COFFEE GRANITA
Granita, a traditional treat in
2 cups lukewarm espresso or double-strength coffee
1/3 cup sugar
3 tbsp. Kahlúa® or Irish whiskey
1 tsp. lemon zest
1 cup barely sweetened whipped cream
Coffee beans
1. Stir warm coffee, sugar, Kahlúa and lemon zest together until sugar dissolves. Cool.
2. Pour mixture into 8” square metal baking pan.
3. Freeze mixture until icy around the edges (about 45 minutes). Use a fork to rake the frozen edges toward the center. Repeat the raking several times, until frozen through—about 2 hours total.
4. Cover, keep frozen. Can be made up to 2 days ahead.
To Serve: Use a large spoon or ice cream scoop to mold. Serve in a martini glass, frosted parfait glass or in a small dish. Garnish with a dollop of barely sweetened whipped cream and 3 whole coffee beans.
Serves 4
COULD CONTINUOUS COFFEE CONSUMPTION DELAY DEATH?
A "modest benefit" has been attributed to both caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee consumption in its ability to reduce the risk of mortality from heart disease in middle aged men and women, wrote Ether Lopez-Garcia, Ph.D., in a recent study outlying the current pluses of coffee drinking. Other studies have suggested that coffee may decrease the risk of some types of cancer, however, this was the first study to assess coffee's relationship with all-cause cardiovascular disease (
The researchers believe that it is not the caffeine in coffee that was the key, because higher levels of consumption of decaffeinated coffee also reduced the risk for all-cause and
None of the participants had
The study is one of more than 100 published research articles written by scientists working with the accumulative data of the project that included the Health Professionals Follow-up Study (HPFS) sponsored by the Harvard School of Public Health and funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and National Cancer Institute. Also participating were those in a Nurses' Health Study. Some 86,214 women and 41,736 men participated, all health professionals who were chosen because study designers believed that they were more likely to answer the queries correctly and because of their careers in health, maybe be more willing to participate in such a long-term project.
Both groups were queried on their diet habits including smoking, health conditions, and coffee drinking habits. During the entire follow-up period, from 1980 to 2004, women appeared to have the most benefits. Thos women who drank two or three cups of regular coffee lowered their risk of death by 25% compared to women who did not drink coffee. Additionally, they had an 18% lower risk of death from heart disease or cancer than non-coffee drinking women. Men did not lower or increase their risk of death.
It has also been suggested in other studies that coffee impacts different people in different ways unrelated to their gender or age or genetics, and coffee's antioxidants may be cumulative or get stronger with age. This, too, remains a puzzle for researchers and continues to be a topic for exploration.
The study, funded by the National Institutes of Health, was published in the Annals of Internal Medicine and was written by contributors including Dr Lopez-Garcia, Rob M. Van Dam, Ph.D.; Tricia Y. Li, MD; Fernando Rodgriguez-Artalejo, Md., Ph.D., and Frank B. Hu, Md., Ph.D. who represent the National Institutes of Health, a U.S. government agency that supports medical research; plus researchers in Madrid, Spain at Ramón y Cajal Programme, and the American Heart Association. The original study project was conducted at
JAMAICA NUDGE LUSCIOUS PUMPKIN LATTE
Ingredients:
2 heaping tablespoons cooked or canned pumpkin
2 cups milk or ¾ cup unsweetened condensed milk
4 tablespoons vanilla syrup
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice
1 cup coffee, brewed strong or ¼ cup freshly brewed espresso
Spice for dusting, optional
Directions:
In a small saucepan, heat the milk with the pumpkin until it combines, then add vanilla syrup and cinnamon (or pumpkin spice.) Heat until steaming, stirring frequently.
Carefully pour into a blender and blend on high for 20 seconds, until it foams. Pour into a tall heat-proof glass, then add the espresso or coffee. Dust with cinnamon or pumpkin spice and serve immediately.
YIELD: 2 servings; recipe easily doubles
Your morning cup of Joe may start to cost more. Coffee production is likely to decline across Brazil due to a combination of recent dryness, the credit crunch, and biennial growth cycle. In an increasingly tough economic time, these factors are likely to urge prices higher.
The Brazilian government predicts that the country will harvest 39.2 million 132-pound sacks of coffee beans this year, a drop of 16.2% from 2008.
Over the past 30 days, major coffee growing regions in western Mato Grosso and eastern Rondonia have only seen about 75% of normal rainfall. In the past two weeks, areas in western Minas Gerias, where nearly 50% of Brazilian coffee is produced, have received only half of normal rainfall. The tiny province of Espirito Santo, which accounts for 25% of the coffee crop, saw above normal rainfall earlier this month. However, even that area has turned much drier over the past one to two weeks.
Nevertheless, the credit crunch has been forcing many coffee growers to forgo purchasing sufficient amounts of fertilizer. When enough fertilizer cannot be applied to the coffee plants, disease is more easily spread and yields are reduced. Unfortunately, the timing of this economic crisis is very poor as Brazil coffee is in the midst of a slower growth cycle that typically occurs every other year.
Brazil, the world’s largest producer of Arabica beans, is expected to see a 24% reduction in their harvest of this variety. Furthermore, the country is only second to Vietnam in robusta beans used by Nestle and Kraft to make instant coffee. While robusta may not be as severely affected, a five percent decline in production is still expected. With the drop in production, coffee prices are likely to rise. Currently the price of Brazilian coffee is around $1.18 per pound and is expected to trade between $1.25 and $1.35 in the coming months.
While it is unknown when the economy will recover, Mother Nature will be providing some beneficial rain to most coffee regions over the next week. Areas in Mato Grosso, Rondonia, and western Minas Gerias may see 3 to 6” of rain by next Wednesday, with isolated higher amounts. In comparison, only 2 to 4” fell in these provinces in the past 14 days.
Source: http://supermarketguru.com
CAFÉ AFFOGATO
When in Italy, if you ask for your ice cream "affogato" you are served a bowl of ice cream with a shot of espresso on top of it. It's not too difficult to imagine why this delectable dish has made it across the
Ingredients:
2 pints vanilla gelato
8 ounces or 1 measuring cup, Hazelnut or Original Blend Coffee, brewed double strength
2 tablespoons, crushed hazelnuts or crushed almonds, optional 1 pot Original Blend Coffee, brewed fresh and hot
Directions:
Brew the coffee.
Line up four tall, heat-resistant parfait glasses on the kitchen counter. Place two scoops of the vanilla gelato into each one.
Slowly pour in just enough coffee to coat the scoops, about two ounces in each.
Garnish with crushed nuts.
Serve immediately along with dinner cups for the remaining coffee.
Yield: 4 generous servings.
A coffee shop in town was having a contest that if you buy a large coffee you get a scratch off card. Well one day this blonde lady walked in and bought a large coffee and began to scratch off the ticket and started screaming saying I won a RV. Well she was running and screaming around and the manager come out and said miss please calm down and let me see the card because we don't have a RV as a prize. So he took it and started to laugh and said miss this says you WIN A BAGLE!
ESPRESSO BROWNIES
These freeze well, so you can always have some on hand, although they’re so delicious it’s difficult to wait until they thaw!
Fortunately that doesn’t take long.
If you just cannot wait, these taste wonderful cut into chunks and mixed into vanilla ice cream.
Espresso Brownies
Ingredients:
5 ounces unsweetened dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
2 1/2 sticks unsalted (sweet) butter, softened
3 tablespoons espresso coffee beans, finely ground to a pulverized powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups sugar
5 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
Instructions:
Preheat the over to 325°F.
Butter and flour a 9”x12” baking pan and line it with parchment paper to avoid losing even one crumb.
In the top of a double boiler, combine butter, coffee, and salt and heat over simmering water until just melted and smooth.
Remove from heat and allow to cool.
In a large bowl, combine the sugar, eggs, and vanilla and whisk until a smooth yellow cream.
Slowly add the melted chocolate and combine well.
Slowly and gently fold in the flour until it is well incorporated.
The batter should look pale chocolate brown and smooth. Fold in the walnuts.
Pour the batter into the pan and smooth the batter on top.
Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Here’s the hard part.
Allow the pan to cool on the rack for an entire hour.
When the timer rings, run a knife around the edges of the pan, then cut into squares while still in the pan.
Transfer each brownie to a serving platter or one out of every five; no one will see you.
Makes 1 dozen large brownies or 24 bite-size ones
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