Life after coffee

Because there is no life before coffee!

True isn't it? I think I wouldn't be wrong if I say I sleep just to wake up for coffee! (Oh what a loser that makes me!)
But seriously, how many of us can wake up without our caffeine kick? Anyone, anyone?
Yeah, I thought as much.

Some of my fondest memories of college are just hanging around at the coffee shop and chat away into the evenings like nobody's business. It is no different now - I usually go for at least 2 coffee breaks during the day. After all without coffee breaks, there will be no accomplishments now, would there?

I can't even imagine to start writing on the options or preferences to making the perfect cuppa. Automatic drip or French press? Ground or whole bean? Fiery or frosty? Regular or decaf? Americano, cappuccino, espresso, macchiato, mocha, or latte?

For me the type of coffee depends on the mood and the time of the day. A strong espresso does it for the morning, a mild sweet one after a meal and a cold one for those rare hot afternoons. Here is my version of Iced coffee, which I make using the cold brew method which also is less acidic.

I will not touch on the various methods, beans, ways, machines to make coffee. A single post would never really be enough for it all - and it wouldn't be fair either to this elixir. More posts to come in the future. Share

Breakfast at Tiffany..er..Migros

Ok, so I have been missing in action for really long now! It wasn't planned to be so. Let me be honest here..September was more holiday, and less work. There were a couple of days I had taken off work, but they were amongst the laziest days I can think of! I did try out a few dishes I've never tried before, and failed. And as they say, If you can't get it right the first time, then order pizza! And so we did :). Not once but 4 times in the last month - that again I think is another record!

Well, to give myself some credit, I haven't been all that lazy. There are a few recipes lined up and you'll see them soon!
For now, I will show the simple breakfast at Migros that we sometimes go for on weekends. And I like it 1) for it's simplicity and 2) for the rustic fresh baked breads that are available. Sure I pick up a gipfeli - the Swiss cousin of the croissant, but it is the other breads that I tend to like more. As is true in most cases - the uglier the bread looks, the healthier it is for you. The harder it is, the lesser the butter in its ingredients - and that means I can happily smear it on while eating!
So here is that breakfast - 2 kinds of bread, some butter and honey, a cup of fruit, and of course coffee.
DH* got a little romantic, and placed a rose on my table..aww..so sweet.

*DH = Darling Husband :) Share

Iced coffee

Coffee! Can your day be complete without the caffeine? (And you thought your decaf coffee was sans any caffeine? Well, think again ). No kind of weather can ever put me away from my beloved beverage - not even a scorching summer afternoon! Just that how I drink it is different - with a lot of ice!

Iced coffee - that is what I had at around mid-day today, instead of my usual espresso or cappuccino ( the latter served with some milk froth and chocolate powder for extra goodness :-)). Everyone has their favourite way of brewing their coffee - the kind of beans used, the kind of coffee grinder, how you store your coffee, how it is brewed..blah blah..there is a whole world out there when we start talking coffee. Let us not get there. I'll just share with you how we make our tall glass of iced coffee.

I prefer making it with what is also called the 'cold brewed' method. Nothing fancy here - just that you stir your ground coffee in water and let it sit a couple of hours (preferably overnight) before you strain, add equal amount of water, and serve it with ice - as opposed to pouring it piping hot onto a glass full of ice (and a plastic or steel one please - you'll most likely break your 'glass' otherwise!).
But this time I used the easier method - I had some left-over coffee from the morning, so I let it cool off and turned it to iced coffee. This isn't the healthiest way because it is more acidic that the cold-brewed method, but it's ok once in a while.

So here is how I made it
Brew your cup of coffee the way you like it. I use a moka pot and use the following for 1 glass of iced coffee
- 2 tablespoons of your favourite ground coffee
- 1 cup of water
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1/4 cup milk
- ice cubes
Once the coffee is brewed, I transfer it to a pitcher. Add in the sugar so it dissolves while still warm. Allow it cool for 2-3 hours at room temperature. Then add in the milk and stir - this is optional of course! Pour it in a tall glass filled with ice cubes. And enjoy! Share

Italian Almond biscotti

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On a good day if you ask me what would I like with my coffee - it would probably be a healthy little cookie like an oatmeal and whole wheat kind, or one with arrowroot, maybe a macaron, or a biscotti. But of course there are days when I sit eating up an entire package of a peanut butter or chocolate chip cookie and not offer it to anyone..lol!
Of all these healthy variety, I have to say - macarons and biscotti are my favourite. Simply because you can play around so much with the flavours and colours and it just tastes great!
These cookies are from Italy and 'biscotti' just means cookie in Italian. These are baked twice giving them a long shelf life. Usually the Italians would dunk it in their dessert wine and eat, but of course, coffee and tea are also its wonderful companions! Here is how I made it.

2 cups all-purpose flour
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup granulated white sugar. I know some people add 1 cup, but I think 3/4 gives just the right sweetness for me.
1 cup almonds, toasted in the oven for about 8-10 minutes at 350 F
1 teaspoon vanilla extract ( I use vanilla sugar coz we don't get vanilla extract here easily!)
1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract. This is what gives the biscotti their signature almond-y smell..love it!


Coarsely chop the toasted almonds. Snack on a couple maybe - they taste so good!
Combine the dry ingredients. In a seperate bowl, combine the eggs, vanilla and almond extracts. Add in this mixture to the dry ingredients slowly and stir. You could use your electric mixture for this. Add in the chopped almonds and the remaining egg mixture so that you get it to form a dough. Shape the dough into 2 logs about 10x2". Bake it on a 350 oven for about 40 minutes. Then take it out of the oven, let it cool so you can work with it- about 8-10 minutes, and cut them at a diagonal so that you get that classic biscotti shape. Lay these biscuits flat and bake for about 10 minutes again per side, or if you can make it to stand, then just once would be fine.
Allow it to cool a bit before you pop it into your mouth :)

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Chocolate and coffee truffles

Chocolate and coffee. Two of the greatest gifts to mankind. Bring the two together - and what you get is pure indulgence! To reduce the guilt, throw in some rolled oats, maybe some wheatgerm, and you have a wonderful excuse to have your daily dose of indulgen..erm..nutrition ;)
The recipe couldn't be simpler. Only a few ingredients, and hardly any time to cook, this one is ready in minutes. It keeps well for at least a week (I haven't had the chance to test it longer - it doesn't usually last more than a couple of a days!), and looks great too so makes for a very nice and easy gift. Here is the recipe.

- 2 1/2 tablespoon butter. You could use peanut butter or almond butter to up the nutrition factor - just remember to adjust the sugar accordingly
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 3 tablespoons packed brown sugar.
- 1/4 cup freshly brewed coffee
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder.
- About a cup of rolled oats
- 1 tablespoon wheatgerm
And toppings of your choice.


Melt the butter. Add in the both the sugars, and let it simmer for a few minutes. Now add the coffee, and cocoa powder. Bring it to a boil, and take it off the heat. Put the oats and wheatgerm in a mixer and powder it. Once the coffee mixture is cool enough to work with - about 15 minutes, throw in the oats mixture and mix it up. Now get your hands dirty and start shaping the balls. (Maybe eat it a bit while you're at it). Roll these into the toppings of your choice. I used more cocoa powder(!), shredded coconut, and powdered sugar.
A word of warning - even though these babies are not all that bad for you, don't kid yourself and eat them all up. Save some for your friends and family ;D
I would be posting this for the 1x umrühren bitte's Event Share

Tiramisu

Tiramisu - translated it means 'pick me up'. Just one look at it, and it will beckon you to sink your teeth into it! It is one of those very simple - no bake desserts and all you need to prepare it is assemble a few ingredients. And then wait. Wait patiently until it is ready to be 'picked up'. This is an Italian dessert and found in trattorias all over Italy, and of course much loved the world over. Here is how you make it. Of course there is no one way to make it, it is so versatile that you can alter it any way you like it. Here is how I make it, and it is quite close to the traditional way to prepare it. You need

250 gm Mascarpone cheese
3 eggs - seperated
5 tablespoons of sugar
1 and 1/2 cup coffee - freshly brewed, and cooled to room temperature
ladyfingers - 1 package containing 24 pieces
grated dark chocolate and/or unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons rum. Dark rum is usually used, but since I had run out of it, I used white rum.



Alcohol is optional, and also the amount added varies from person to person ;)
For variation, you could try Kahlua (coffee liqueur)or good quality marsala wine. For a slighltly fruit-flavoured tiramisu, you could use orange liqueur, cherry liqueur..the options are really all upto you I'd say.
Here is how to assemble it all together. Put some coffee to brew - make it a strong brew. Leave it to cool. Now beat the egg yolks and sugar. Slowly add the mascarpone and continue beating. Add 1 tablespoon of the espresso, and mix it as well.
In a seperate bowl, whip the egg whites until it forms stiff peaks. Now fold the egg whites into the yolk-cheese mixture.
Pour the coffee in a dish big enough so you can dip the lady fingers in them. Add the rum in the cooled coffee. Dip the ladyfingers in the coffee-rum mix and layer them in a 9x12 dish. Do not be tempted to dip the ladyfingers for too long. Just place it for no more than 3 seconds else it will break apart. After the first layer is done, spread the mascarpone, egg mixture evenly. Layer more coffee dipped ladyfingers, and then another layer of the mascarpone.
Cover it and place in the fridge for at least 4 hours before serving. Sprinkle generously with cocoa powder and grated chocolate. Bon appetit! Share