Golden Pear Cafe Cookbook Easy Luscious Recipes for Brunch And More from the Hamptons' Favorite Cafe

Chapter One Coffee Hot Property I like to say that the four-foot by four-foot areas occupied by our coffee bars are among the most valuable pieces of real estate in the Hamptons. People love our coffee---and they'll endure long lines to get some. On summer mornings at our Southampton shop, people queue up inside, out the door, and around the corner waiting for their steaming Golden Pear cups. I think---if I do say so myself---that their devotion is entirely justified; we've worked long and hard to learn what makes a good cup of java, and ours is the freshest in the village. All kinds of little dramas play out at the Golden Pear coffee stations. If you hang around long enough, you're sure to witness something that will leave you chuckling for the rest of the day. For example, Carol Friedland, a good friend and longtime customer of the Golden Pear in East Hampton, is a clinical psychologist who has appeared on lots of TV talk shows: RickiLake, Montel Williams, Maury Povich, and the like. One morning she was pouring herself a cup of coffee when Alec Baldwin appeared next to her. At that moment, one of my newer, younger employees recognized Carol and blurted out, "You're Dr. Carol! I saw you on the Ricki Lakeshow yesterday! Can I have your autograph?" Carol looked at the handsome actor standing next to her, then back at the staffer and said, "Hey, if you really want someone's autograph, you should get his." The staffer stared into Alec Baldwin's eyes---and shook her head. "Who are you?" she asked. "I don't know you." Carol proceeded to introduce Alec Baldwin, famous movie star and Broadway actor. "Never heard of him," the staffer replied. Carol started to apologize, but Alec, ever the gentleman, broke into a grin. "Nothing to be sorry about," he said. He thought the whole thing was pretty funny and proceeded to get his coffee. The moral of the story: Celebrity might be in the eye of the beholder, but good coffee puts a smile on every face. The Perfect Cup Everybody has a different idea of the perfect cup of coffee, and coffee styles differ from place to place. Some like their coffee as thin as tea, while others enjoy it as thick as mud. My produce supplier was Turkish. One day he invited my wife and me over for a cup of coffee. What a surprise---his coffee was dark and thick. I tried to make it more palatable with some milk and sugar, but it wasn't my idea of coffee. Of course, I tried to drink the whole thing---I didn't want to offend him---and I learned that coffee is, well, on the tongue of the beholder. Coffee is a matter of personal taste, but over the years I've picked up a few tidbits that hold true whether you like your coffee strong or weak, with cream or fat-free milk, with sugar or black. Beans: At the Golden Pear we use 100 percent Arabica beans from Colombia. We like the Colombian Supremo, the largest variety, and we get them roasted to perfection, with the classic American roasting technique. Over the years, they've been our customers' favorite, and I really think they are the best. That's because they're grown at such high altitudes, so they take longer to mature and consequently have more time to develop and concentrate their flavor. I suggest that you look for Colombian Supremo, but you should also try other beans and blends to find your favorite. Whichever bean or blend you buy, ask when it was roasted. It's worthwhile to shop around for a reputable coffee shop or cafe to find the freshest coffee; it makes a difference in the flavor and aroma. Also, avoid buying looseDavis, Keith is the author of 'Golden Pear Cafe Cookbook Easy Luscious Recipes for Brunch And More from the Hamptons' Favorite Cafe', published 2006 under ISBN 9780312349714 and ISBN 0312349718.