HOTEL ROOM TURKISH COFFEE, PASTRY
Hotel Room Turkish Coffee Set-up
Chocolate and Fromage Blanc Pastries - Jerusalem
Two very interesting aspects of traveling in Israel are the Turkish coffee and pastries. Of course the coffee is a regional staple, but at first the pastry baffled me; more on that later.
Turkish coffee, when ordered in a coffee shop, bar or in the Arab Quarter in The Old City - Jerusalem, is unique in its aroma and preparation. It is vastly different than American drip, European press or espresso style coffee. Turkish coffee prepared the proper way requires a small open pot with a longish handle called an Ibrik, coffee beans ground to the consistency of flour, sugar and water. The water and sugar are put in the pot and placed on a stove burner. When the liquid boils, it is removed from the heat and the ground coffee is put in the pot. Returned to the heat. When the liquid boils and foam appears on the top, the pot is removed from the heat. After the liquid settles slightly, it's returned to the heat for a final boil. When the foam appears remove from the heat and pour into a cup. Wait a few minutes until the grounds settle and the coffee cools. Enjoy. I am sure there are many variations, however this is the method I saw used most often in Israel. Turkish coffee has full bodied flavor and an aromatic nose. There must be foam on the surface of the coffee similar to the crema on espresso or you have a dud. It comes in four levels of sweetness. I prefer Ahwa Ariha or light sweet.
Traveling for business might not always allow for ample time every morning to jaunt out for a well made cup of Turkish coffee, as was my schedule on this last trip. For these unfortunate circumstances, the Hotel Room Turkish Coffee technique must suffice. In most every room I have stayed in Israel, from four star accommodations to bare bones Kibbutz rooms, there are always packets of ground coffee, sugar and a water pot. A word on these magnificent water pots available in Israel. I doubt they would ever be legal for sale in the USA. The body is made of plastic and on the inside there is an exposed heating coil similar to ones found on electric stoves all over America. The heating ability needs to be experienced to be believed. Place the water in the carafe and flip the switch "ON." As you walk to the window of the hotel room to check the view, you will hear a rumbling. At first you may be under the impression the housekeeping staff is rolling their carts down the hallway or a hotel guest is dragging their luggage to the elevator, but you would be wrong. It's the water boiling. I swear. It's impressive.
To prepare Hotel Room Turkish Coffee: place the contents of one packet of ground coffee in a cup, add sugar. When the water is boiling, pour a small amount in the cup and stir, add more water to the desired level (this should be about 3 - 4 oz of water). Stir again and allow the coffee to rest. When the grounds have settled and cooled: enjoy. By stirring the coffee twice you can accomplish the development of a small amount of foam and thus producing a coffee similar to, but not, authentic Turkish Coffee.
Pastry. In the ancient land of Israel, I never expected to find a multitude of pastry shops and stalls in the open air markets that sell extremly well made classic pastry. French and Italian preparations with lots of puff pastry, chocolate paste and batons (the traditional chocolate sticks used in croissants), vanilla pastry cream and even a dough similar to Pate a Choux. Light and airy croissants with the requisite sheen and crisp exterior filled with chocolate, fruit or fromage blanc are readily available. The most interesting aspect of these shops is the method of purchase. The individual pastries are not sold by the piece but rather by weight. So, as a customer enters the shop or stall, one merely picks up a small bag and with the tongs available, place as many of each pastry desired in the bag. The bag is then placed on a scale and the price is calculated. The picture above cost about 3 shekels (approx. .90 cents US). Don't know how they do it, but for pastry lovers, what a deal.
After your next 18+ hour travel day from the west coast of the US to Israel, stop by a pastry shop en route to the hotel and pick up a bag of sweets . When you wake at 3:00am due to the time zone change, brew a Hotel Turkish Coffee and enjoy a pastry. You'll be thankful you did.
Two very interesting aspects of traveling in Israel are the Turkish coffee and pastries. Of course the coffee is a regional staple, but at first the pastry baffled me; more on that later.
Turkish coffee, when ordered in a coffee shop, bar or in the Arab Quarter in The Old City - Jerusalem, is unique in its aroma and preparation. It is vastly different than American drip, European press or espresso style coffee. Turkish coffee prepared the proper way requires a small open pot with a longish handle called an Ibrik, coffee beans ground to the consistency of flour, sugar and water. The water and sugar are put in the pot and placed on a stove burner. When the liquid boils, it is removed from the heat and the ground coffee is put in the pot. Returned to the heat. When the liquid boils and foam appears on the top, the pot is removed from the heat. After the liquid settles slightly, it's returned to the heat for a final boil. When the foam appears remove from the heat and pour into a cup. Wait a few minutes until the grounds settle and the coffee cools. Enjoy. I am sure there are many variations, however this is the method I saw used most often in Israel. Turkish coffee has full bodied flavor and an aromatic nose. There must be foam on the surface of the coffee similar to the crema on espresso or you have a dud. It comes in four levels of sweetness. I prefer Ahwa Ariha or light sweet.
Traveling for business might not always allow for ample time every morning to jaunt out for a well made cup of Turkish coffee, as was my schedule on this last trip. For these unfortunate circumstances, the Hotel Room Turkish Coffee technique must suffice. In most every room I have stayed in Israel, from four star accommodations to bare bones Kibbutz rooms, there are always packets of ground coffee, sugar and a water pot. A word on these magnificent water pots available in Israel. I doubt they would ever be legal for sale in the USA. The body is made of plastic and on the inside there is an exposed heating coil similar to ones found on electric stoves all over America. The heating ability needs to be experienced to be believed. Place the water in the carafe and flip the switch "ON." As you walk to the window of the hotel room to check the view, you will hear a rumbling. At first you may be under the impression the housekeeping staff is rolling their carts down the hallway or a hotel guest is dragging their luggage to the elevator, but you would be wrong. It's the water boiling. I swear. It's impressive.
To prepare Hotel Room Turkish Coffee: place the contents of one packet of ground coffee in a cup, add sugar. When the water is boiling, pour a small amount in the cup and stir, add more water to the desired level (this should be about 3 - 4 oz of water). Stir again and allow the coffee to rest. When the grounds have settled and cooled: enjoy. By stirring the coffee twice you can accomplish the development of a small amount of foam and thus producing a coffee similar to, but not, authentic Turkish Coffee.
Pastry. In the ancient land of Israel, I never expected to find a multitude of pastry shops and stalls in the open air markets that sell extremly well made classic pastry. French and Italian preparations with lots of puff pastry, chocolate paste and batons (the traditional chocolate sticks used in croissants), vanilla pastry cream and even a dough similar to Pate a Choux. Light and airy croissants with the requisite sheen and crisp exterior filled with chocolate, fruit or fromage blanc are readily available. The most interesting aspect of these shops is the method of purchase. The individual pastries are not sold by the piece but rather by weight. So, as a customer enters the shop or stall, one merely picks up a small bag and with the tongs available, place as many of each pastry desired in the bag. The bag is then placed on a scale and the price is calculated. The picture above cost about 3 shekels (approx. .90 cents US). Don't know how they do it, but for pastry lovers, what a deal.
After your next 18+ hour travel day from the west coast of the US to Israel, stop by a pastry shop en route to the hotel and pick up a bag of sweets . When you wake at 3:00am due to the time zone change, brew a Hotel Turkish Coffee and enjoy a pastry. You'll be thankful you did.
