Easiest Appetizer EVER

This simple treat It looks very impressive and I have never met anyone who didn't love it. We originally had this Paul Luna's restaurant Luna Si on Peachtree Street in 1993. That restaurant has since closed, but Loca Luna and Eclipse Di Luna are still very popular in Atlanta. Plate the following up on a fancy plate:

Ricotta cheese
Aged balsamic vinegar
Extra-virgin olive oil
Sea Salt

With an ice cream scoop, place a scoop of ricotta cheese on a plate. Drizzle olive oil over the cheese and plate. Sprinkle with salt and then drizzle balsamic vinegar on the plate with the olive oil and sprinkle the whole plate with sea salt. Serve with slices of good bread.

Ricotta can be watery straight out of the container. If you like it a bit more firm, take a sieve and line it with cheesecloth or coffee filter and place it over a bowl that will fit in your refrigerator. Empty the ricotta into the sieve, cover the top with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for a few hours. The extra whey will drain out and the cheese will be firmer.

The First Sip...

The hot aromatic liquid flows over your tongue and warms the back of your throat. The fragrant steam fills your nostrils with the smell of promise. There is nothing better than being the first person in the house out of bed, pouring a mug of bean juice and stepping out into the cool crisp morning air as you take the first sip of coffee.

Don't get me wrong, I am not a coffee snob. I don't go to Starbucks or any other designer java barista. I don't have to drink Kopi Luwac* or Jamaican Blue Mountain, and I rarely add cream, milk, sugar, flavorings or anything else to my daily drip.

I still drink black, home-brewed coffee. We buy good coffee beans that we grind at the store. We use a Cuisinart FlavorBrew 10-cup coffee maker with a stainless steel carafe. The carafe keeps the coffee hot without a burnt taste that can happen when a glass carafe sits on the heated base for more than 20 minutes. Only one pot per day since I don't drink it all day; just in the morning.

Nothing fancy, just a good cup of coffee. It's going to be a good day!

* I just love the scene in "The Bucket List" when Morgan Freeman explains to Jack Nicholson why Kopi Luwac is so expensive!