espresso – The Salted Table

espresso chocolate chip cookies: recipe by the local forkful its been a while since my last post and i’m starting to feel as though i’m intruding upon hallowed ground. the holiday season came and is now holding onto the door frame for dear life, slowly dragging its feet as though to resist some inevitable fate. i’m ready for the new year and i welcome it with open arms. like the arms of a child stumbling to its mother in need of security and warmth. in this moment, i feel overwhelmed with the desire to conquer the world, make changes that will determine the course of my future, love harder and acknowledge my shortcomings; with the desire to make the proper corrections. i don’t want this feeling to leave, and my prayer is that i’m not the only one feeling this press to be better than they were the year before. the holidays have given me new perspective and i’m realizing that i am my own stumbling block. but no more. i’m throwing caution to the wind while dancing in rain puddles and swinging around lamp posts…or maybe i’m sitting here with a bowl of soup while simultaneously tweeting and writing this post. it doesn’t matter. the new year is upon us and i enjoyed the time spent with family and friends this holiday season.

christmas was lovely as usual and though the snow came prematurely, the cold chill upon our cheeks still screamed holiday season. spending thanksgiving and christmas in the gatlinburg area always comes with promise of holiday cheer. lights strung for miles, lit trees garnish roadsides and christmas music is in repetition from the shopping center to the gas station. there is a part of me that longs to stay in the comfort of my own dwelling for any given major holiday and surely i’m not alone. traveling in itself feels like work and entertaining family and friends is another job in itself. but don’t get me wrong, i’m not complaining, just stating what you were already thinking. but enough with holiday lamentations, lets talk about these cookies. espresso chocolate chip cookies: recipe by the local forkful

holiday baking is something we all look forward to every year. your nose involuntarily rises into the air in anticipation for whats beneath that tin lid. pumpkin snicker doodles, cranberry chocolate scones, gingerbread cookies, and the list goes on. its the time of year where consequence for your gluttonous ways go without repercussion (kind’ve). we look for any reason to break out grandma’s sugar stained cookie sheet, toss around the king arthur and chocolate chips, and get lost in nostalgia. well, i hope these espresso chocolate chip cookies bring a little warmth, love and nostalgia to the remainder of your holiday season. i’m looking forward to where two-thousand and fourteen will take us. thank you for following the local forkful and i hope that you’ll continue to grow with me in this place where stories and food collide. be blessed. espresso chocolate chip cookies: recipe by the local forkful

espresso chocolate chip cookies
an adaptation from smittenkitchen.com

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons fine ground coffee (dark roast)
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon Nielsen-Massey bourbon vanilla extract
1 egg
1 egg yolk
12 ounces Ghirardelli semi-sweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F (165°C). Spray your cookie sheets or line them with parchment paper.

2. Mix together the flour, baking soda and salt; set aside. In a medium bowl, cream together the melted butter, brown sugar, white sugar and ground espresso until well blended.

3. Beat in the vanilla, egg, and egg yolk until light and creamy. Mix in the dry ingredients until just blended.

4. Fold in the chocolate chips by hand using a wooden spoon. I used a 3/4 fl-oz (20ml) scoop for the perfect 3-bite cookie, but feel free to make them the size you prefer. Cookies should be about 1.5 inches apart.

5. Bake your larger cookies for 15/17 minutes, or 10/12 minutes for smaller ones (check your cookies before they’re finished; depending on your portion size, your baking time will vary) in the preheated oven, or until the edges are lightly toasted. Cool on cookie racks for a few minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely. Enjoy! espresso chocolate chip cookies: recipe by the local forkful

I discovered dose. [coffee and tea] one day when I took a wrong turn. And I’ve been thankful ever since. I turned in and grabbed a vanilla machiato and realized that I would definitely be back. I am a sucker for warm welcoming environments with good views & eats. When I returned home I plugged into google to discover they were holding a coffee and chocolate tasting that I would refuse to miss. You say Chocolate to me and done deal. The whole experience of the tasting actually elevated the way I thought of coffee and chocolate as a whole. I definitely recommend checking out the next one .

Ummm! Just thinking about a ginger infused cappuccino makes me a happy man. Something about the smell of coffee beans alone I find to be therapeutic. I mean if there were scratch and sniff coffee scented t-shirts. I’d have one…true story. I mean I am infatuated with everything about that tiny little morsel that creates something so spectacular with the capabilities of curing my headaches, changing the state of my emotions and allowing me to like being around people at 6am in the morning. (sometimes its really hard… I kid you not)

dose. [coffee and tea], the awesome little coffee shop and cafe in the coveted Sylvan Park area of Nashville is serving up some of the best java you will find. Keith Steunebrink and Heath Henley, the owners of this hip establishment take true pride in all that is coffee. I sat down with Heath at dose., a cozy place decor-ed in vintage wood beams, hard-wood floors, trendy art pieces,high privacy booths and dim lighting that will make you want to camp out….Don’t try it! Somewhere between that euphoric state of fresh joe and the melodic swoons Otis Redding to Bon Iver you’ll become a believer and what I like to call a ‘serial doser’.

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dose. has been open for business for 2 1/2 years and is still cultivating ways to become a Nashville staple. I’ve encountered many who gaze at me with a look of bewilderment when asking where they get coffee and have they heard of dose. [coffee and tea]? The name itself is a bit confusing if one is not a savvy coffee drinker. But the name dose. Henley explains, “refers to a step in the preparation of espresso, namely when you transfer the coffee from the grinder to the portafilter, known as dosing the coffee.” Aaaah! It’s all coming together now isn’t it, I know, right?

In trying to discover the perfect name for the shop. The guys decided to make a list if 15 options that would be voted on by the people and dose. won the fight.

You might be thinking, OK, well dose. sounds like a pretty cool place to get coffee, but why should I go there? Well if the ginger cappuccino didn’t get you then back to Pilot for your sugary sludge. At dose. they brew coffee by the cup, none of that mass production of some unmarked silver bag that no one knows what the content holds. Just so know, you will be waiting for 4 to 5 minutes for that perfect cup of Joe. Oh! Yeah, if you’re a die hard fan of chocolate, the Omahene chocolate sauce is to die for. After you add it to your coffee ask for a bowl of it!…No, I’m serious, it’s that good. Heath & Keith (don’t you love that it rhymes) are both above and beyond knowledgeable about all that the coffee industry has to offer. Their mission statement embodies their passion for the bean.

‘Our goal at dose. [coffee and tea] is to share in the love of the products that we choose to prepare for our clientele. And to be passionate about the preparation of products and the consumption. The ability to be in control of production and the personal preparation. Lastly, to create an environment we are ourselves would hang out in.’

Heath hipped us to whats known as the ‘third way of coffee’ which is the preparation of coffee that is appreciated for its nuances. Those flavor profiles that are created as a result of soil, climate and location.

Henley told us they are inspired to do what they do by the producers.Their objective is to ensure that they are producing the best cup of coffee that you have ever experienced because they desire to pay homage to those farmers who put a great amount of love and passion into what they harvest. When on the hunt for new coffee the guys bring in several samples and hold ‘cuppings’ (the technical term for slurping coffee to look for quality and those nuances) to determine what they will sell or feature next.The guys are searching for exceptional quality, unique-ness, and appearance of the product. At any given time you can try 6 different single origin coffees exported from different countries or farms all with their own unique flavor profile. You can find the feature of the month on the website if you’re ever in the mood to step up your coffee game. http://dosecoffeeandtea.com/

I had the pleasure of grabbing some cuisine to go. I enjoyed the Turkey & Brie with caramelized onions on a delicious Brioche Bun made by The Bobby John Bakery. It was accompanied with a refreshing side of Caprese Salad. It was a delightfully filling meal to accompany my Ginger Cappuccino. And there was a not a patron in the room who didn’t agree the food was just as good as the java. Delicious bagels sourced from the Bagel Face Bakery and Yummy Cheese from Kenny’s Farmhouse Cheese. We know it’s always better to hear from the source, so we bothered some people and here are there responses. When we asked.

Why dose. [coffee and tea]?

Brent from West Meade told us dose. has the “Best coffee in town. I typically order a vanilla latte with extra vanilla syrup.”

David, a Sylvan Park resident, said the coffee is so good. “I go simple black.” He patronizes dose. “because the atmosphere is not overwhelming and the food and drinks are great!”

I saw two women on the patio who seemed to be enjoying themselves and appeared as thought this wasn’t their first time at the coffee shop.

Lauren it turned out was a ‘serial doser’ who claims she practically lives at shop. She continues to return because “They serve a quality food product and the decor doesn’t feel hectic as compared to other coffee joints. It is also convenient to Sylvan Park.” She proved to be a huge advocate for the avocado and tomato bagel that she adds bacon to.

If you want to check out more on dose. [coffee and tea]. Check it out here:

http://www.foodandwine.com/slideshows/americas-best-coffee-bars/13

http://dosecoffee.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/imbibemagazine-

Tag: espresso

dose. [coffee and tea]….’java nirvana’