The icy side of coffee

Coffee beans. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

More than a few years ago, B.K. (before kids), my husband and I were free-wheeling adults given to do crazy things like shop for groceries late at night. In the nearly empty Kroger store at 10 p.m. (hey, it was late for us, I didn't say we were night owls), we would scoot along, filling up our buggy and dancing along to the oldies played over the in-store p.a. You'd get kind of lost in your own little world, just listening along, selecting your items, thinking you were all alone, until you turned a corner and saw another human. One one trip, we turned into the aisle with the coffee beans and grinder and heard a ghostly voice say "coffee" except it came out in a Vincent Price way "COF-feeeeeeeeee." From our end of the aisle, I couldn't tell if it was from a male or female, but my husband and I got the giggle fits and since then, whenever I've really needed a cup of coffee, that's how it's pronounced around here. COF-feeeeeeee.

For years, I liked my coffee "Airplane" style, if you know what I mean. (and if you don't get the reference, it's ok, we'll just move on). Every morning, I plop a filter followed by two scoops of medium roast into the basket, pour in 4 cups of water and let it brew. No cream, a little bit of Splenda, and I'm good to go. Until this summer, when I discovered bliss in a grande cup - the iced coffee.

Iced coffee. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

You may think that iced coffee is simply the morning's hot-brewed coffee poured over ice. But, there you would be mistaken, because the best iced coffee is made from a cold brew; ground coffee beans steeped overnight in water, mixed with sugar to form a concentrate that is then stored in your fridge for whenever the mood, or maybe I should say need occurs and only an iced coffee will do. When this mood hits, you pull the coffee concentrate out of the fridge and mix it 50/50 with milk or half-n-half, add a splash of hazelnut syrup or even a squidge of chocolate syrup, finish with a straw and enjoy a caffeinated pick-me-up. Well, this drink not only is a pick-me-up, it's a rocket booster.

Iced Coffee
adapted from The Pioneer Woman blog

for concentrate
2 quarts cold water
2 cups ground coffee beans
1 cup sugar, more to taste

for iced coffee
Ice cubes
Milk
Flavored syrups such as hazelnut or chocolate, optional

1. To make the concentrate, in a large container with a lid, stir ground coffee into water. Cover with lid and leave at room temperature for 8 hours or overnight.

2. Line a strainer with a coffee filter or cheesecloth and place over two-quart container with lid. Carefully pour cold-brew through the filter and discard the detritus (coffee grounds), in a composter, if you have one. Stir in sugar to taste, cover with lid and place concentrate in refrigerator where it can stay for a couple of weeks, until ready to make iced coffees.

3. When ready to make the beverage of bliss, remove concentrate from refrigerator. In a tall glass, over ice, pour in concentrate, then milk. I like a ratio of 50/50, but this is a very personal thing, depending on the type of bean that you used, the level of sweetness you like and the richness of the milk (whole v. skim, etc.). Stir in syrup, for a flavor kick. Add a straw and keep by side your side all afternoon, taking a sip every now and then, to get you through that evening supermarket trip.

Iced coffee with milk. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

Text and images copyright 2011, Lucy Mercer.

A twist on doughnuts and coffee: Bonuts with bacon

Krispy Kreme with coffee syrup, whipped cream & bacon bits. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

 

 The French toast with the funny name, Bostock, seems to my mind to be easily adapted to Southern ingredients. I’m a Southern girl, without a doubt, and my daddy grew up hunting squirrels in the woods of Alabama with his trusty mutt Bo by side. Other famous Sons of the South include Bo Diddley, Bo Jackson (remember “Bo Knows”?), and American Idol runner-up Bo Bice. My husband reminds me of Bo Derek (native of southern California) and Bo Svensen (native of southern Sweden), to boost the argument. (well, he doesn't really remind me of Bo Derek.)

Krispy Kremes. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

In considering this week’s challenge, I decided to go seasonal, with pumpkin and ginger Bostock and local, with Krispy Kreme glazed doughnuts. You know what I’m talking about - the ones in the box that screams “eat me!” I took a day-old doughnut, split, it toasted it, soaked it in coffee, heated it and topped it with sweetened whipped cream and christened the top with crunchy bacon bits.

If you’re counting calories and carbs, allow me outline the recipe in a useful way:

1. Deep fried fat and sugar dipped in
2. Sugared caffeine, covered with
3. Dairy fat and sugar, topped with
4. Fried, nitrate- and nitrite-enhanced pork fat. Mmmmm. Kinda makes me wonder what Junior Samples ate for breakfast.

I know it’s not vegan, vegetarian, raw or organic, and it may be more appropriate for Francis’ Sacrificial Lam stories over at Salon. All I know is that it tasted really, really good.

Bonuts with bacon. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

Bonuts (Doughnut Bostock)

6 Krispy Kreme doughnuts

Coffee syrup (see recipe below)

Sweetened softly whipped cream

6 slices crisp-cooked bacon, chopped fine

1. Using a bread knife, carve off a thin slice from the bottom of each doughnut  (check for air holes - the thin slice is the cook’s treat). Soak each doughnut lightly in the coffee syrup, then place on plate. Put plate in microwave oven and zap for 15 to 30 seconds - just enough to warm up the doughnut. Garnish with whipped cream and bacon bits.

Coffee syrup

2 cups coffee

¼ cup sugar

1. Place in saucepan and let boil until reduced by half. Let cool to room temperature.

Sweetened Whipped Cream

1/2 cup heavy cream, very cold

1 1/2 tablespoons confectioner's sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. In a chilled mixing bowl, whip cream until it begins to thicken. Stir in sugar and vanilla and continue beating until soft peaks form. Store leftovers in the refrigerator.

Text and images © 2010, Lucy Mercer.