Category: Coffee


Jan
2015

Make-Ahead Tiramisu

categories: Boozy, Cakes, Coffee, Dessert, italian

It’s a new year & that means new kitchen adventures!

I took more than a little break since last year because so much has happened!

Between weddings, graduations, tons of catering jobs, moving to a new city, finding a new house, and starting up my business in this new town, my poor little blog went to the wayside.

Poor ‘lil .com. I’m sorry.

But I promised myself that I would attend to my neglected blog & finally download all these photos of deliciousness I have been making these last couple months because you know I didn’t stop cooking & creating recipes!

The first on my list: Make-Ahead Tiramisu.

blog post tiramisu

While this Make-Ahead Tiramisu may NOT be a traditional tiramisu, it IS super simple to put together and perfect for gatherings & potlucks because well, you make it ahead of time so there’s no rushing on the day of!  One to two days later, the tiramisu has had enough time to let the flavors mingle and just the right balance of rich sweetness.

OK, so let’s just get this out of the way: I’m not a coffee fan.  I know, I know…In this world of frappu-fancy-ccinos, a person who doesn’t like coffee might as well be put on the “no fly list” but I can’t help it.  That stuff is usually bitter and my mouth hates me a little whenever my brain forgets that I don’t enjoy the stuff.  When I took my first bite of this dessert I have to admit, it wasn’t a game changer.  The cream was kind of bland and the espresso tasted exactly what I thought it would taste like.  Bitter.  I had kind of given up on it but decided to cover it and wait the recommended 24 hours before I judged.

Now, I don’t really know what happened after the 24 hour mark, but I’m pretty sure it involved some unicorn-type magic because what tasted like a bland yet bitter cookies and cream cake, now tasted like pure friggin’ heaven.  The bland cream had somehow, amazingly, become sweet and the bitter ladyfingers had turned into a kind of mocha flavored cookie.

Like I said: Unicorns.

(more…)


Apr
2014

Banana & Coffee Protein Smoothie: Licuado de Proteina con Banana y Café

categories: Breakfast, Brunch, Coffee, Drink, Healthy, Smoothie
Have I told you that I’m getting married…in 10 days??
Have I also told you that I’m not your typical bride??
Like, the kind of bride that doesn’t have decorations yet kinda bride.
So needless to say, I haven’t really been a morning person lately…
 
Usually I am just fine with green tea or a smoothie in the morning but these last few days 
that stuff is just not cutting it.
 I had to upgrade my morning stimulant to get me going on this whole wedding thing
 & since crack is whack & I like keeping my teeth, I decided to upgrade to coffee.  
The problem: I don’t like the taste of coffee…like, at all. 
So I decided to disguise my coffee in a delicious & healthy fruit-filled concoction that draws on my Latin & American roots…
And so was born the Banana & Coffee Protein Smoothie 
a.k.a. Licuado de Proteina con Café y Banana!
(keep reading to find out what a “licuado” is!)

Nov
2013

Café de Olla (Mexican Spiced Coffee)

categories: Breakfast, Brunch, Cinnamon, Cloves, Coffee, Drink, Mexican
Happy Dia de los Muertos!
Happy Day of the Dead! Ok, I’m not just being morbid, there really is something called Day of the Dead.
On November 1st & 2nd of every year in Mexico, other Latin countries as well as the U.S., families & friends gather together to pay their respects to passed loved ones.  They dedicate brightly decorated alters full of marigold flowers, sugar skulls, candles, & photos of those that have passed.  The idea is that during these two days, the dead come back to the living world & therefore we celebrate them & welcome them home. I think it’s a great  way to remember those that we have lost in a celebratory fashion instead of being all sad & weepy about it. Families will often celebrate into the wee hours of the night, praying, telling stories about their loved ones & eating delicious treats & coffee to help keep them awake well into the wee hours of the night.  
A type of coffee that is typically consumed on this day is called: 
Café de Olla. 
Café de olla literally means “Pot Coffee” getting its name from the clay pot (or olla de barro) that it’s traditionally made in.
It wasn’t until two years ago that I heard about & tasted this concoction of spices & coffee for myself.  I fell in love with it despite not liking coffee at all.  It tasted like someone poured a warm blanket, cinnamon & love into a cup.  So of course I set out to learn more about this delicious drink & how I could recreate the love at home.  This post is all about what I learned & how you can share the goodness that this simple little drink holds with your own loved ones, both past & present.
Enjoy!
A Little Background:
Café de olla is a traditional Mexican style of coffee made in clay pots & flavored with raw cane sugar  (called piloncillo in Mexico or panela in other Latin American countries) & spices such as cinnamon & cloves.  The coffee beans typically used for this recipe are Viennese-type dark roasted beans.  When brewed, the coffee is medium-bodied & has a bit of a kick to it.  This kind of coffee gives the café de olla a rich base for the spices to accent upon.

Café de olla can be made in saucepans, french presses & other pots but it is most definitely at it’s best when made in a clay pot called an “olla de barro“.  These clay pots (like the one pictured above) are tan in color & tend to have a distinct smell to them that I can only describe as “earthy”.  The very thing that gives the pot that earthy smell is also what imparts a unique flavor into the coffee, giving it a “homemade” taste.  These pots can also be used to cook a variety of foods that require slow cooking over low heat like stews (guisados) & beans.