, and let rest for about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, skim fat from braising liquid in crock. Transfer liquid to saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Add cornstarch mixture and cook, whisking, until gravy thickens slightly, about 1 minute. Carve beef and serve hot with gravy.
From “Not Your Mother’s Slow Cooker Recipes for Two” by Beth Hensperger (Harvard Common Press)
We first reported on solar coffee roasting last year (see this story). Well, what started as an experiment in Oregon has moved to sunny Pueblo, Colorado, and has evolved into a business, Solar Roast, that uses solar power to roast up to fifty pounds of coffee a day. Actually, the coffee roasting facility is on nearby St. Charles Mesa; the cafe at 226 Main Street is just where they sell the coffee, along with the usual bagels and pastries you’d expect. Read more here.
What happens when engineers and scientists are putting in too many hours in the laser lab? They get sleepy, and want coffee FAST. So, what better way to make it than to use a 2kW laser to almost instantaneously heat it up to drinking temp? Watch this video for more (they also make some green tea at the same time). Gee, and up until now I thought I had every coffee brewing machine known to mankind.
Wow, talk about brand dilution and degradation. Starbucks is teaming up with Pepsi to distribute a whole bunch of hot drink vending machines. You’ll see them in some test markets this summer, and if all goes well, expect them to spread like wildfire. (via Slashfood)
While drinking coffee can cause a short-term increase in blood pressure, a recent study has found that coffee intake has no effect on overall blood pressure long term. In other words, you won’t develop a blood pressure problem because of your coffee intake. Interestingly, people who were considered ‘light coffee drinkers’ were found to actually be at higher risk of developing high blood pressure than heavy drinkers! A possible explanation would be that heavy coffee drinkers may actually develop a tolerance to the blood pressure raising effects of caffeine. You can read the whole article here.
I’ve been thrilled with ordering unroasted coffee beans from Sweet Marias, but options are always a good thing and I’ve come across another green bean supplier in California, The Unroasted Coffee Co, based out of San Francisco. They sell exclusively organic coffee, much of it shade-grown and/or Fair Trade certified.
We first reported on solar coffee roasting last year (see
Wow, talk about brand dilution and degradation. Starbucks is teaming up with Pepsi to distribute a whole bunch of hot drink vending machines. You’ll see them in some test markets this summer, and if all goes well, expect them to spread like wildfire. (via 
