Keith, Amy and I started our walking day in Pioneer Square under the mistaken impression that Elliot Bay Books was down there. (Boy, were we wrong.) When we found out that we had a hike ahead of us, we decided to fortify ourselves for the journey and stopped at Caffe Umbria. It's a huge, elegant space with both indoor and outdoor seating. It is newer and bigger than what one would find in Italy but does give a bit of a European vibe.
This is my croissant and Keith's coffee. My croissant was an outstanding specimen of the species: flaky, tender, and rich. I ordered a latte, which I loved. I found the roast to be rich but not too dark (I am not a big fan of very dark roasts). The foam was very artistic and had a nice, dense texture.
I made candied ginger a few years ago. It's not something I would do every day but I had a lot of fun doing it. I recently acquired a pressure cooker and it inspired an interesting idea to me: why not make candied ginger in the pressure cooker? It should be very soft and flavorful. Here is the result. I peeled two large ginger roots, cut them into small cubes, and put them in the pressure cooker with heavily sugared water. The traditional method first boils the ginger in plain water to soften it and then again in sugar water to candy it. The resulting candy was very tender but still with the characteristic ginger texture. It was also sweet without being overpowering. The traditional method leaves a lot of sugar crystallized around the ginger. The pressure cooker gives a much more subtle result. The ginger stays moist even after it cools but you can dry it in the oven at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes. That inspired me to dip it in chocolate. While I was in the b...
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