Cooking With Gourmet Coffee

Coffee-Toffee Cooler

Although it can certainly stand on its own, this drink benefits from the addition of the flavored syrup by adding a nice dimension to the taste. The Columbian and Mexican beans suggested in the recipe have a caramel-like flavor which compliments the toffee in the ice cream.

1/2 cup chilled, brewed Columbian or Mexican coffee
1 1/4 cup Ben and Jerry’s Coffee Toffee Crunch ice cream
2 Tbl. caramel or amaretto syrup
1/3 cup plain sparkling mineral water
1/4 cup sweetened, whipped cream
1 Tbl. toasted, chopped almonds

Place the coffee, ice cream, flavored syrup and mineral water in a blender. Process until smooth and frothy.

Pour into a chilled, tall glass. Top with whipped cream and toasted almonds.

Rainforest Crunch Coffee Shake

Many of these ingredients come from the rainforest countries of South America. Not only does this drink quench your desire for coffee, it is substantial enough to qualify for a quick and filling snack.

3 Tbl. brown sugar dissolved in 1 shot of hot espresso
1 shot of chilled espresso made from Brazilian Santos coffee beans
1 ripe banana
2/3 cup no-fat frozen vanilla yogurt
2 Tbl. cashew butter or crunchy peanut butter
1/4 cup canned coconut cream
1-5 strips of dried, sweetened mango, chopped
2-3 Brazil nuts, chopped
1/2 tsp. shredded coconut
few dashes good quality sweetened cocoa powder
Chill the brown sugar-espresso mixture.

Place the chilled espresso, banana, brown sugar-espresso mixture, yogurt and cashew butter in a blender. Process until smooth and thick. Add dried mango and Brazil nuts and stir to blend.

Pour into a tall chilled glass and top with coconut and dust with cocoa powder.

Coffee-Mint Frappe

A faint resemblance to the southern summer cooler, Mint Julep, because of the use of sugar syrup and mint leaves, but much tastier. Fresh mint must be used or the results will be disappointing.

3 Tbl. sugar dissolved in 1/4 cup hot water
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3 Tbl. heavy cream
1 cup no-fat vanilla-flavored frozen yogurt
5-6 fresh mint leaves, minced
1 sprig of fresh mint
3-4 chocolate-coated coffee beans
Allow sugar-water mixture to chill thoroughly.

Place coffee, sugar-water mixture, vanilla extract, heavy cream, frozen yogurt and freshly minced mint leaves in a blender. Process until the mixture is thick and creamy. Pour into a tall, chilled glass with ice and garnish with a sprig of fresh mint and top with the chocolate-coated coffee beans.

Raspberry-Mocha Soda

Raspberries, chocolate and coffee have been incorporated into rich desserts for years. I’ve taken those addictive ingredients a step farther and put them to good use in this fresh, sparkling drink. Ethiopian beans have been described as exhibiting a fruity, winy taste.

1/4 cup chilled, brewed Ethiopian coffee
1 cup no-fat raspberry-flavored frozen yogurt
2 Tbl. chocolate syrup
1/4 cup plain sparkling mineral water
2 Tbl. heavy cream
1/4 cup fresh raspberries

few dashes good quality sweetened cocoa powder

Place all ingredients except the fresh raspberries and cocoa powder in a blender and process until foamy and well-mixed.

Pour into a chilled, tall glass and stir in the whole raspberries to disperse evenly throughout the shake. Sprinkle with the cocoa powder.

Semi-automatic espresso machines featuring an electric brewing pump which is manually turned on and off by the user. These machines are relatively simple to operate and with a little practice you can create rich, authentic espresso, cappuccino and latte as good or better than any coffee house. Some experimentation is required to achieve a perfect espresso; however, the main variables are limited to coffee bean quality, grind fineness and tamp pressure. Each of the semi-auto machines we carry includes a steam wand to froth milk for preparing cappuccino and latte.

Crust:
1/4 cup chocolate wafer crumbs
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Combine crumbs, butter, sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Press evenly over bottom of a buttered 9-inch springform pan. Refrigerate

Filling:
32 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup coffee-flavored liqueur
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup whipping cream
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips, melted
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Sweetened whipped cream

Candy coffee beans:
Beat cream cheese until smooth. Gradually beat in sugar; add eggs, one at a time, beating well. Stir in sour cream, liqueur, vanilla extract, whipping cream, chocolate and cinnamon. Blend well. Pour into crust-lined springform pan. Bake at 325 degrees F for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Do not open oven door. Turn oven off and leave cheesecake in another hour. Remove and cool slightly, then refrigerate.

To serve, remove cake from pan. Garnish with sweetened whipped cream rosettes; sprinkle lightly with cinnamon and top with candy coffee beans.

If you’ve never tried shoofly pie, or made one, you really should. A specialty
of the Pennsylvania Dutch, it’s a very full-flavored, molasses-y pie with a part
jelly-like, part crumbly filling. It’s noteworthy that historians aren’t sure where
the pie got its name. One theory says that the sweet stickiness of the pie was
a real fly magnet. Another claims that the name came from the French
chou-fleur - cauliflower - which the surface of the pie is said to resemble,
texture-wise. In any event, I don’t know that the Pennsylvania Dutch ever add
coffee to theirs. It’s not at all out of the question: the coffee flavor has a certain
compatibility with the molasses. So why wouldn’t a clever and thrifty cook
substitute leftover coffee for the boiling water that is typically used?

Bottom line: this is a delicious pie, especially with a scoop of vanilla ice cream
to balance the forward flavor. Easy, too, since you can use a frozen pie shell
from the supermarket (or make your own, of course.) I’d love to know what you
think about this pie, so don’t hesitate to email me and let me know.

1 9-inch frozen pie shell
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
6 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1/2 cup unsulphured or blackstrap molasses
3/4 cup boiling brewed coffee
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg, lightly beaten

1. Remove the frozen pie shell from its packaging, then put it back in the
freezer for the time being. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

2. Combine the flour, 1/2 cup of the brown sugar, salt, and cinnamon in a
large bowl. Mix with your hands. Add the butter. Using your fingers or a
pastry blender, rub or cut the butter into the dry ingredients until the
mixture resembles a fine meal that forms small clumps. Set aside.

3. In another medium bowl, combine the remaining 1/2 cup brown sugar and
molasses. Add the boiling coffee, stirring to dissolve the brown sugar.
Whisk in the baking soda, vanilla, and beaten egg.

4. Pour the molasses liquid into the frozen pie shell. Scatter the crumbs evenly
over the liquid; don’t press them down. Put the pie on the center oven rack
and bake for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350 degrees. Bake until the filling
is fully set, about 25 minutes longer. When done, the center should not be
soupy and the filling should wobble as a whole. Transfer the pie to a cooling
rack and cool thoroughly before slicing.

Makes 8 servings