Cooking With Gourmet Coffee

Icy, spicy, sweet, caffeine-filled and creamy – this variation on a Vietnamese favorite is a fantastic coffee treat for sweltering afternoons in summer. Try it as a mid-afternoon energy boost, a barbecue dessert or a frozen alternative to your daily cuppa Joe.

Ingredients:

* 2 cups water
* 1/3 cup freshly ground espresso coffee
* 2/3 cups sweetened condensed milk (less than one 14-oz. can)
* 3 whole cardamom pods
* 3 whole cloves
* 1 cinnamon stick

Preparation:

1. Brew the coffee in a French press for about ten minutes. It should be very strong when it’s done brewing.
2. Combine the sweetened condensed milk and the spices in a heat-safe bowl large enough to hold about 3 cups of liquid.
3. While stirring, slowly add the coffee. Mix well.
4. Cover with aluminum foil or plastic wrap, and refrigerate until cold.
5. Remove the spices and any remaining coffee grounds with a fine strainer.
6. Pour the chilled mixture into Popsicle molds, and then freeze for several hours. Serve within a week.

Makes about 8 popsicles.

A very rich custard-style dessert. It’s not heavily flavoured with coffee, so it’s a subtle taste to enjoy after a good meal. Even so, the Pot au Cafe Chantilly is a very decadent dessert.
Ingredients:

* 1/4 cup strong cold coffee
* 1 3/4 cups milk
* 1 cup double cream
* 7 eggs
* 8 oz sugar
* 2 tbs caster sugar
* Vanilla extract, to taste

Preparation:
Blend eggs, sugar, coffee and vanilla together. In a saucepan, bring milk almost to a boil. Add hot milk to the egg mixture, slowly and stirring constantly. Pour into a casserole dish, and place in a bain marie. Bake at 350F for 1 1/4 hours, until set. Let cool. Beat whipping cream and caster sugar together until stiff. Pipe a border of cream around the edge.
Serves 12

Sweet coffee, candy and nut clusters, covered in chocolate. Not a recipe for the novice candy maker. You won’t regret the effort, though. These crunchy nutty treats are better than cookies.
Ingredients:

* 4 egg whites
* 2 1/2 cups brown sugar
* 1 cup chopped nuts
* 1/4 cup corn syrup
* 1/2 cup strong coffee
* 4 lbs chocolate, chopped
* 1/4 tsp salt

Preparation:
Butter a 2-quart saucepan. Combine sugar, corn syrup, salt and coffee. Cook on high heat until sugar dissolves and mixture comes to a boil. Stir constantly. Cook to hard ball stage without stirring. Remove from heat. In a large chilled bowl, beat egg whites to stiff peaks stage. Pour the hot syrup into the egg whites (slowly!) while beating at high speed. Once the syrup is added, continue beating until you get soft peaks. Add nuts and beat for another 5 minutes. Let cool down, then cover and put in the freezer. In a double boiler, melt the chocolate. Line several cookie sheets with waxed paper. Remove the other bowl from the freezer. Spoon out a teaspoon of the cold mixture and drop in the melted chocolate. Scoop out and place on the waxed paper. Repeat. When the mixture is used up, you can store the remaining chocolate for another use. Let the candies cool and harden, then store in the refrigerator.

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Freshly ground coffee adds a depth to the spice rub and brings out the flavor of the meat. Be sure to keep the rub recipe handy. The spice rub would also be great on steaks and chicken.

Coffee rub:

• 1 tablespoon freshly ground San Francisco Bay Tanzania Peaberry Coffee
• 2 teaspoons (packed) golden brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

Burgers:

• 8 slices applewood-smoked bacon
• 1 pound ground chuck (preferably grass-fed)
• 1 pound ground sirloin (preferably grass-fed)
• 8 slices smoked provolone, smoked caciocavallo, or smoked Gouda cheese (about 8 ounces)
• 8 potato-bread hamburger

Buns:

• 8 slices red onion
• 8 slices tomato
• Texas Barbecue Sauce

For coffee rub:
Mix all ingredients in small bowl. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 week ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.

For burgers:
Cook bacon in large skillet until crisp. Transfer to paper towels to drain. Break in half. Gently mix chuck and sirloin in large bowl. Form meat into 8 patties, each 3 1/2 to 4 inches in diameter and 1/3 to 1/2 inch thick. Using thumb, make slight indentation in center of each burger. DO AHEAD: Burgers and bacon can be prepared 8 hours ahead. Cover separately and chill.

Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Sprinkle 1 teaspoon coffee rub on top side of each burger. Place burgers, rub side down, on grill rack. Grill until slightly charred, about 4 minutes; turn.

Place 2 bacon slice halves atop each burger. Cook 3 minutes.

Top each with 1 cheese slice. Cover and cook until cheese melts, about 1 minute longer. Place burgers atop bottom halves of buns. Top with onion slices and tomato slices. Spoon dollop of Texas Barbecue Sauce over. Cover with bun tops and serve, passing additional sauce alongside.

What to drink:
Beer is a natural pairing for a burger. Keep the southern theme going by pouring a Texas brew. We like the caramel sweetness and mild hoppy flavor of Shiner Bock ($8 per six-pack).

N o one thinks twice about coffee as a drink, but add coffee to a food recipe, and suddenly the dish is considered exotic. The truth is, coffee’s roasted quality, bitterness, and acidity make it a perfect complement to sweet, bold, earthy, or nutty ingredients, ultimately yielding a taste combination that is surprisingly complex. After all, what would Tiramisu be without espresso? Mocha exemplifies the almost intuitive marriage of coffee and chocolate. And perhaps you’ve noticed more savory meat dishes that now list coffee as an ingredient on menus? They’re all capitalizing on coffee’s tenderizing qualities as well as robust flavor. In short, these 14 sweet and savory dishes showcase coffee’s culinary versatility.

• Nonstick vegetable oil spray
• 2 cups sugar
• 15 tablespoons (2 sticks minus 1 tablespoon) unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3 tablespoons ground Kenya AA Coffee coffee beans
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 large eggs
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 3/4 cup pecan pieces
• 1 cup bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chips (6 ounces)
• 6 tablespoons freshly brewed Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
• 30 thin strips crystallized ginger

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray 13×9x2-inch metal pan with nonstick spray. Combine sugar, butter, cocoa, ground coffee, and salt in large metal bowl. Place bowl over saucepan of simmering water and whisk until butter melts and ingredients are blended (texture will be grainy). Remove bowl from over water; cool mixture to lukewarm if necessary. Whisk in eggs and vanilla. Sift flour over and fold in. Mix in pecans.

Spread batter in prepared pan. Bake brownies until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Cool brownies in pan.

Place chocolate chips in small bowl. Bring brewed coffee to simmer in small saucepan; pour over chips and stir until melted and smooth. Let ganache stand until cool and beginning to thicken, about 1 hour; spread evenly over brownies. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; let stand at room temperature.) Cut brownies into 15 squares. Top each with 2 ginger strips.