Rum Cream

 This is a rich, creamy celebration drink.  Easy to make and a delicious addition to any holiday meal.

1/2 cup amber rum

1/2 cup spiced rum

1 cup sweetened condensed milk

1/2 cup milk

1 tsp crushed allspice

1/2 cup chilled coffee

2 tbsp chocolate sauce

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 cinnamon stick

Add all ingredients to a 3 cup bottle.  Close lid and shake well to mix.  Keep chilled for up to 2 weeks.

Makes about 5 servings

Grand Marnier Cafe

Simple and wonderful!

1 oz Grand Marnier
1 cup brewed Coffee

Top with whipped cream

Enjoy!

Coffee Roasted Rack of Pork

A wonderful dinner recipe.  You can't go too far wrong with rosemary and pork.  If you can't get or afford rack of pork - just get some bone in pork chops and cook in a pan.  I did that with this and it turned out well.  From Food and Drink 2003

1 rack of pork consisting of 6 chops about 1.6 kg
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
1 cup coffee
1 tbsp brandy
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup table cream
1 tbsp granulated sugar

Optional
1 tbsp cold water
1 tsp cornstarch

1. Pat dry the meat, season, then spread mustard onto the fat side, sprinkle over the chopped rosemary.
2. Preheat oven to 400F.
3. Place the pork in a roasting pan, bone side down.  Roast for 15 minutes and then reduce temperature to 325F.  Continue to cook for 2 hours or until an instant read thermometer registers 165F when inserted into the centre of the roast away from the bone.  Remove from the roasting pan and allow to sit loosely covered with foil for 15 minutes.  (The roast will continue to cook).  
4. Pour off any fat from the roasting pan, add coffee and brandy then bring to a boil, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.  Reduce by a quarter, then pour through a fie sieve into a saucepan.  Add stock, cream and sugar and continue to boil until slightly thickened.  Season.  If you want a thicker sauce, mix water and cornstarch together and whisk into hot coffee mixture.
5. Remove string from roast and slice into chops.  Serve with the sauce. 

Chocolate Pâté with Coffee Aspic

I was a little concerned about doing this recipe as I do not generally like aspics - or any jelly type dessert.  They kind of remind me of the 50's type of desserts.  This however was different enough that I decided to try it.  I like the coffee and chocolate mixture (of course) and the gelatine top is interesting with the added liqueur..I used Kahlua.  Definitely an adult dessert.

2 tsp unflavoured gelatine
2 tbsp cold water
2 tbsp granulated sugar
1/2 cup hot, strong black coffee
2 tbsp coffee flavoured liqueur

Mousse:
1 pouch unflavoured gelatine
2 tbsp cold water
3 egg yolks
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup hot milk
8 squares bittersweet chocolate, melted
1 1/2 cups 35% whipping cream

1. Sprinkle gelatine over cold water.  Let stand for 1 minute.  Add sugar, hot coffee and liqueur and stir until sugar dissolves.
2. Butter 9 x 5 in loaf pan very lightly.  Line with 4 inch wide piece of waxed paper or parchment long enough to overhang long sides of pan.  Smooth down completely.  Pour coffee mixture into pan; transfer to refrigerator and chill for about 15 minutes or until set.

Mousse:

1. In a medium saucepan, sprinkle gelatine over water.  Let stand for 1 minute.  Whisk in eggs and sugar and blend well.  Stir in hot milk.  Cook, stirring over medium heat for about 5 minutes or until thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon.  Stir in melted chocolate and let cool completely.
2. Whip cream until stiff.  Using rubber spatula, gently fold cream into chocolate mixture.  Spread mousse evenly over set jelly in loaf pan.  Cover tightly.  Place in refrigerator for at least 3 hours or up to 2 days.  Turn pate out onto serving platter; remove paper.  Slice to serve.

Tiramisu Cheesecake Bowl

This dessert can be made in one large bowl or individually - you choose :)

11 Graham Wafers
1/2 cup strong coffee
2 tbsp coffee liqueur or brandy
1 pkg (250 g) Cream cheese
1 cup Mascarpone cheese
1 tsp vanilla
1 pkg unflavoured gelatine
1 cup milk
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 cup sour cream
1 square bittersweet Chocolate, finely grated

1. Spread wafers, overlapping if necessary in bottom of an 8 inch round glass dish or serving bowl. Mix together coffee and liqueur.  Brush evenly over wafers.  Beat cream cheese until smooth.  Add mascarpone and vanilla, beating until smooth.
2. Sprinkle gelatine over 1/4 cup of the milk.  Let stand for 1 minute.  Combine remaining milk with sugar and bring to a boil.  Stir gelatine into milk mixture.  Let cool slightly.  Beat half of the milk mixture into mascarpone mixture.  Scrape onto graham wafers and smooth to cover evenly.
3. Mix sour cream with remaining milk mixture.  Drizzle over mascarpone layer.  Gently smooth until even.  Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.  Just before serving, sprinkle grated chocolate over top.

The Coffee Cooler

Continuing on the coffee cocktail theme!  This is from Food and Drink 2003

Fill a cocktail shaker with ice.  Add 1 oz vanilla vodka, 1/2 oz white creme de cacao, 2 oz cold, strong coffee, 2 oz chocolate milk and 2 oz milk or cream.  Shake sharply and strain into a glass.  Sprinkle with shaved chocolate....yum!

The Cancun Drizzle

From Food and Drink 2003, I had my doubts about this one, but I was wrong...it is wonderful!

To a heatproof mug, add 3/4 oz gold tequila.  Top with hot coffee and whipped cream.  Drizzle 3/4 oz Chambord Royale on top and garnish with a chocolate dipped raspberry.

The Lexington

Another Coffee Cocktail!

To a small coffee mug, add 1 oz Amarula Cream and 1/2 oz bourbon.  Top with a shot of hot espresso and whipped cream and garnish with a bourbon soaked marashino cherry!

Coffee Eclairs

Who can resist eclairs anyway?  And Coffee Eclairs, talk about a double whammy.  If you don't want to pipe the pastry for an eclair, just drop by spoonfuls and call them cream puffs...that works well too!

1/4 cup water
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup unsalted butter, cubed
1/2 tsp granulated sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup all purpose flour
2 eggs, beaten
Milk

1. Preheat the oven to 400F
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Place the water, milk, butter, sugar and salt in a saucepan.  Bring to boil over a medium low heat.  The butter must melt before the water boils.
3. Remove from heat and add all the flour at once.  Stir with a wooden spoon then return to a low heat and continue to cook, stirring, until mixture forms a ball and comes away from the side of the pan, about 1 minute.  Turn into a bowl and slowly add the beaten eggs, a tablespoon at a time, beating the mixture until it comes together before adding more egg.  Add enough of the egg so that the mixture falls slowly from the lifted wooden spoon.
4. Place in a piping bag with a plain 1/2 inch tip and proceed to pipe 3 to 4 inch strips at least 1 1/2 inches apart onto the parchment paper.  You will have about 10 pieces.  Add about 1 tsp of milk to any remaining egg mixture, mix, then using a pastry brush, brush the tops of the eclairs.  If you have no egg left, just use a little more milk.  Place eclairs in the oven and bake for 15 minutes.
5. Lower the oven temperature to 375F and continue to bake for 10 minutes.  The pastry should be light and crispy and dark in colour.  Turn off the oven, then remove eclairs from oven.   With a small knife, pierce each end of each pastry, return to the oven to dry out for about 30 minutes.

COFFEE CREAM FILLING

1 cup homogenized milk

1 tbsp instant coffee granules

3 egg yolks

1/4 cup granulated sugar

2 tbsp cornstarch

1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Pinch of salt

1/4 cup whipping cream

1. In a saucepan, bring milk and coffee to a boil.  Remove from heat.  Whisk egg yolks with sugar until thick and light.  Whisk in the cornstarch, vanilla and salt, then gradually whisk in 1/3 of the coffee milk mixture.
2. Return mixture to the saucepan, then place over medium heat and continue to cook, whisking continuously.  Mixture will thicken and come to a boil.  Cook another minute, whisking all the time.
3. Pour into a bowl and cover the surface with plastic wrap, pressing the plastic onto the coffee cream.  Poke a few holes into the plastic with a knife and let cool.  Refrigerate.
4. Whip the cream until stiff.  Whisk cold coffee filling, then fold in whipping cream.  Refrigerate until ready to use.

COFFEE ICING

1/2 cup icing sugar, sifted

1 tbsp cold strong coffee

1. Place icing sugar in a small bowl and add enough coffee to make a thick smooth icing.
2. To assemble:  with a serrated knife, cut eclairs in half. Using a small knife, ice the top halves of the eclairs with coffee icing.  Spoon the chilled coffee cream into the bottom halves of the eclairs.  Top with the iced tops and serve.

Makes 8 to 10 eclairs.

Baileys Bossa Nova

I don't know about you, but Baileys makes everything better for me!

In a glass coffee cup or mug add 1 oz Baileys and 1 oz Smirnoff Orange Twist.  Top with equal parts coffee and hot chocolate.  Garnish with whipped cream and orange zest.  Enjoy!

The Real Irish Coffee

Delicious, especially this time of year.

2 oz Irish Whiskey
1 to 2 tsp sugar
Freshly brewed black coffee
1 to 2 oz heavy cream, warmed to room temperature

First heat the glass with hot water.  Discard the water and fill the glass to within an inch or so of the rim with coffee.  Add the whiskey and sugar and stir well.  Pouring over the back of a spoon, float the cream on the top of the coffee.  Serve without a spoon.   The idea is for the coffee to be sipped through a layer of cream, not for the cream to be stirred into the coffee.

Chocolate Cake with Cocoa Icing

Another Food and Drink 2005 recipe.  This one is simple and can be quite elegant with some strawberries or raspberries added at the end.

CAKE
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 1/3 cups buttermilk
1/2 cup strong coffee
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa, preferably Dutch processed
2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

ICING
1/2 cup butter, softened
3 cups icing sugar, divided
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa, sifted
1/2 cup cold strong coffee
1 tsp pure vanilla essence

1.  To make cake, preheat oven to 350F.
2. Grease and line bottoms of two 9 inch cake pans with parchment or waxed paper.  Thoroughly cream butter with granulated sugar in a large bowl until lightened and fluffy.  Beat in eggs one at a time; continue beating until fluffy.  In a large measuring cup stir buttermilk with coffee and vanilla.  In a medium bowl, sift cocoa into flour; thoroughly stir in baking powder, soda and salt.
3. Alternately stir in a third of the flour mixture and half of the buttermilk combination into the butter mixture, repeating and ending with final third of flour mixture.  Stir until most lumps are gone.  Turn batter into prepared pans; smooth tops.  Bake in centre of preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into layer centre comes out clean.  Cool in pans on rack for 10 minutes; then turn cakes out onto rack to complete cooling.  Remove and discard paper lining.
4. To make icing, cream butter with 1 cup icing sugar until light and fluffy.  Beat in cocoa, coffee and vanilla until well blended.  Beat in remaining icing sugar until icing is smooth.  Place one cake layer on serving piece rounded side down.  Spread flat surface with about a third of the icing.  Top with remaining layer, flat side down.  Frost top and sides with remaining icing.  Lightly covered, cake keeps well for 2 days in a cool spot (do not refrigerate).

Chocolate Tiramisu

Enough about the kids - back to chocolate :)!  Nothing healthy here - but definitely yummy!

2 cups cold coffee

1 container (500g) mascarpone cheese

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1 cup whipping cream

1 1/2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips, melted and slightly cooled

36 - 40 Italian ladyfinger cookies

1 tsp vanilla extract

1. Place cold coffee in a shallow bowl. reserve
2. In a separate bowl, beat mascarpone and condensed milk until well combined.  Reserve.
3. Whip cream in a large bowl until it holds stiff peaks.  Add vanilla into whipping cream.  Gently fold into reserved mascarpone mixture until combined.  Lightly swirl in melted and cooled chocolate.
4. Dipping both sides of each ladyfinger cookie into cold coffee, line bottom of a 9”x13” baking dish with 18 ladyfinger cookies in 3 rows, trimming edges if necessary.  Spread half the chocolate swirled mascarpone filling, about 2 cups on top.  Dip remaining ladyfinger cookies in coffee and arrange over filling inpan.  Spread remaining mascarpone filling on top.
5. Chill covered with plastic wrap, at least 4 hours

Mocha Chocolate Brownie Bites

An easy delightful treat!

24 mini paper liners

½ cup butter, melted

¼ cup chocolate chips, melted

¼ cup cocoa powder

¾ cup sugar

¼ cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

½ cup flour

1 tbsp instant coffee granules

¾ tsp baking powder

¼ tsp salt

½ cup chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350F.  Line mini muffin cups with paper liners.
2. Combine first 7 ingredients in medium sized bowl.  Add remaining ingredients.  Stir until combined.  Fill each muffin cup ¾ full
3. Bake in preheated oven for 12 to 15 minutes or until set.  Serve warm or at room temperature

The Caramilk Skinny

This drink is about 150 calories - not really skinny - but not horrible, tastes delicious.

In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, add
1 oz Caramilk liqueur,
2 oz chilled coffee
2 oz skim milk or soy milk.
Shake sharply and strain into a glass with crushed ice.
Dust with cinnamon.

Enjoy!