Ways to Use Coffee Concentrate and Coffee Syrup
- add a little to chocolate cake batter – yum
- make iced coffee- perfect summer drink
- a coffee martini sounds good – if you like vodka
- use as a rub or marinade on BBQ
- mix with equal parts milk or half and half for your morning libation
My favorite coffee is Jamaica Blue Mountain, and on regular weekdays I drink Maxwell House. I also appreciate Peet’s Major Dickinson’s Blend, Gorilla Decaf, Death Wish ground, Cafe du Monde or French Market, Yuban, Early Riser Expresso – I just love coffee.
New Orleans-Style Calas (Rice Beignets) from the Cooking Channel
Let me warn you, these calas take forever. You need to start the night before and have plenty of time in the morning before you are ready to eat. This is great if you make too much plain, unseasoned rice and have some leftovers. Or you could just make rice pudding with cinnamon and eat that for breakfast instead.
Ingredients:
3/4 cup warm water
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 package active dry yeast
1 cup cooked white rice
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
Pinch salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup powdered sugar, for serving
Directions:
For best results, begin preparing this dish the night before.
Place the water, sugar, and yeast in a medium non-reactive bowl (not metal) and allow to stand until foam sets, about 10 minutes. Add the rice to the water and yeast and stir to combine.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow to proof at room temperature for at least 4 hours and up to overnight (8 hours).
The next morning/day stir the rice and mash it against the side of the bowl with the back of a spoon. You want to create a contrast in texture, with some grains remaining whole and some crushed. Add the eggs, salt, vanilla, nutmeg, and flour to the bowl and stir with a spoon to combine. Cover the bowl again with plastic wrap and allow to proof in a warm, draft
free place for 1 hour.
Preheat at least 4 inches of oil in a Dutch oven or a deep fryer to 360 degrees F. Use a large spoon or scoop to drop about half of the dough by 2-tablespoonfuls into the hot oil.
Cook until golden brown on one side, about 2 minutes, turn over and continue to fry until cooked through, about 1 1/2 minutes longer. Using a slotted spoon, remove the calas from the hot oil and transfer to paper towel-lined plates to drain briefly. Sprinkle the calas liberally with the powdered sugar before serving hot. Repeat with the remaining batter.
Recipe courtesy of Emeril Lagasse, Emeril’s Food of Love Productions, 2007
