Pumpkin Spice Latte
2 teaspoons canned pumpkin
¼ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (see note)
1 tablespoon vanilla syrup (or ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract and 1½
teaspoons granulated sugar)
1 shot hot espresso or strong coffee
cup cold milk
Cinnamon stick
Step 1—In an 8-ounce mug combine canned pumpkin, pumpkin pie spice, and vanilla syrup (or vanilla extract and sugar).
Step 2—Pour the hot espresso into the mug. Stir well to blend the flavors.
Step 3—Froth up the milk using an espresso machine steam wand or my rustic stovetop method (page 300). Using a spoon to hold back the foam in your pitcher or bowl, pour the steamed milk fluid into the hot espresso. Add a cinnamon stick and stir to mix the flavors. Top with foamed milk.
NOTE: Pumpkin pie spice can be found in most grocery store spice sections. If you don’t have it or can’t find it, you can make your own. Simply mix the following ground spices to get 1 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice: ½ teaspoon cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon ginger, ⅛ teaspoon ground allspice or ground cloves, and ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg.
Eggnog Latte
½ cup cold eggnog
¼ cup cold milk
1 shot hot espresso or strong coffee
Pinch ground nutmeg
Step 1—Combine the eggnog with the milk. Steam the liquid mixture using an espresso machine steam wand or my rustic stovetop method (page 300). Note that eggnog will scorch faster than milk, so watch the steaming process closely.
Step 2—Pour the espresso into your mug. Fill the mug with the steamed eggnog mixture. Top the drink with a bit of foamed eggnog mixture. Garnish with ground nutmeg.
White Chocolate “Snowflake” Latte
½ cup milk
¼ cup white chocolate, chopped, or white chocolate chips
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
1-2 shots hot espresso or strong coffee
Whipped cream (optional)
Step 1—Combine milk and white chocolate in a heatproof bowl and place over a saucepan aboutfull of boiling water. (The water level should be under the bowl but not touching it.) Stir constantly until chocolate is melted.
Step 2—Using a whisk or handheld electric beater, whip in the vanilla. Continue to whip about a minute until the warm mixture is loosely frothy.
Step 3—Pour the espresso into a large mug. Add the steamed white chocolate milk and stir to blend the flavors. You can top with whipped cream, but I serve it without. (This drink is absolute heaven. It tastes like a rich, warm coffee-infused milkshake! Enjoy!)
Candy Cane Latte
cup cold milk 1 shot hot espresso or strong coffee
1 candy cane
½ tablespoon kirsch (cherry liqueur) or cherry syrup
½ tablespoon crème de menthe liqueur or peppermint syrup
Whipped cream
Finely crushed candy canes (optional)
Step 1—Froth the milk using an espresso machine steam wand or my rustic stovetop method (page 300).
Step 2—Pour the espresso into an 8-ounce mug and use the candy cane to stir in the kirsch and crème de menthe.
Step 3—Fill the rest of the mug, nearly to the top, with steamed milk and stir a second time with the candy cane to distribute the flavors. Top the drink with whipped cream and a sprinkling of finely crushed candy canes. Leave the whole candy cane in the mug for a festive serving touch!
Orange-Spice Yule Latte
cup cold milk ½ tablespoon orange syrup (see note) or Grand Marnier liqueur
½ tablespoon amaretto syrup or liqueur
Pinch of allspice
1 shot hot espresso or strong coffee
Cinnamon stick
Whipped cream
Step 1—Froth the milk using an espresso machine steam wand or the rustic stovetop method (page 300).
Step 2—Measure out the flavored syrups or liqueurs into an 8-ounce mug. Add the allspice, pour in the shot of hot espresso, and stir well with the cinnamon stick to distribute the flavors.
Step 3—Fill the rest of the mug, nearly to the top, with steamed milk and stir a second time with the cinnamon stick to mix the flavorings through the drink. Leave the cinnamon stick in the mug to continue adding spiced flavor. Top the drink with whipped cream.
NOTE: You can either use bottled orange syrup or follow the Easy Homemade Fruit Syrup recipe (page 318), using orange marmalade to create your syrup. You can also use the orange bar syrup that’s created as a byproduct of making the homemade candied orange peels (page 364).
Esther’s Jelly Doughnut Chanukah Latte
cup cold milk 1 tablespoon Homemade Caramel Syrup (see note)
1 tablespoon Homemade Raspberry Syrup (see note)
2 shots of hot espresso or strong coffee
Powdered sugar for garnish
Step 1—Steam the milk using an espresso machine steam wand or my stovetop method (page 300).
Step 2—Measure homemade raspberry and caramel syrups into an 8-ounce mug, add the hot espresso and stir.
Step 3—Fill the rest of the mug, nearly to the top, with steamed milk (using a spoon to hold back the foam in your pitcher or bowl) and stir a second time to distribute the flavors through the milk. Top the drink with a cloud of foamed milk; garnish with crisscrossing drizzles of homemade raspberry and caramel syrups and a light dusting of powdered sugar. (It really does taste like a jelly doughnut!)
NOTE: To make your own raspberry and caramel syrups, see Easy Homemade Fruit Syrup and Homemade Caramel Syrup recipes (pages 318 and 315).
HOLIDAY RECIPES
Clare’s Old-Fashioned Sugar Cookies
At the start of the holiday season, Clare Cosi mixes up a big batch of this sugar cookie dough and keeps it in the fridge, wrapped tightly in plastic. When she’s ready to make a sheet pan full of cookies, she breaks off a piece of dough about the size of an orange, rolls it out, and bakes up a panful so she can serve freshly baked cookies to guests with their after-dinner coffee.
Makes 48-60 cookies, depending on the size of your cookie cutters and how thin or thick you prefer to roll your dough.
6 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons salt
2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter
2 cups granulated sugar
4 eggs, room temperature!
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
Step 1—Make your dough: Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, cream the butter and sugar. Beat in the room temperature eggs and vanilla. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients until a smooth dough forms. (Do not overwork dough or your cookies will be tough.) Lightly pat the dough into a big ball, wrap snugly in plastic, and chill for at least 3 hours or overnight.
Step 2—Roll your dough: First, preheat the oven to 350°F. Break off an orange-sized ball of dough, place it on a flat surface that’s been rubbed with flour, and (if you know what you’re doing) roll away! For a thin, crisp cookie—which Clare recommends—roll the dough between ¼ and ⅛ inch thick. If you prefer a thicker cookie, roll the dough ½ inch thick.
WARNING: If you skipped the chilling of the dough as suggested in Step 1, it may be too warm to work with and will stick to everything. So chill it, baby! When you take it out of the fridge, it will be firm. If it’s too firm, let it warm until it becomes pliable. If you start having trouble rolling out the dough, then read the following suggestions to prevent sticking, tearing, or the toughening of your cookies by adding too much dusting flour!
Parchment paper solution: A good way to prevent dough from sticking is to roll the dough out between two flour-dusted sheets of parchment paper. The best method for rolling, by the way, is to roll in one direction, then turn the dough (paper and all) clockwise to the right and roll again. Keep turning the dough and rolling, turning the dough and rolling, until it’s nice and thin. Before removing the paper, slide the sheet of rolled-out
dough (paper and all) onto a flat pan and place the whole thing in the fridge to chill for ten to fifteen minutes. This will firm up the butter in the dough and make it less sticky so you can easily peel away the top sheet of paper without chunks of dough sticking to it.
Step 3—Cut your dough: Once the dough is all rolled out, cut the dough into shapes with cookie cutters. Place the cookies carefully on a sheet pan covered in parchment paper or silicon sheets. (If you have neither, use cooking spray to keep the cookies from sticking.) Ball up any remaining dough pieces and either place them back with the remaining dough in your fridge or roll them out all over again to cut more cookies.
Step 4—Bake: Bake for 10-15 minutes. Oven temperatures vary, so watch your cookies and don’t let them overcook or they’ll be tough instead of tender! Determine the best time for baking based on your own particular oven and your cookie’s size and thickness.
Step 5—Decorate: While your freshly baked cookies are still on the sheet pan, brush them with Sugar Cookie Glaze and sprinkle with colored sugar.
SUGAR COOKIE GLAZE
½ cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons milk
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
Few drops food coloring
Combine the sugar, milk, and vanilla in a bowl and whisk until smooth. Clare makes three bowls of this glaze: one with red food coloring, one with green, and one she leaves as a clear glaze with no coloring. After creatively “painting” her holiday cookies, she sprinkles them with colored sugar.
Clare’s Mini Red and Green Holiday Biscotti
See photos of this recipe at www.CoffeehouseMystery.com
This is a mini version of the cookies that Clare baked for Mike Quinn the morning after she found Alf’s body; when she asked her baker to reproduce batches to sell in the Village Blend pastry case, they sold out in record time! Chopped pistachios are what give this festive cookie its hint of green, and dried cranberries provide the cheerful red accent. Dipping the top edges in melted white chocolate bestows holiday richness while mimicking a kiss of winter snow. Clare’s addition of ground cinnamon is unconventional for biscotti, but the hint of holiday spice strikes a surprisingly harmonious chord with this combination of flavors. The melted butter imparts a pleasant taste, too; and while the addition of shortening to any biscotti recipe reduces its shelf life, these cookies look and taste so good, they disappear quickly anyway!
Makes 36-40 mini biscotti
1 cup dried cranberries, or “Craisins”
1 cup pistachios (I use dry roasted, salted pistachios from the snack
food aisle and remove shells by hand.)
2 large eggs
1 egg yolk (save egg white for glaze) cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ cup unsalted butter (1 stick), melted and cooled
2¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 cups white chocolate, chopped into small pieces or use chips
Step 1—Prepare Red and Green Goodies: Place dried cranberries in a bowl and cover with hot tap water to plump up. Let sit for at least 15 minutes but no longer than an hour. Drain well before adding to recipe. For pistachios: Remove shells, measure out 1 cup’s worth, then roughly chop. Clare simply places nuts in a plastic bag and bangs away with a ladle or meat hammer. (If using a food processor or spice grinder, be careful. You want roughly chopped pistachios not green powder.)
Step 2—Make dough: Using an electric mixer, beat eggs, egg yolk, and sugar for 2 full minutes. Add vanilla and melted (and cooled) butter and beat for another full minute. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and ground cinnamon. Now marry your wet and dry ingredients, mixing only enough to form dough. Fold in drained, dried cranberries and roughly chopped pistachios. (At this stage, Clare dusts her hands with flour and uses her fingers to fold in the goodies, making sure they’re evenly incorporated. Just take care not to overwork the dough.)
Step 3—Form logs and glaze: Divide dough into two equal portions. On a floured surface, use floured fingers to form each portion into a round log measuring 12-inches long and no more than 1-inch in diameter. Place both logs onto a baking sheet covered with parchment paper or silicon sheets to prevent sticking. Press down lightly to flatten a bit. These skinny logs will spread out more during baking so be sure they’re well separated. Using a pastry brush, glaze the unbaked logs with the reserved egg white (just whip it up a bit with a fork before brushing). Now sprinkle both logs with granulated sugar. The glaze will help brown the logs and hold them together when you slice them.
Step 4—Bake and slice: Bake in a preheated 350ºF oven for 25 to 35 minutes (depending on your oven). Logs are finished baking when they are light golden brown, firm to the touch, and cracking a bit on the surface. Remove from oven, transfer off the hot baking sheet, and let cool completely. Wait at least 1 hour (3 is better!) and slice up like a loaf of bread. Ideally, cookies should be about ¾ of an inch in thickness. Each log will yield 18 to 20 mini-biscotti, depending on how thick or thin you slice them. For tips on preventing crumbling, see CLARE’S CRUMBLE ALERT at the end of the recipe.
Step 5—Second baking: In Italian the term “biscotti” actually means baked again. So turn the sliced mini-cookies onto their sides and bake again, in 350ºF oven, for 8 minutes on one side, then carefully (don’t burn your fingers!) turn over and bake another 7 minutes on the other side. You want your cookies to dry out and toast a bit on the surface.
Step 6—Dip in White Chocolate: Let your biscotti cool completely and then dip the top edges of each cookie with melted white chocolate. (Melting chocolate is easy but tricky. See melting instructions at the end of this recipe.) Set your freshly chocolate-dipped cookies on flat plates covered with wax or parchment paper for easy clean-up. (Do not use paper towels. They’ll stick to the chocolate!) Wait until chocolate hardens before moving again. To speed up this process, I pop the plates in the freezer for 5 minutes (just be sure to use the wax or parchment paper or some may freeze to the plate). Then fire up the coffee maker or espresso machine and enjoy!
CLARE’S CRUMBLE ALERT: Here are four tips to help prevent mini-biscotti from crumbling: (1) Let your logs cool completely, 3-4 hours is best. You can even allow the cooling logs to rest overnight. (2) Use a sharp, non-serrated knife. (3) Press straight down. No sawing. (4) Don’t try to slice cookies any thinner than ½ inch (¾ of an inch is ideal). Inevitably, a cookie or two will break apart. No worries, a few usually do (and you wanted to taste them anyway, didn’t you?). In the end, remember what Nonna Cosi always said: “Good is better than perfect.”
HOW TO MELT CHOCOLATE
WARNING: Make sure your bowls, pans, and utensils are completely dry before you begin. Even a few drops of water can make the chocolate seize up!
Easy microwave method: Place chopped chocolate pieces or chocolate chips in a dry microwave-safe bowl and warm on medium power for only 30 seconds. (Why? Because you are trying to prevent scorching, which will ruin the taste of your chocolate!) Now take the bowl out of the microwave and stir it with a dry rubber spatula. Continue warming, 30 seconds at a time, stopping to stir each time. As the chocolate gets closer to melting completely, shorten the interval to 15 seconds, continuing to stir until the chocolate is just melted. Because of their milk solids, white chocolate and milk chocolate are more sensitive to scorching than dark, so be careful not to overheat.
Stovetop method: Place chopped chocolate pieces or chocolate chips in the dry top of a double boiler with hot water in the pan beneath. If you don’t have a double boiler, create your own by placing a dry, heatproof glass or metal bowl over a saucepan with hot water in it. The fit between your larger bowl and smaller saucepan beneath it should be snug and not loose. WARNING: The water you use should be hot but not boiling or simmering; neither should it be touching the container holding the chocolate. While your white chocolate melts, stir constantly with a dry rubber spatula. Remove f
rom the heat as soon as the chocolate is melted. Do not allow it to scorch!
Clare’s Golden Gingerbread-Maple Muffins with Warm Holiday-Spice Glaze
To bring the taste of home-baked holiday spices to her coffeehouse customers, Clare created these light, moist, gingery muffins for the Village Blend’s pastry case. You’ll notice there is no sugar in the muffin part of this recipe. The sweetness comes from the pure maple syrup, which is an important ingredient to get right. Pure maple syrup is not the same thing as “pancake syrup.” Pancake syrup is usually just maple-flavored corn syrup. Be sure to use real maple syrup for this recipe or the texture of your muffins will be dry instead of moist and buttery, and the taste will be less appealing, too. When in doubt, check the label. As Clare puts it: “Pure maple syrup will list only one ingredient—maple syrup!”
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