by Клео Коул
I arched an eyebrow at that. “First things first?”
“Or second,” he whispered. Then his smiling lips covered mine; and although they kept moving, they finally stopped talking.
Recipes & Tips From The Village Blend
Buzzkill
While coffee is my business, everyone has their threshold for caffeine consumption. If you’re worried about ingesting too much, try replacing one or more of your regular daily cups of coffee with decaf. Or try ordering a cup that’s half decaf and half regular. Remember a demitasse of espresso has less caffeine than a regular cup of your typical Colombian morning brew, and be aware of what foods and beverages have caffeine besides your favorite cuppa Joe. Here’s a short list...[1]
Coffee Milk
Coffee Milk is a seventy-year-old tradition in Rhode Island, and the official state drink. Our barista Dante Silva explained to me that it’s very much like a glass of chocolate milk, except the syrup used is coffee flavored instead of chocolate flavored. The origins of the drink is believed to be with the Italian immigrants who settled in the region. At the Village Blend, many of our customers order it made with steamed milk, much like a hot cocoa.
2 tablespoons of sweetened coffee syrup (regular or decaf)
8 ounce glass of milk
Mix together and enjoy cold or warmed.
Homemade Coffee Syrup
If you wish to make your own coffee syrup, there’s the traditional way and a modern method. I would recommend the newer recipe, but if you’re adventurous and have a percolator on your stove, give old school a go.
Coffee syrup the modern way
Step 1- Make super-strength coffee by brewing coffee (regular or decaf) at a ratio of 1 cup—yes cup—of ground coffee to 16 ounces cold water.
Step 2- In a medium saucepan, combine 1 cup of sugar with 1 cup of super-strength coffee.
Step 3- Bring to a boil, stirring constantly to dissolve sugar.
Step 4- Lower heat and simmer for about three minutes, stirring often.
Step 5- Let cool and refrigerate. This method will yield one cup of thick syrup.
Coffee syrup can be stored in the refrigerator, in a tightly sealed container, for up to one month.
Coffee syrup the traditional way
Step 1- Percolate one pot of coffee (regular or decaf), then discard the grounds.
Step 2- Add fresh grounds (regular or decaf), percolate again, using the coffee as liquid instead of fresh water. Step 3- Do this three times.
Step 4- Measure the finished coffee mixture. (The amount may vary.) Combine sugar and coffee in a medium saucepan at a ratio of 1 cup of sugar for every 2 cups of coffee. Heat until boiling and sugar is dissolved, stirring constantly.
Italian Sesame Cookies
This sophisticated cookie has just a slightly sweet flavor. When you want your beverage to be the star—be it coffee, tea, or wine—this is a nice, subtle accompaniment whether before or after dinner, and it pairs beautifully with most cheeses.
This recipe makes about 18 cookies.
½ cup butter
¼ cup sugar
¼ cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups flour + 2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
Milk
1 cup sesame seeds
Mix flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl and set aside. In a separate bowl, cream the butter, white sugar, and brown sugar, then add the eggs and vanilla and blend well with an electric mixer. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, blending into a rough dough. Turn out the dough onto a floured flat surface and knead 1 to 2 minutes until the dough is smooth.
Now you can begin to break off small pieces of dough and shape them with your hands into small logs about 2 inches long and 1 inch thick. Dip the logs in milk and roll in sesame seeds. Place the cookies on the cookie sheet at least 2 inches apart. Use a non-stick pan or try parchment paper, otherwise make sure your pan is well greased so the cookies won’t stick. Bake in a 350º F. oven for 20 minutes.
Optional: For a richer, sweeter variation, try dipping half of this small cookie in melted milk or dark chocolate. Let cool before serving.
Carne Con Café “Matt’s Ragout”
Matt was actually a pretty good cook during our marriage. Those rare times he was home more than two days together, he taught me that coffee could be used as a meat tenderizer or as a marinade. In this dish, it acts as an earthy flavor enhancer. This recipe is actually a variation of a traditional Mayan dish from El Salvador that Matteo enjoyed. He recreated it for me in our kitchen one afternoon.
This recipe makes about eight servings.
2 to 4 tablespoons vegetable or corn oil (cover bottom of pan)
2½ to 3 pounds beef chuck, cubed
3 cups diced sweet onion
1 cup sliced red bell peppers
1 cup poblano chile peppers
1 cup chopped ripe tomatoes
6 garlic cloves, crushed
2½ cups strong coffee
6 oz. tomato sauce
8 small carrots, halved
¼ cup tomato catsup (optional)
salt and pepper to taste
Heat the oil and brown the meat over moderate heat, turning often. Add the onions, peppers, garlic, tomatoes, tomato sauce. Mix and bring to a boil, add the coffee and catsup (optional). Cover the pan and continue to cook over a low heat until meat is tender— approximately two hours. Stir often. Peel and halve the carrots and add to the pot in the last twenty to thirty minutes, cook until carrots are tender. The resulting sauce will be thick and bright and quite savory. It can be served as a stew with crusty bread or ladled over rice. You might even try it tossed with rigatoni or penne.
No Biggee Coffee Cake
Here’s a simple recipe for a quick, delicious coffee cake, from one of my old “In the Kitchen with Clare” columns...
¾ cup sugar
¼ cup butter (½ stick)
1 egg, beaten
½ cup milk
1-½ cup flour (sifted)
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
Streusel ingredients
5 tablespoons butter
1 cup brown sugar
4 tablespoons flour
2 teaspoons cinnamon
Make the cake batter: Cream the sugar and butter together. Add the egg and milk, and mix with an electric mixer until blended. Dump in the sifted flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix together until a smooth batter forms, but be careful not to overmix.
Now make the streusel filling and topping: Melt the butter over low heat in a saucepan. Add the flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Mix well, but don’t worry if the mixture is lumpy.
Assemble your coffee cake: Grease an 8×8 square pan, pour half the cake batter. Note that the batter will be a little doughy. Use a rubber spatula to spread batter into pan corners. Spoon half your streusel filling over the batter. Now cover the filling with the remaining cake batter and top with the rest of your streusel. Bake at 375º F. for 25 to 30 minutes. Cool and cut into squares.
PB and Nutella Sandwich
Peanut butter
Nutella[2]
2 slices of bread
In this sandwich, the jelly in your PB&J is replaced with Nutella. What is Nutella? It’s a wonderful hazelnut chocolate spread that originated in Italy, where the hazelnut is king. Most major American grocery stores now carry it. Look for the jar in the peanut butter aisle. And speaking of peanut butter, if you actually need the recipe, here it is:
Spread peanut butter on one slice of bread. Spread Nutella on the other. Put the slices together and enjoy. (Hey, didn’t somebody once say peanut butter and chocolate go well together?)
I also enjoy Nutella on crackers, bread, and fruit slices, especially bananas.
Clare’s Cappuccino Muffins
The sour cream is the secret to making these muffins taste rich and delicious. Pair them in the morning with your favo
rite Breakfast Blend, a medium roast Columbian blend, or a cappuccino.
This recipe makes 12 big muffins.
2 cups sifted flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tablespoons darkly roasted ground coffee beans
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup finely chopped hazelnut or almonds
1 teaspoon orange zest minced
½ cup (1 stick) butter softened
½ cup sugar
½ cup brown sugar
1 cup sour cream
¾ cup whole milk
2 eggs
¼ cup espresso or double strength drip coffee (cooled)
Paper muffin cup liners
Preheat oven to 375º F. Sift flour and mix with the dry ingredients including the cocoa, chocolate chips, nuts, and orange zest. Set aside. Using an electric mixer, mix together the butter, sugars, sour cream, milk, eggs, and coffee. Fold in dry ingredients with a spoon, just until moistened and smooth (don’t over mix). Place paper liners in 12 muffin cups and bake approximately 20 to 25 minutes, until a knife inserted in muffin comes out clean.
Sweet frothy top
2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons milk
½ stick butter
After the muffins have cooled, whip ½ stick butter with an electric mixer. Add powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk. Mix together until well blended into a smooth icing. Lightly smooth glaze on top of cappuccino muffins.
Примечания
1
Source: Wall Street Journal, April 13, 2004
(<< back)
2
Helpful hint: never refrigerate Nutella, even after opening. Treat it like peanut butter and keep it in your kitchen cabinet or pantry.
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