Coffee? Coffee! Coffee, coffee, coffee!
By Cynthia Bowan
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Somewhere in the first quarter of the movie Dante's Peak, we see that Pierce Brosnan (vulcanolgist Harry Dalton) is the hero; Linda Hamilton (Rachel Wando) is the gutsy mayor who tries to save the citizens of the small town Dante's Peak when the dormant volcano threatens to erupt. However, his boss and other folks with ulterior motives don't agree on the threat….and…well, you know how the rest of the movie goes <GBG>.
Mayor Wando also runs the town's coffee shop, not that this is an important plot ingredient. But she begins to bring coffee daily to the government folks who are checking out the dormant (ha!) volcano…where upon the coffee is enjoyed by the team. Well, okay, not quite, because Harry confesses later in the movie that he hates her coffee… Now, this may be a long preamble to get to the brief scene I want to touch on…where she comes in with the coffee and Greg (Grant Heslov) goes a little crazy.
His lines? "Coffee? Coffee! Coffee, coffee, coffee!", which he says as the head of the unit, Dr. Dreyfus (Charles Hallahan) looks at Greg as though he has gone nuts. He almost inhales the coffee, and then asks Rachel what kind of unit she uses and does she freeze her coffee beans.
Ah, the hallmark of a decent actor - the lines may have been written for him, but he also might have taken the time to check out what a
coffee aficionado would have actually wanted to know.
Once upon a time, I was content with store-bought coffee, pre-ground, and canned. But then my daughter Holly became a barista at a wonderful coffee shop in our area. She spent three years there, throwing herself into the subject of coffee so much that she was able to talk to groups of interested folks on the subject. She learned the right way to brew a decent cup of coffee, so we ended up with French presses of a couple sizes, and Moka pots (great for stove top- espresso).
Our son Doug loves his coffee so much that he bought a thermal carafe by Cuisinart, one that grinds the coffee and then brews it. It is a marvelous toy, I mean, necessity. <G>
I presently have a stove top, a Braun and my current favorite (since lately I am the only one who drinks coffee, a Senseo (which uses coffee pods).
Thanks to Holly and Doug, we compared coffees; we learned the differences between countries and we all formed favorites. Not only that, but we have a few cats who love to have a little coffee in the morning. That all started with Ms. Sara Lee, a beautiful old tiger lady cat, so named because there isn't any human food she doesn't like! She likes the expensive stuff, like Jamaican coffee or an estate Kona…but she has been known to settle for Sumatra or even Guatemalan. Just don't give her Kenya or she will turn her nose up and walk away from you!
Coffee has been a love of my life and a mainstay ever since I was a little girl. No, my Dad didn't give me a whole cup at a young age…he started me off with a sugar cube in a spoon with a little of his coffee and cream added to the spoon. I would always get up early to be with Dad before he went off to work, and later, I would go off to school. My mother was a tea person, and it seemed to me that my sister Susan preferred tea…and we children more or less gravitated to the parent who shared the drink we loved.
Recently, I received a gift bag of Joybean coffee from Metanoia Missions International, a Christian non-profit organization that is dedicated to helping
the people of Nicaragua. All proceeds from the sale of this Arabica coffee are going back there to help build a large orphanage. The coffee is wonderful, and comes in medium roast, hazelnut or German Chocolate cake!
I have to have a cup of coffee in the morning, and I have to have it with half-and-half, no sugar. During nasty weather, I have been known to have a cup or two during the day, but not after 5 p.m. I have to confess that once upon a time I drank a great deal more coffee each day, but have cut back so I want what I do drink to be good coffee…
Does that make me a coffee snob? Well, no. Unlike Sara Lee, I don't turn my back Kenya. But I do from mass chains that ship their roasted beans across country so that they are not fresh tasting, or places where I've had coffee that tasted burnt. I do like Peet's Coffee; I do love the medium coffee from Senseo (and am waiting to sample their new flavored coffee). I still love Coffee Tree Roasters in our Pittsburgh area and I really love The Oakmont Coffee Shop. Oh, and Presto George's in our Strip District (Pittsburgh's wholesale/retail food section outside the city.) There's also a fantastic coffee shop in High Point, NC - Juice 'N Java, who roasts their own on site and sells Black Cat - their own blend. Last but not least…the Jamaican Blue Mountain from Fresh Market shops in Greensboro and High Point,
NC.
Come summer, I do like a cold cup of coffee as well - just to cool down, you understand.
Something to pick me up in the middle of a hot day, and thankfully, there are many wonderful recipes for this type of drink. Of course, one can always use cold coffee and milk or half and half…but then again…<G> By the way, if you take leftover coffee and use it to make ice cubes, you can add them to your cold drink and it won't be diluted…
I hope you will check out the following, and Enjoy! these wonderful summer treats, and as always, CYH - consider yourself hugged.
WW Coffee Mocha Milkshake
8 oz. cold milk (whole milk, 2%, skim or fat-free)
1 tsp. instant coffee
1 packet artificial sweetener
3-5 ice cubes crushed
Put all the ingredients into a blender. Blend on high speed for 2
minutes or until mixture has reached your desired thickness. Pour
into a tall glass and enjoy!
Cinnamon Caramel Coffee
6 T. ground coffee
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 c. caramel dessert syrup
Mix the cinnamon and the ground coffee and brew a pot of coffee as usual. Add the syrup to the hot coffee and stir until dissolved. Chill through and serve over ice, with milk or sugar to taste.
Thai Iced Coffee
Fill a 12-oz. tall beverage glass with a few "coffee cubes" and then fill the glass about 2/3 full with regular-strength coffee that has been sweetened a bit with sugar to taste. Add about 2 T. evaporated milk and a dash of cardamom.
Vietnamese Iced Coffee
Fill a glass with a couple of "coffee cubes" and pour 2-4 T. of sweetened condensed milk over the cubes. Fill the glass with regular coffee.
Jamaican Coffee Cocktail
Fill a glass with a few "coffee cubes." Combine 1 oz. dark rum, 1 oz. Tia Maria liqueur, 3/4 oz. heavy cream and 4 oz. coffee. Pour over ice and enjoy!
Frosty Cafe
1 c. hot coffee
1/4 c. sugar
1/4 c. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. almond extract
Dissolve sugars in hot coffee; allow the mixture to cool. Stir in almond extract. Pour into a metal tray and freeze until nearly solid. Beat well, and then freeze again until it reaches a sherbet texture. Serve topped with whipped cream. Serves 2.
Espresso Soda
2 oz. espresso
Ice
Sugar
1/2 c. carbonated water
Lemon Twist
Sweeten espresso as desired. Combine with carbonated water and pour over ice. Serve with lemon twist in a coffee mug.
Frozen Coffee Shakes
This simple concoction is a favorite at parties all summer long. They are easy to whip up and you can mix and match flavors of ice cream, coffee, and liqueurs for an almost unlimited number of shake combinations. The recipe can be doubled or tripled depending on the size of your blender.
1/2 c. chilled strong black coffee
1 c. vanilla ice cream
1 T. Tia Maria liqueur
Handful of ice cubes
Combine all of the ingredients in a blender and process until smooth and fluffy. Pour into a large frosted glass and serve with a spoon.
Variations:
Use a flavored coffee. Use chocolate, vanilla fudge swirl, mocha, or even coffee flavored ice cream in place of the vanilla ice cream. Try other coffee flavored liqueurs or experiment with Grand Marnier, Kahlua, Framboise, Amaretto, or your other flavored liqueurs. Add a shot of whiskey, brandy, or rum to the shake before blending. Use your favorite flavored syrup to add a more intense flavor.
Makes 1 serving.
Malted Coffee Milkshake
2 scoops coffee ice cream
1 c. milk
2 shots espresso
2 T. of malt mix (optional)
whipped cream (optional garnish)
espresso beans (optional garnish)
Combine the ice cream, milk, espresso and malt mix in a blender or even a food processor. Blend well, pour into a tall glass and top with a little whipped cream and espresso beans before serving. Note: Malt mix can be bought at virtually any major grocery store. If you omit the malt mix, then you will simply have a wonderful coffee milkshake.
By Cynthia Bowan
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WW Coffee Mocha Milkshake |
Cinnamon Caramel Coffee |
Thai Iced Coffee |
Vietnamese Iced Coffee
Jamaican Coffee Cocktail |
Frosty Cafe |
Espresso Soda |
Frozen Coffee Shakes |
Malted Coffee Milkshake
