Content provided by our sponsor: Community Coffee Company.
When third-generation chef and restaurateur Peter Sclafani needs big flavor for a dish, sweet or savory, he turns to Community coffee — specifically, Coffee & Chicory, which is also the one in his cup every day.
“I’m just such a fan of the chicory,” says Sclafani, the executive chef and co-owner of Ruffino’s, Ruffino’s on the River and Ruffino’s Catering. “I like the boldness that the chicory brings, and that’s Community’s boldest. “
He even took it with him when he cooked at New York’s prestigious James Beard House, making a cafe au lait panna cotta with beignets, even though James Beard has a sponsorship with another coffee company.
Want to bring some boldness to your table? Here are a few ideas.
While coffee is most commonly thought of as a pairing for desserts, its dark flavor also means it can shine in savory dishes.
“Coffee converts to a spice nicely,” says Jodi Conachen, Community Coffee Company’s general manager of communications. “Those same bold notes that can enhance the flavor of chocolate and also penetrate meat to ensure a depth of taste.”
Sclafani says one of his most successful recipes is barbecued ribs with both a dry rub made with ground coffee and a barbecue sauce made with brewed coffee. He says it’s the most-requested recipe from his television show appearance on “Out Da Bayou.”
“The rich, smoky flavor balances with something sweeter, like the sauce,” Sclafani says.
Ruffino’s chef Jeremy Langlois says he’s “pretty traditional” with his brewed coffee. At home, he says, he prefers a pour-over drip brew of Community’s Signature Blend Dark Roast. And, at Houmas House, where he was previously chef, he did a line of Irish coffees to play off the plantation’s Irish history. He’s also done a chocolate flambe sauce with coffee.
He says he started cooking with Community through WYES-TV’s Cooking With Community Coffee contest. He made several dishes, but hit on a showstopper that won the contest in 2013.
“The one that stuck out was a Community coffee-marinated rack of lamb,” he said. Langlois took a Colorado rack of lamb and marinated it in double-strength coffee cooled to room temperature and seasoned well.
He’s also done a slider made with coffee-flavored meat, and has heard of other chefs doing a coffee lacquer on fried oysters. But for him, he says, the combination of dark red meat like lamb and coffee is a natural fit.
“Unusual as it may sound, it adds this great coffee flavor to the lamb,” Langlois says.
Roasted coffee’s big, rich flavor balances out sweet dishes well, Sclafani says. That’s why it’s a popular choice with desserts, like Ruffino’s Italian classic tiramisu. Ladyfinger cookies are drenched in Community’s Coffee & Chicory and paired with whipped mascarpone and cream, then topped with powdered cocoa. Coupled with a hot cup of brewed Community coffee, it’s the perfect after-dinner pick-me-up.
Conachen says she likes her coffee paired with chocolate as well. “I’m a chocolate girl, so I tend toward a rich, decadent brownie with our Signature Blend, which is a dark roast to complement.”
She says a general rule of thumb for pairing is that the richer the dessert, the darker the roast should be. When you’re pairing with sweets on the lighter end of the spectrum, such as breakfast pastries, muffins or fruit desserts, choose a lighter roast like Breakfast Blend, which makes a sweet and mellow cup, Conachen says.
1/4 cup ancho chili powder
1/4 cup finely ground Community Coffee & Chicory
2 tablespoons paprika
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon dry mustard
1 tablespoon sea salt
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon dried oregano
In a small bowl, combine all the ingredients and mix well. Keep tightly covered.
4 tablespoons olive oil
4 tablespoons onions, chopped
4 tablespoons garlic, minced
1 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
2 tablespoons worcestershire
1/2 cup dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups ketchup
2 cups honey
1/2 cup Community Coffee & Chicory
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over medium high heat. Add the onions and garlic and saute until light golden brown. Add the vinegar, soy sauce, ketchup, honey, and coffee. Bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper and remove from heat.
Makes 6 cups.
4 racks of baby back pork ribs
1/2 cup liquid smoke
1 cup Coffee Rub
1/4 cup water
oven-safe plastic wrap
1 cup Coffee Barbecue Sauce + more for passing
Preheat the oven to 225 F.
On the underside of the rack of ribs, loosen the membrane on a corner with a knife. With a dry towel grab the membrane and pull it off. Repeat with the remaining racks of ribs.
Brush a rack of ribs with a good amount of liquid smoke and and coat with about a quarter cup of Coffee Rub. Set aside and repeat with the remaining racks. Place the racks on a sheet pan with a lip and pour the water in the bottom of the pan, being careful not to wash off the rub. Wrap the pan of ribs completely with the plastic wrap going over the top and underneath, from the long side first with a continuous piece of wrap. Next, wrap it in the same manner from the shorter side. Then wrap it one more time from the long side. Place in the oven and cook for 6 hours. Remove from the oven and set on the counter to cool. Place in the refrigerator until ready to use.
To reheat the ribs later: Let the ribs come to room temperature and preheat the grill to medium. Grill the ribs to heat them. Remember they are already fully cooked. When hot, brush them with Coffee Barbecue Sauce and let them cook a few more minutes, allowing the sauce to caramelize. Serve hot with more sauce on the side.
4 Four bone racks of lamb, frenched
5 cups Community Coffee, chilled
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and black pepper to taste
Place racks of lamb in a container and completely cover with Community Coffee. Marinate between 12 and 24 hours.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Remove lamb from marinade and pat dry with a towel. Season lamb generously with salt and pepper.
Heat a large sauté pan over high heat and add olive oil. Sauté lamb on each side until the meat is golden brown.
Place on a roasting pan and cook in the oven until the internal temperature is 130 degrees or about 12 minute.
Remove the lamb from the oven and allow the meat to rest on a cutting board for 10 minutes. Slice the meat between the bones into chops and serve.
1 1/2 cups sugar
8 ounces water
5 ounces + 3 tablespoons Myer’s Rum
2 tablespoons instant Community Coffee & Chicory
1 1/2 pound mascarpone
1 cup powdered sugar
2 cups heavy cream
1 tablespoon vanilla
1/2 cup bittersweet chocolate, grated
ladyfingers
cocoa powder for dusting
In a saucepan, combine the water and sugar and bring to a boil. Simmer until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and stir in the 5 ounces of rum and instant Community coffee. Set aside to cool thoroughly. Dip the ladyfingers in this mixture and line them side by side across the bottom of a 9-by-9-inch baking pan until the bottom is covered with lady fingers.
In a mixing bowl, whip the mascarpone and powdered sugar until it loosens and becomes creamy.
In another mixing bowl, beat the cream, vanilla and the 3 tablespoons of rum until it forms stiff peaks. Gradually, one-third at a time, fold the whipped cream into the mascarpone mix. Take half of this mixture and spread it evenly over the ladyfingers. Evenly spread the grated chocolate over this layer, then layer more of the soaked ladyfingers until this new layer covers all the mascarpone cream. Finish by spreading the remaining mascarpone cream on top. Dust with cocoa powder.
See recipes and more from Community Coffee Company on The Genuine Source blog.
