Fall Recipe: Coffee Toffee Pie

For crust

• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 cups Rice Krispies, partially crushed
• 1/2 oz fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened), finely chopped (1 1/2 tablespoons)

For filling

• 2 teaspoons instant-coffee granules or powder
• 2 cups 1% milk
• 1/2 teaspoon unflavored gelatin
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 3 oz fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened), finely chopped
• 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons dark rum

For topping

• 1/3 cup well-chilled heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon packed light brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon instant-coffee granules or powder
• 1 teaspoon dark rum

• Garnish:

  bittersweet chocolate shavings (about 1/2 oz, shaved with a vegetable peeler from a bar of chocolate)

• Special equipment:

  a 7-inch springform pan or an 8- to 9-inch pie plate

Make crust:

• Cook sugar in a dry small nonstick skillet over moderate heat, undisturbed, until it begins to melt. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally with a fork, until sugar is melted into a deep golden caramel, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Remove pan from heat, then immediately stir in Rice Krispies and quickly transfer to springform pan, spreading evenly over bottom and smoothing top with back of a small spoon. (If using pie plate, press crust up side of plate slightly.)
• Sprinkle chopped chocolate evenly over warm crust to melt, then spread melted chocolate with back of spoon to cover crust. Cool until chocolate is hardened.

Make filling:

• Dissolve instant coffee in 2 tablespoons milk in a small bowl, then stir in gelatin and let stand.
• Whisk together cornstarch and remaining 1 7/8 cups milk in a 1 1/2- to 2-quart heavy saucepan and bring to a simmer over low heat, stirring constantly (this will take about 15 minutes; 1% milk curdles easily if heated too quickly). Continue to simmer, stirring, 2 minutes.
• Remove from heat, then add gelatin mixture, chocolate, brown sugar, and rum, whisking until smooth, about 1 minute. Transfer mixture to a metal bowl set in a larger bowl of ice and cold water. Cool filling, whisking constantly (so gelatin doesn’t set unevenly), just to room temperature, 3 to 5 minutes, then pour over crust in pan. Chill, covered, until set, about 3 hours.

Make topping:

• Beat cream with brown sugar using an electric mixer until it just holds stiff peaks. Dissolve instant coffee in rum and fold into cream.
• Spread evenly over chilled custard, then run a thin sharp knife around edge of “pie” and remove side of pan.

Serves about 6. Original recipe from Gourmet.com

 

Fall Recipe: Fudge Brownies

Ingredients:

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• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
• 2/3 cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup sugar
• 2/3 cup sweet-potato puree
• 1 large egg
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon instant coffee powder

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8-inch square pan; set aside. In a medium saucepan over low heat, melt butter. Remove pan from heat, and stir in cocoa. Let cool slightly.
2. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
3. Stir in sugar and sweet-potato puree, then egg. In a small bowl, stir together vanilla and coffee until coffee is dissolved; add to cocoa mixture.
4. Add flour mixture to cocoa mixture and stir until no traces of flour remain. Spoon into prepared pan; smooth the top. Bake until surface of brownies looks barely dry and an inserted knife comes out with a few moist crumbs, about 20 minutes. Cool to room temperature before serving.

Makes about 12. If you can’t find sweet potato puree, make your own using either baked or canned whole sweet potatoes. Puree in a processor until completely smooth.  Recipe and photo from www.wholeliving.com

 

Fall Recipe: Espresso Bean Shortbread Cookies

These shortbread cookies pair well with a fresh cup of coffee.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
• 1 tablespoon instant espresso powder
• 2 tablespoons finely ground espresso beans
• 3 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
2. In a small bowl, stir espresso powder into 2 teaspoons hot water until coffee has dissolved. Add coffee mixture and ground espresso beans to butter mixture; beat to combine.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour and salt. Add to butter mixture, and beat on medium low speed until well combined, about 4 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until well chilled, at least 2 hours or overnight.
4. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Shape heaping tablespoons of dough into ovals. Arrange ovals about 1 1/2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Using a wooden skewer dipped in flour, make an indentation in dough lengthwise to achieve the look of a coffee bean. Freeze or refrigerate until firm, about 20 minutes.
5. Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until cookies are just beginning to brown, 16 to 18 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

Makes about 4 dozen.  Store up to 1 week in airtight containers at room temperature. Original recipe found at www.wholeliving.com.

 

Processing Methods of Coffee

There are three major methods in use for the processing of coffee: dry, wet, and semi-dry. The oldest method, also known as natural, or unwashed, is the dry method. Before the beans undergo this method, they are sorted and cleaned. Dirt, twigs, soil, undesired beans, and other debris are removed by winnowing with a sieve and/or by placing the harvest in a washing channel and allowing the ripe cherries to sink to the bottom and the rest to float to the top. Once clean, the coffee cherries are placed on a patio surface such as concrete, or on a raised table allowing hand access. Here they are allowed to dry in the sun. They are raked or turned by hand for even drying. The length of time it takes to reach the right moisture content will depend on the weather. Mechanical dryers are used by some processing facilities to speed up the process once the coffee has spent some initial drying time in the sun, usually a few days. It is important that the cherries are neither too dry nor too moist as too dry makes the beans brittle and easily breakable, and too moist leaves them vulnerable to fungi and bacteria. Once the cherries are dry, they are stored in silos until they are sent to the mill for the next processing steps which include hulling, sorting, grading, and bagging. Whereas the outer layers of the dried cherries are removed by the hulling machine in these later stages of the dry process, in the wet (or “washed”) process, the fruit covering the bean is removed prior to drying. In the wet process, the cherries are soaked in containers of water. As in the cleaning stage of the dry process, the ripe red cherries sink to the bottom while the unripe float to the top. The fruit is pressed through a screen, removing the cherry skin and some of the pulp. Not all of the pulp is removed from the beans at this stage so further steps are required. There are various methods to do this, including the ferment-and-wash method. The wet processing method is more expensive, requiring extensive use of water and special equipment. A layer of skin and parchment still remain on the bean after the de-pulping. At this time, the beans are dried either in the sun or by machine, or both. They are brought to the right moisture content. Once dry, the parchment is crumbly and removed easily during the hulling process. The extra work and costs that go into this method of processing the beans are justified because the connoisseurs of coffee consumption find the “washed” coffees to provide a smoother and rounder cup of coffee, and beans processed by this method generally can demand higher prices. The outside layer of the coffee fruit is a skin called the pulp. The next layer is mucilaginous and surrounds the two beans. In addition to this layer surrounding each bean individually, there is a tougher “parchment” as well as an inner, more delicate “silver skin.” The beans of Arabica and Robusta plants have two distinguishable shapes: The Arabica is a flat, oblong bean with a crooked furrow, while the Robusta is rounder and convex with a straight and even furrow through the center of the bean.

 

Harvesting Methods

Because of the continuous blossoming of Coffea shrubs, the plants may carry fully ripe red cherries, overripe cherries, and green fruits simultaneously. Handpicking or “selective picking” is thus considered by many to be the best method of coffee harvesting. The green fruit is then allowed to stay on the tree for a later harvest and the overripe berries can be left to fall to the ground. This is less cost effective for many growers as it requires multiple harvests and manual labor.

A more commonly used method for harvesting coffee is known as “stripping.” The branches are stripped of the coffee cherries, either by hand or machine. Both ripe and unripe fruit would be included in this process. The berries are stripped off and often left to fall onto a sheet where they might be shaken to remove trigs, leaves, and debris. For coffee plants that mature uniformly, as in parts of Brazil, where the rainfall patterns are predictable, it is most cost effective to use this process, even with some overripe or unripe cherries included.

A third method of harvesting is known as mechanical harvesting. There are various types of mechanical systems used in this type and they all work to vibrate the coffee tree branches, causing the fruit to fall from the trees. As with the stripping method, the green, ripe, and overripe cherries are removed and are separated later. This works best in places where the coffee is grown in large fields on flat or gently rolling landscapes.
When the berries are picked (by stripping or mechanical harvesting methods) at all stages of maturity, and kept together, these are used for producing lower-quality coffees for mass consumption. The flavor of the under-ripened berries is more bitter and astringent. The red berries, at full ripeness, have more aromatic oils, less organic acids, and are much more fragrant, flavorful, smooth, and mellow. Because of these differences in flavor at different times of the growth cycle, harvesting is a very important stage in coffee production: The method chosen, and the time it is applied, will have a large influence on the quality of the coffee once it is in the cup.

 

About Arabicas and Robustas

For successful crops, the two major forms of coffee grown in the world today, Arabica and Robusta, need between 1500 and 3000 mm of rainfall per year. Droughts, frost, and high-winds can all impact a season’s harvest in any given area, which affects coffee stocks and prices. The trees also do not produce well in extremely hot weather. In fact, the ideal annual mean temperature is around 70 degrees F. Coffee trees produce berries at different times of the year, some with multiple harvests per year, depending on the location. For example, in Java, harvesting is practically continuous through the year while in Colombia there are two picking seasons, the main and the mitaca (the fly.) Coffee trees grow to between 15-30 feet, but are often pruned to reduce height for ease of picking. The leaves are dark green, shiny, elliptical-ovate in shape, and grow opposite and alternating one another. Robusta coffee trees depend on cross pollination, while the Arabicas are self-pollinating. Small white flowers, with a fragrance similar to jasmine, bloom in bunches just before the green coffee cherries appear. The flowers bloom for only a few days. The green cherries appear in clusters, and turn to yellow, orange, then red, and finally to a full deep red when they are mature and ready for harvest. The maturation from green to red takes about thirty to thirty-five weeks, although not all cherries on a tree or in a crop mature at the same time. The outside layer of the coffee fruit is a skin called the pulp. The next layer is mucilaginous and surrounds the two beans. In addition to this layer surrounding each bean individually, there is a tougher “parchment” as well as an inner, more delicate “silver skin.” The beans of Arabica and Robusta plants have two distinguishable shapes: The Arabica is a flat, oblong bean with a crooked furrow, while the Robusta is rounder and convex with a straight and even furrow through the center of the bean.

 

Modern Coffee Cultivation

Coffee is grown in over eighty distinct regions in the tropical areas of the world. Different climate, soil types, elevation and horticultural, picking, processing, and roasting methods contribute to the distinct coffee flavors associated with each region.  The top ten coffee producing countries in the world in 2008 in order are Brazil, Vietnam, Colombia, Indonesia, Ethiopia, Mexico, India, Peru, Guatemala, and Honduras with the majority of all coffee growing countries being located within one thousand miles of the Earth’s equator. 

Over 25 million people are employed world-wide in the coffee industry with an estimated 400 billion cups consumed annually.   Next to oil, coffee is the second largest global- commodity, with approximately 140 60 kg bags produced in 2008. The United States is cited as the largest consumer of coffee in the world, importing over four billion dollars worth of coffee annually in recent years.  Over 50% of the U.S. population drinks coffee with average daily consumption totaling over 400,000,000 cups.   

There are two major types of coffee beans used for the beverage we know and love: Coffea Arabica and Coffea Canphora known as Arabica and Robusta respectively. The Arabicas are grown at higher elevations, optimally between 900 meters (3000 feet) and 2000 meters (6500 feet), and as high as 2700 meters (9000 feet), and are generally more carefully tended than the Robustas.   It takes four to five years for the Arabica trees to produce their first harvest and they will continue to produce for another fifteen to twenty years. The Arabica berries are often hand-picked at the optimum ripeness for each berry.   They produce the finer grades of coffees enjoyed by the discerning coffee drinker.  

Because higher altitudes tend to be sparser in rainfall, cooler in temperatures, and lower in oxygen, the Arabica coffee plants grown in these areas take much longer to develop.  The beans mature much more gradually and the resulting flavors in turn are much richer, deep bodied, well balanced, and aromatic.  Although the growing conditions are often very rugged in these altitudes, the beans, though less abundant in quantity, are prized for their superior quality, and hence are more expensive. 

The Robustas are a hardier tree and can be grown at much lower elevations, generally between sea level and 3000 feet. They are often machine harvested with the trees producing their first crop within two to three years. They produce a coffee with a harsher and stronger flavor, as well as a higher caffeine content. The Robustas are valuable in blends, and are used in solubles and extracts to provide a strong flavor punch for flavoring food products. They are also much more affordable than the Arabicas, although the Arabicas still constitute approximately 75- 80% of all coffee grown in the world.    

Coffee is grown in over eighty distinct regions in the tropical areas of the world. Different climate, soil types, elevation and horticultural, picking, processing, and roasting methods contribute to the distinct coffee flavors associated with each region.  The top ten coffee producing countries in the world in 2008 in order are Brazil, Vietnam, Colombia, Indonesia, Ethiopia, Mexico, India, Peru, Guatemala, and Honduras with the majority of all coffee growing countries being located within one thousand miles of the Earth’s equator.  

Over 25 million people are employed world-wide in the coffee industry with an estimated 400 billion cups consumed annually.   Next to oil, coffee is the second largest global- commodity, with approximately 140 60 kg bags produced in 2008. The United States is cited as the largest consumer of coffee in the world, importing over four billion dollars worth of coffee annually in recent years.  Over 50% of the U.S. population drinks coffee with average daily consumption totaling over 400,000,000 cups.    

There are two major types of coffee beans used for the beverage we know and love: Coffea Arabica and Coffea Canphora known as Arabica and Robusta respectively. The Arabicas are grown at higher elevations, optimally between 900 meters (3000 feet) and 2000 meters (6500 feet), and as high as 2700 meters (9000 feet), and are generally more carefully tended than the Robustas.   It takes four to five years for the Arabica trees to produce their first harvest and they will continue to produce for another fifteen to twenty years. The Arabica berries are often hand-picked at the optimum ripeness for each berry.   They produce the finer grades of coffees enjoyed by the discerning coffee drinker.  

Because higher altitudes tend to be sparser in rainfall, cooler in temperatures, and lower in oxygen, the Arabica coffee plants grown in these areas take much longer to develop.  The beans mature much more gradually and the resulting flavors in turn are much richer, deep bodied, well balanced, and aromatic.  Although the growing conditions are often very rugged in these altitudes, the beans, though less abundant in quantity, are prized for their superior quality, and hence are more expensive. 

 

The Robustas are a hardier tree and can be grown at much lower elevations, generally between sea level and 3000 feet. They are often machine harvested with the trees producing their first crop within two to three years. They produce a coffee with a harsher and stronger flavor, as well as a higher caffeine content. The Robustas are valuable in blends, and are used in solubles and extracts to provide a strong flavor punch for flavoring food products. They are also much more affordable than the Arabicas, although the Arabicas still constitute approximately 75- 80% of all coffee grown in the world.  

 

Coffee Travels to the Americas

In the 1700’s coffee found its way to the Americas by means of French naval officer Gabriel Mathieu de Clieu who transplanted a seedling to the Caribbean Island of Martinique. This one plant became the predecessor of over 19 million trees on the island within 50 years. It was from this humble beginning that the coffee plant found its way to the rest of the tropical regions of South and Central America and it is accepted as common truth that all coffee production plants in the Americas are descended from this one smuggled tree.

Coffee was introduced to North America by Captain John Smith who helped to found the colony of Virginia at Jamestown in 1607. Growing quickly in popularity, coffee, no doubt, helped fuel the revolution. In 1773, Americans revolted against King George’s Tea Tax and the newly formed Continental Congress declared coffee the official national beverage.

(Best Wishes for your Holiday Celebrations!)

 

Would you like a pastry with your coffee?

Another account of coffee making its way west takes place in 1683 when the Turkish and Austrian armies were engaged in battle. During a siege on Vienna, bakers working at night heard the Turk’s tunneling operation and sounded the alarm.  Routed and in hasty retreat, the Turks left sacks of their coffee beans behind. Upon discovery of their bounty, the Austrians developed their own special blend of the magical new beans. They served their new coffee brew with special cakes created by the heroic bakers called ‘kipfel,’ or what we now know by its French name, as the ‘croissant.’ They were shaped to look like the crescent moon from the Turkish flag as a celebration of the retreat of the Turkish army.

 

European Coffee and its Baptism by the Pope

Traders plying the numerous routes to the Orient were introduced to coffee through the hospitality of the local brewers and word of its beneficial powers spread. By the mid-1600s the beans had reached Austria, France, and Italy, much of it through the efforts of Viennese traders. The first coffeehouse opened in Italy in 1645, then England in 1652, Paris in 1672, and Berlin in 1721.

Around 1688 Edward Lloyd opened a coffeehouse on Tower Street in London and attracted merchants, ship owners, and maritime agents with postings of the latest shipping information. Publishing Lloyd’s News in 1696, he established London’s first daily newspaper. Edward Lloyd’s coffeehouse eventually became Lloyd’s of London, the world’s most renowned insurance market.

Once again, as coffee became wildly popular, the local religious leaders saw reason to fear its effects. Skepticism from the Vatican led Christians to view it as the “devil’s drink” and to call for its banishment. A wise Pope Vincent III decided to give coffee a taste before ruling on its suitability for his flock. He enjoyed the dark and decidedly dangerous drink so much that he baptized it, proclaiming “coffee is so delicious it would be a pity to let the infidels have exclusive use of it.”

Coffee houses spread quickly across Europe becoming centers for intellectual exchange. Many great minds of Europe used and continue to use this beverage, and forum, as a springboard to heightened thought and creativity.

….”Ah, how sweet coffee tastes! Lovelier than a thousand kisses, sweeter far than muscatel wine! I must have coffee….” Johann Sebastian Bach, KAFFEE KANTATE, 1732.