Roast Coffee Beans at Home

Both my husband and I are a little bit crazy about coffee beans lately.  We have tried a lot of beans available on the market and found the tastiest beans are from local coffee stores where they roast their own beans on the site.

So we decide to try to roast our own coffee beans at home.  And the results are pretty awesome!

As you can see in the picture, the Amerciano coffee and latter made from our beans are very pretty and taste good too. 

This batch is between full city and dark roast.  

The most common ways to roast coffee beans at home are popcorn makers, frying pan and oven. 

I love using cast iron pan because it heats up evenly and I have fully control of bean roasting; and the beans taste good too.

Heat a 12 inches cast iron skillet  over medium heat for about 1 minute.  Add 1 to 1 1/2cup of raw coffee beans. 

3 minutes later.  There isn’t much change yet.  Keep stirring with a stainless steel whisk  constantly. 

Beans start to turn colors after being heated for 6 minutes. 

Another 3 minutes later, the first crack is about to happen.

Another 2 minutes late

Another 2 minutes later, beans are roasted between cinnamon and light. 

Any further roasting will depend on your personal preference

Once they reach the desired roast, remove from heat immediately and transfer to a stainless steel colander.  Keep whisking to help beans cool down and remove the remaining chaff. 

When the beans cool down to room temperature, bag them with a Ziploc bag .  Squeeze out as much air as possible. 

 

Remember to wait for 24 hours before enjoying them because freshly roasted beans need time to degas and develop their flavors. 

24 hours late

Don’t they look awesome? O(∩_∩)O~

Can’t wait to try them!

Grind the beans with my beloved Breville espresso machine

Espresso is being pumpe

Look at the crema on top of it! O(∩_∩)O~

Feel free to make latte or cappuccino

By the way, my husband makes both of them! O(∩_∩)O~

Amerciano made from that espresso is very tasty too！O(∩_∩)O~

American Harvest Livonia, MI

I learned about American Harvest from a friend.  I was immediately attracted by the desserts she posted.  So I made a reservation online.  They only open on Thursdays and Fridays. 

 We arrived a few minutes prior our reservation time, and waited at the entrance with other guests. 

A display of trophies and media coverage of their school and restauran 

Love the details

My husband ordered merlot and I ordered Michigan local beers.  Both were very good. 

I wasn’t sure what went wrong.  South American and Latin American cuisine were listed for that Friday I reserved.  But they served Asian cuisine instead. 

As a Chinese, I wasn’t that into the Asian food served here.  To be honest, they just looked like Asian food, but the taste and flavor were definitely far away from authentic ones.  

Tuna was ok.  Beef was way too tough and chewy for fork and knife.  The rib was too dry.  Spring roll is ok. 

Not of fan of the Kong pao chicken

Teriyaki chicken was too lean and dry.

The scallops and shrimps, on the hand, were tender, juicy and very tasty. 

They were so good and I got some more O(∩_∩)O~

Salmon was very good too.  It was so tender that it could melt in your mouth.  

Not a fan of Vietnam pho either.  My husband thought it was ok.  So was the Pad Thai.

Dessert bar!  

The fruit tarts were outstanding!  The tarts were crispy and crunch, topped with fruits.

Macaron was ok.

Apple mousse was very pretty and tasty too!

I couldn’t tell what was the filling inside but it was good too. 

Chocolate mousse stood out in this plate. 

It had intense chocolate flavor, light and airy texture, and a beautiful presentation.  

What we love American Harvest are their awesome atmosphere, great service and nice staff, and all the fabulous desserts!   

Figs with Prosciutto

We went to Eastern Market in Detroit area last weekend again.  Guess what I found? Fresh figs! There were two kinds of fresh figs on the market.  One was kind of yellowish; the other one is deep dark purple.  The vendor told us the purple one is better but a little bit more expensive. 

We bought the dark purple figs.  And the vendor was right.  They are so juicy and sweet and fragrant that I literally couldn’t stop eating them.  O(∩_∩)O~ 

I bought some prosciutto later and made a beautiful appetizer with figs and prosciutto. 

Ingredients：

8 to 10 fresh figs
8 to 10 slices of prosciutto
shaved Parmesan cheese
fresh rosemary

Directions:

Split each slices of prosciutto into halves lengthwise. 

Rinse the figs under running water and pat dry.  Cut them into halves. 

Wrap each piece of figs with half slice of prosciutto.  Secure with fresh rosemary. Sprinkle with shaved parmesan cheese.

Don’t forget to remove the rosemary before eating.

All you need now is a glass of wine! 

If you are not that into cheese, just skip the shaved Parmesan. 

Or you can just put the figs and prosciutto on the plate side by side. 

Asian City Dim Sum, Michigan

中文： 亚洲城早茶

Asian city is one of the very few restaurants which provide traditional Cantonese style dim sum in Michigan. 

We went on a Saturday morning for dim sum only to be so disappointed that neither of us finished our food. 

There are several traditional food carts loaded with different kinds of small portion dishes and snacks strolling around the restaurant.  When the carts pass by, you can take a quick look to see if you what you like and directly order from the waiter/ waitress.  Not many restaurants are still serving dim sum this way even in main land China. 

Steamed chicken feet with black bean sauce is ok. They are soft but a little bit chewy; tons of flavors. 

Another seasoned chicken feet dish

This one tastes really wired even for a foodie like me who has an open heart to all kinds of bizarre foods. 

Beef tendon tastes like it’s been sitting on the counter for a really long time.  By the way, it is tasteless too. 

The dumplings are very thick and way too soft and mushy that the shrimp filling falls out after he tries pick the dumplings up with chopsticks.  

Shrimp rice noodle are so thick that I don’t think we should even call it noodle.  Maybe rice cake is a more suitable name for it.  

Sesame balls are ok.  I like the red bean paste filling.

egg yolk custard buns are very very very chewy. 

Ok, that is enough.  Get the check and leave.  Probably won't come back here for dim sum again, ever.

Shangri La Dim Sum, Bloomfield, MI

中文：香满楼早茶

We were suddenly craving for dim sum a couple weeks ago.   Usually we love drive to Toronto for authentic dim sum.  We decide to look around within Michigan this time.  Some research I did online plus recommendation from a friend, we went to Shangri La Chinese restaurant. 

There are traditional food carts circling inside the restaurant, jut like the old way.  I love it.  A lot of dim sum restaurants in Toronto don’t do that anymore.   It is quite fun and amazing to order food from these tiny cute food carts loaded with all kinds of delicious snack portion food.  It is the unique experience you need to try at least once in your life. O(∩_∩)O~ 

This cart is for congee. 

One bowl of congee with pork and fermented egg coming up!

Great congee with authentic flavors

Forgot to take some photos when I was eating.  Here are some photos taken by the phone.

Shrimp dumplings, steamed chicken feet with black bean sauce, steamed egg yolk buns and beef tripe 

Egg tarts are best when served and eaten hot

Beef tripe and beef tendon

Shrimp rice noodle is a little bit too thick

Salt and pepper shrimps are not crispy as they should be. 

 The dim sum here taste pretty good overall.  So the following weekend we went back there again. O(∩_∩)O~

Steamed chicken feet with black bean sauce is always on top of my favorite list.

Egg tarts are very crispy and flaky.  They are at their best when hot. 

Shrimp rice noodle is little bit below average.  The noodle is thick and too soft. 

Shrimp dumplings are another must have item when we go for dim sum.  

Sesame balls are made with sweet rice.  I heard that a lot American people are not a fan because its sticky texture.  However that is exactly why I love it.  It has been one of my childhood favorites and it is still now. O(∩_∩)O~

Pan fried chive dumplings/buns are just ok.  I don’t’ even remember how they taste. 

Steamed baby octopuses are surprisingly tasty.  They are tender but a little crunchy at the same time.  The sauce brings out the octopuses flavor but not overpowering the whole dish.

They are so good that we order another portion right after finishing the first one. 

Salted egg yolk custard buns are different from steamed egg yolk buns.  They are usually made with salted duck egg yolk, milk, cream, sugar and some other secret ingredients. 

You have to consume them when they are still hot.  The runny, tasty, creamy golden delicious filling will be oozing out of buns.   They are super tasty. 

XiaoLongBao, on the other side, are nowhere near tasty at all.  The dough is mushy and way too soft.  The filling is just a big tough flavorless starchy meatball.  Will never order it again, ever. 

Overall Shangri La dim sum experiences have been great.  The food is good, and the wait stuff are all very nice.  When we don’t want to drive all the way to Toronto for authentic Chinese food, Shangri La is a nice substitute too.