Coffee- drink it, cook with it...

Coffee has a lot in common with wine.  Its varieties and flavors are many, as are the countries in which it is grown. Coffee beans go through a process like wine in evaluation. After carefully roasting  the beans, they are ground, brewed and sniffed, swirled, tasted and spit out.  The process of roasting and brewing is an Old World tradition, just like harvesting, crushing and aging of grapes. And both can easily become habitual!
  My coffee habit started relatively late in life. Just for the last few years have I begun my day with a cappuccino. A smooth, intense coffee flavor with foamy skim milk on top does it for me. I used to go out for it, but now I make my own.
  I make coffee in a press. A coffee press is a glass cylinder with a screened press that pushes the coffee grounds to the bottom after the hot water has had a chance to absorb the brew. A simple compression always leads to a perfect result. I have a milk steamer and  I foam skim milk until it is the texture of melted marshmallow. Perfect. Now the day can begin. But there are many ways to get your coffee.
  And then comes the ceremony of what to have with it. Doughnuts, biscotti, scones, muffins, bagels…they all go. But it is nice to find that one thing that trips the taste buds with your coffee for multiple pleasure. Mine came to me by accident.
   My daughter needed something for a fiesta in her Spanish class. I had some fresh flour tortillas. I cut them into triangles and fried them until brown and crisp in hot canola oil. As soon as they came out of the oil, I dredged them in cinnamon sugar.  The result was a crisp, cinnamony sweet treat that was absolutely perfect with my cappuccino. You can trust me on this as her class got 6 less of the crispy delights than I had intended!
   And the coffee flavor is wonderful with which to cook. Coffee ice cream, coffee flavored cookies and cakes are examples that come to mind. Even in a sauce for meats, coffee can add richness and a robust, almost smoky flavor. 
  And just like wine, it’s best not to overdo coffee. But, since I have my coffee with milk, I just consider it a source of calcium!
 

Cranberry Maple Scones
1/3 cup cream
1/3 cup brewed espresso
2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
11/2 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons cold unsalted butter
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup maple syrup
1 cup dried cranberries
Mix together the cream and the espresso. In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade, process the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt just to blend. Cut the butter into chunks and add to the bowl.  Pulse until contents is texture of coarse meal. Pulse in the sugar and syrup to combine. Begin to pour in the cream/espresso blend as you turn on machine and process just until mixture begins to gather around the blade.  Add the cranberries with 1 quick pulse.
Remove contents to flour dusted work surface and knead into a ball. Press into an even thickness 7 or 8 inch round shape. Cut into 8 wedges and place them slightly apart on a non-stick-baking sheet. Bake in pre heated 350-degree oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a scone comes out clean.  Remove to wire rack and cool slightly before eating.  Makes 8 scones.

Mocha Chops
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, mined
1 clove garlic, minced
2 green chili, seeded and diced
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley or cilantro leaf
1/2 cup extra dry vermouth
1 cup strong coffee
1/2 cup tomato sauce
2 tablespoons ground cumin
1 tablespoon ground chipotle pepper
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
1/8 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoon soy sauce
4 large pork chops
In a large deep sauté pan with lid, heat the oil over medium heat and stir in the onion, garlic and green chili. Sauté until golden brown. Stir in parsley or cilantro then vermouth. Reduce heat to medium low and stir in coffee and tomato sauce. Bring to a simmer and stir in cumin, chipotle, cocoa and honey. Simmer until mixture thickens into a glaze, about 10 minutes. Baste the chops with soy sauce and char the pork chops on a grill or under the broiler.  Arrange them in the sauce in the sauté pan on the stove. Cover and simmer, turning once, until chops are cooked and tender, about 20 minutes. Uncover and serve over brown rice, spooning glaze over the top.  Serves 4.

Espresso Date Shake
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 shot espresso, cooled
1 scoop French vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt
1 cup milk or cream
Blend ingredients together in a blender until smooth. Makes 1 shake.

Honey Coffee Cake
6 eggs
2 cups granulated sugar
2 cups honey
1/2 cup canola oil
3/4-cup ground almonds (pulverize slivered almonds in a food processor)
2/3 cup dried blueberries
2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 cup strong coffee, cooled
4 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
In a mixing bowl and using hand held electric beaters, beat eggs until pale and creamy and blend in sugar, honey, oil, ground almonds and blueberries.  In a cup, dissolve the baking soda in the coffee. Sift the flour twice, mix in the baking powder and sift again. Beat the coffee mixture into the egg mixture until well blended. While continuously beating, add the flour slowly to the egg mixture, scraping the bowl with a spatula as often as needed. Beat in cinnamon and ginger. Pour into a greased 11 X 13 baking pan and bake in pre-heated 350 degree oven for 1 hour. A toothpick inserted in the center of the cake should come out clean. Cool cake in pan on a rack. Cut into squares and serve with coffee. Makes about 12 pieces.

Raspberry Orange Coffee
2 tablespoons orange zest
4 tablespoon sugar
1/2 cup water
1 cinnamon stick
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups fresh brewed coffee
4 tablespoons raspberry flavored liqueur
Sweetened whipped cream
Mix together the zest and sugar with the water in a small saucepan. Drop in the cinnamon stick. Simmer until sugar dissolves and mixtures simmers a few minutes.  Remove cinnamon stick. Stir in vanilla and coffee. Re-heat if needed. Place a tablespoon of liqueur in each of four cups and divide coffee among the cups. Top with whipped cream. Serve hot. Serves 4.