by Mary Vard
scandinavian egg coffee
4-1/2 quarts water
1-1/2 cups regular grind, Scandinavian or Danish blend coffee
1 egg white
½ cup cold water
Scandinavians take special pride in making coffee this old-fashioned way. It is also a very convenient idea for campers. The clarifying effect of the egg white helps the coffee to sparkle!
SERVES: 8
IN a large saucepan (or campfire coffee pot), bring the four and one-half quarts water to a boil. Combine coffee and egg white, reserving the shell. Stir the coffee-egg mixture and shell into a boiling water. Return to a boil. Remove from heat and allow to steep for two minutes. Slowly pour in cold water to help settle the grounds. Strain, and serve into large, warm mugs.
Each serving: 10 calories; 1 gm carbohydrates; trace protein; 0 fat;0mg cholesterol; 14 mg sodium; 134 mg potassium; 139 mg caffeine (made with regular coffee).
spiced mocha mugs
4 cups cold water
2 sticks cinnamon, 1 inch each
12 whole cloves
8 allspice berries
4 ounces ground coffee (regular or decaffeinated)
1 cup whipping cream
¼ cup unsweetened cocoa
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
mocha is a popular beverage apres ski…as well as on the slopes. In fact, slope-side restaurants in elegant ski resorts such as Sun Valley, Idaho, feature mocha as a hot beverage. Here’s a 1990’s version of this old favorite!
SERVES: 4
POUR water into a saucepan. Add cinnamon, cloves, and allspice and bring to a boil. Simmer for ten minutes. Cool, then strain. Place water into coffee maker with ground coffee and brew according to manufacturers instructions. Whip cold whipping cream with cocoa, sugar, and vanilla. Pour hot coffee into large, warm coffee mugs, and top with generous dollops of chocolate whipped cream.
Each serving: 309 calories; 19 gm carbohydrate; 3 gm protein; 26 gm fat (73% calories from fat); 66 mg cholesterol; 37 mg sodium; 433 mg potassium; 292 mg caffeine (made with regular coffee).
spiced viennese coffee
4 cinnamon sticks
8 cloves
8 allspice berries
5 cups cold water
8 tablespoons finely ground gourmet coffee (regular or decaffeinated)
½ cup sweetened whipped cream
cinnamon
dan Cox, owner of Green Mountain Coffee Roasters in Waterbury, Vermont, says this is a favorite way to keep warm through the cold, Vermont winters.
SERVES: 8
PLACE cinnamon sticks, cloves, and allspice berries into an eight or ten cup coffee carafe. Measure cold water into the coffee maker. Using ground coffee, brew according to manufacturer’s instructions. Allow the coffee to steep for fifteen minutes after brewing. Strain into eight, eight ounce, warmed coffee mugs (or into a thermos). Garnish with whipped cream and a sprinkle of ground cinnamon.
Each serving: 17 calories; 1 gm carbohydrate; 0 protein; 1 gm fat (59% calories from fat); 3 mg cholesterol; 12 mg sodium; 124 mg potassium; 121 mg caffeine (made with regular coffee).
toffee coffee
¼ cup granulated sugar
¾ cup hot water
1-1/2 cups hot chocolate
2 cups freshly brewed, strong coffee (regular or decaffeinated)
I recently took this beverage with me in a thermos for a spot on WIBC Radio in Indianapolis. Jeff Pidgeon, the morning disc jockey, appreciated the rich blending of flavors.
SERVES: 4
SIFT sugar into a medium-sized, moderately hot, heavy skillet, stirring constantly until all the sugar is melted and is a rich caramel color. Remove from heat and carefully add hot water, stirring until all caramel is dissolved and is maple-syrup consistency. Add hot chocolate and coffee and simmer to blend. Serve in heavy coffee mugs.
Each serving: 87 calories; 20 gm carbohydrate; 2 gm protein; trace fat (4% calories from fat); 1 mg cholesterol; 59 mg sodium; 153 mg potassium; 71 mg caffeine (made with regular coffee).
Truffles ‘n Strawberries
Sweet tooth? Any mellow coffee will enhance the sweetness of the truffles and strawberries.
PHOTO CREDITS
Gorham mirror table runner from Tuesday Morning; silver bowl from International Silver with Delta Delta Delta motif; napkin from Pier 1 Imports; cups and saucer are Arcoroc (French); spoon is Farberware Stainless; truffles from Harrods (Knightsbridge), London.
RECIPE CREDITS
Italian Coffee III, page 165
White Chocolate Covered Strawberries: melt 1 cup white chocolate pellets in the top of a double boiler. Select 10 to 12 large, beautiful strawberries. Wash, dry and stem. Coat stem end of berries with white chocolate. Refrigerate until serving.
favoritecoffeeblends
many specialty and gourmet shops have their own “house” blends. In fact, most of the large roasters make up a house blend. The Coffee Company in Dallas, Texas, was willing to share three of their favorite blends with me.
for all three, mix and blend the beans before grinding. Then, follow any special instructions listed.
JOE’S SAILOR’S BLEND
This is a deep, rich blend with a mellow taste and sharp aftertaste. It makes a great breakfast coffee.
¼ pound Colombian Supremo (regular or decaffeinated)
¼ pound Brazilian Santos
2 ounces Viennese Roast
2 ounces French Roast
¼ pound Celebes Kalossi
JOE’S SPECIAL DESSERT BLEND
This blend may be served topped with whipped cream and a cinnamon stick to stir.
8 ounces Chocolate Almond Coffee
4 ounces Colombian Supremo (regular or decaffeinated)
4 ounces Viennese Cinnamon Coffee
JOE’S TURKISH BLEND
Pulverize (or grind to espresso grind) before brewing in an Ibrik (see recipe on page 61). Or grind to fine grind for use in automatic coffee maker with paper filter.
7-1/2 ounces Ethiopian Mocha Harrar Coffee
8 ounces French Roast Coffee
½ ounce ground cardamom
specialtyblends
If your coffee seems to be a little lacking in flavor, try this: add 1/3 part of any of the following coffees.
To add brightness: Costa Rica Coffee
Colombian
Guatemalan
To add body, richness, flavor: Java
Sumatran
Celebes Sulaueise
To add sweetness: Haitian
Indian Mysore
For flavor and aroma: Kona
Jamaican
Mocha
For a winey flavor: Ethiopian
Kenya
Blend with your coffee; grind and brew as for regular coffee.
low acidblends
Good coffee flavor is often accompanied by the acid from certain agents in the coffee. If coffee’s acid is troublesome to you, try one of these blends… low in acid, rich in flavor and aroma.
Blend #1:
½ pound Java coffee
¼ pound Sumatran coffee
¼ pound Brazilian Arabica coffee (expensive)
Blend #2:
1/3 pound Java coffee
1/3 pound Costa Rican coffee
1/3 pound Kenyan coffee
Blend #3:
1/3 pound Colombian coffee
1/3 pound Mexican coffee
1/3 pound Indian Mysore coffee (scarce)
Blend #4:
½ pound Colombian coffee
¼ pound Tanzanian coffee
¼ pound Kenya AA coffee
50/50
mike McMahon, a manufacturers’ representative in New York City, loves coffee “but the caffeine doesn’t love me,” says Mike. He suggests using one of the following 50/50 blends.
IRISH CREAM:
50% Irish Cream Regular Coffee/50% Irish Cream Decaffeinated Coffee
AMERICAN BLEND:
50% Costa Rican Coffee
/50% Colombia Supremo Decaffeinated Coffee
KING’S BLEND:
50% Kona Coffee/50% Colombian Supremo Decaffeinated Coffee
AFTER DINNER BLEND:
50% French Roast/50% Amaretto Decaffeinated Coffee
AROMATIC BLEND:
50% Kenya AA/ 50% Colombia Supremo Decaffeinated
CONTINENTAL BLEND:
50% Celebas or Tanzania/50% Colombia Supremo Decaffeinated Coffee
With each of these, mix beans (or have specialty coffee store mix beans), then grind to a fine grind. Brew as you would for regular coffee. The caffeine will be reduced by 50 percent to approximately seventy-five milligrams per cup.
englishbreakfast
blendcoffee
4 ounces fresh figs (4-6 figs)
½ pound whole bean Mysore or Kenya AA or Ethiopian
½ pound whole bean Colombian Coffee
This is the unusual breakfast coffee served in fine English hotels. The unique flavor comes from the combination of roasted figs…and the Mysore (Indian) coffee. Mysore coffee is scarce, and you may replace it with Kenya AA or Ethiopian coffee.
SERVES: 32
WASH figs and slice into one-fourth inch slices. Roast at 300° F. until completely dry and crackly. This will take one to two hours. Blend together coffee and figs. Grind and brew as for regular coffee. This blend may be stored in the freezer in a tightly sealed jar for up to two months.
Each serving: 8 calories; 1 gm carbohydrates; trace protein; trace fat; 0 mg cholesterol; 8 mg sodium; 128 mg potassium; 139 mg caffeine (made with regular coffee).
new orleansblend
3 tablespoons freshly ground coffee (preferably dark roast)
1 tablespoon ground chicory (available in specialty stores and in some supermarkets)
4, 8-ounce cups cold water
½ cup hot milk, 2% milk fat
Chicory is the bitter-tasting cousin of the dandelion. Added to dark roast coffee, it adds a peppery tang to this full-bodied coffee.
SERVES: 4
BLEND Coffee and chicory. Brew as for regular coffee. Serve in warm mugs with hot milk.
Each serving: 28 calories; 3 gm carbohydrates;2 gm protein; 1 gm fat (24% calories from fat); 23 mg cholesterol; 34 mg sodium; 246 mg potassium; 104 mg caffeine (made with regular coffee.)
roasting your own coffee
for the ultimate in fresh coffee flavor, why not roast your own beans? It’s easy, as the only equipment you’ll need is an expandable steamer. It’s important to keep an eye on your coffee as it is roasting, though. Overly roasted coffee beans are flammable.
Preheat oven to 425° F. Spread unroasted, green coffee1* beans to a single thickness over an expandable, petal-style vegetable steamer. Carefully place into hot oven. Roast for about ten minutes or until you hear the beans crackling. Coffee is roasted when the beans reach a rich, deep brown. Check every minute or two and remove beans when they have achieved the right color. If any beans spill onto the surface of the oven, clean them up immediately as they are flammable.
Cool roasted beans thoroughly and place them into a jar with a tight fitting top. Store in a dark and dry area. Allow the coffee beans to cure for two or three days before grinding. Home-roasted coffee beans will retain their flavor for up to four weeks.
1* Unroasted, green coffee beans are available at specialty coffee stores, in some supermarkets, and through coffee roasters.
flavoredcoffees
flavored coffees combine a whole bean coffee with a powdered or liquid flavoring agent and ground nuts. Each flavored coffee will be a little different…and you may want to try combinations of your own. Please note that the water will go through the grounds a little slower with these coffees.
chocolate mintcoffee
½ pound whole bean coffee
2 tablespoons mint flavoring
½ cup unsweetened cocoa
This lightly flavored coffee is excellent as an after dinner coffee. It may also be used in other recipes such as Mocha Mugs (page 80) or South of the Border Coffee Cooler (page 84).
SERVES: 16
IN a small mixing bowl, blend coffee and mint. Place on a baking sheet and bake at 200° F. for one hour. Grind to specifications of coffee maker. Place ground coffee in a medium sized bowl and blend with cocoa powder. Store in a tightly sealed jar in the freezer.
TO BREW: use one scoop (one tablespoon) coffee for each five ounce cup of water used.
Each serving: 45 calories; 3 gm carbohydrates; 1 gm protein; 4 gm fat (70% calories from fat); 0 mg cholesterol; 8 mg sodium; 188 mg potassium; 147 mg caffeine (made with regular coffee).
caféamaretto
¼ pound sliced almonds
½ pound 100% Colombian coffee (regular or decaffeinated)
¼ pound Italian Roast Coffee (regular or decaffeinated)
almond extract
This is a rich, dark coffee with just a hint of almond.
SERVES: 32
PLACE almonds on a baking sheet and roast at 325° F. for 10 minutes or until they are lightly browned. Mix coffee beans and almonds well. When ready to brew, grind to specifications of coffee maker.
USING one tablespoon (or less) coffee for each five-ounce cup, place coffee in coffee filter. To brewing water, add one-half teaspoon almond extract (for eight to twelve cups of coffee). Brew according to manufacturer’s directions.
Each serving: 17 calories; 1 gm carbohydrates; trace protein; 1 gm fat (61% calories from fat); 0 mg cholesterol; 6 mg sodium; 109 mg potassium; 104 mg caffeine (made with regular coffee).
orange pecancoffee
¼ pound pecans
½ pound 100% Colombian Coffee (regular or decaffeinated)
¼ pound Costa Rica Coffee
orange extract
SERVES: 32
PLACE pecans on a baking sheet and roast at 325°F. for ten minutes or until they are lightly browned. Mix beans and nuts. When ready to brew, grind to specifications of coffee maker.
USING one tablespoon (or less) coffee for each five ounce cup, place coffee in coffee filter. To brewing water, add one-half teaspoon orange extract (for eight to twelve cups of coffee). Brew according to manufacturer’s directions allowing for two to three minutes extra for the water to penetrate the pecan flavored grounds.
Each serving: 18 calories; 1 gm carbohydrates; trace protein; 1 gm fat (73% calories from fat); 0 mg cholesterol; 6 mg sodium; 102 mg potassium; 104 mg caffeine (made with regular coffee).
coffeeconcentrate
The ultimate in excellent convenience foods is coffee concentrate. In fact, this is the coffee of preference by farmers in Central America. It will hold its flavor for months if you store it in a tightly capped jug in the refrigerator. It makes an excellent cup of coffee, and is the preferred coffee for cooking. Here are two methods of making coffee concentrate.
hot water coffee concentrate
hot water coffee concentrate makes a stronger and more distinctive coffee.
SERVES: 28
4 cups cold water
½ pound finely ground coffee
Brew coffee according to manufacturer’s directions. (If your filter won’t hold the full half pound, then brew twice using two cups cold water and one-fourth pound of coffee each time). Cool. Store in a glass jug with a tight-fitting seal.
TO RECONSTITUTE COFFEE: pour one ounce of hot water coffee concentrate into a warm mug. Fill with boiling water.
cold water concentrate
If you like a mild, low-acid coffee, this concentrate will work for you.
SERVES: 16
4 cups cold water
½ pound finely ground coffee
PLACE water into a two-quart bowl. Stir in coffee so all grounds have been saturated. Cover and place the bowl in a cool, dark corner for ten to twenty hours depending on the strength desired. Line a coffee filter with filter paper and place over a one quart jug with a tight-fitting seal. Pour coffee, a cup at a time, through the filter into the jar. Seal and store in the refrigerator.
TO R
ECONSTITUTE: pour one ounce cold concentrate into warm mug. Fill with boiling water.
“With enough
coffee,
anything is possible.”
Iced Coffee Interlude
Iced coffee adds romance to any quiet interlude.
PHOTO CREDITS
Iced tea glass, Williams-Sonoma; plate from Pier 1 Imports; pen, sterling silver by Angela Cummings; note, courtesy of Donna Jean Morris.
RECIPE CREDITS
Spicy Iced Coffee, page 126
Quick and Easy Lattice Peach Pie: preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line an 8-inch pie plate with pre-made pie crust. Fill with pre-made peach pie filling which has been blended with 2 or 3 peeled and sliced fresh peaches. Dot with several pats of butter. Cut second pre-made pie crust into ¾ inch strips. Place half the strips horizontally onto the pie ¾ inches apart. Weave remaining strips vertically through horizontal strips. Seal and flute edges. Bake for 35 minutes until lattice pie is nicely browned.
