Tag: coffee

Homemade Cold Brew Coffee

If you have…

Then you too can make and enjoy some Cold Brew Coffee in the comfort of your own fabulous home!
This past weekend I attended a Creative Leadership Summit in California and like all wonderful gatherings of creative minds, I went without expectations and was blown away by the talent that I saw! There were different areas of concentration as well as one-off classes sprinkled into our weekend schedules where we could explore different industries and skills that we might not otherwise be exposed to. One of the classes on that list was “Cold Brew Coffee”. I’m from Seattle, OBSESSED with good coffee, and for those few days a year that Seattle puts on her make up and turns the heat up, I’d love to be sipping on a glass of good chilled coffee!
I’m always amazed at the different flavor of cold brew coffee. With regular coffee brewing, the hot water and the oils from the bean swiftly pressed together are what combine to provide that deep, rich, roasted flavor and the slight bitterness you might taste in hot coffee comes from the acidity in the beans. Icing coffee that is hot-brewed simply puts that same flavor on ice…surprise surprise!

BUT, the cold brew method actually brings out a different part of the beans flavor and the lengthened steeping process combined with the coarse texture of the grinds reduces the acidity which makes for a  sweeter and more syrup type flavor which is actually quite delightful even for someone who doesn’t like any sweetness in her coffee!

Apart from challenging all my urges for instant gratification, cold brew coffee is so simple to make at home and completely worth the forethought to make ahead of time.While there is a bit of science to cold brew coffee is very forgiving so you can mix up the temp, how much you layer, length of time you steep, ratio of coffee to water, etc! The method below was developed by hipster teacher/coffee guru, Mason,and  follows the Toddy method (Link directs you to the Toddy Website which lists cold brew instructions for both coffee and tea.)

So, grab a mason jar and wow your friends with you home cold brew coffee skills! These are also great frozen into a popsicle or tray for coffee ice cubes!!

Cold Brew Coffee Prep


Cold brew coffee
-yield depends on the ratios you use
-coffee lasts up to two weeks in  a sealed container the fridge

You’ll Need…
1 16 oz mason jar
coffee grinder (I suggest the affordable Krups, Stylish Bodum Bistro or the classic Kyocera)
Single Cup Coffee Filter like the Melitta Ready Set Joe and with filters,  ,
kitchen scale to measure the water and coffee
Small Bowl
Coffee of choice (We used the amazing Intelligenstia La Marvailla blend)
Water

Tips…
The ratio is 1 part coffee to 4 parts water, so you can mess around with the different ratios to create a different flavor if you so desire. The key in this process is that you want to be as mindful as possible and don’t agitate the coffee. Use a coarse grind, even a step more coarse than you would for a french press so that the water can have a larger surface of the coffee bean to steep with.

Making the coffee…

  • Set jar on scale and zero out the weight. Measure 125g coffee into jar and grind in a coarse texture then pour into bowl and set aside
  • Measure 80g room temp water into jar and add half the grinds from the bowl
  • Measure 240g water and pour into your jar in a slow circular motion then gently spread other half of coffee grinds on top and let set for 5 min
  • Measure out another 240g water and pour in slow circular motion over the layer of grinds and with minimal agitation, gently press sides of the grinds down with spoon to fully saturate then cover with lid and set aside at room temperature for 8-12 hours
  • Filter coffee through the single cup coffee filter (don’t forget to insert an actual filter into the strainer) by gently pouring from the side of the jar then inverting the entire jar so gravity can do its job pulling the water through the grinds in the jar
  • You can then rinse your jar and pour your cold brew right back into your mason jar or put into little bottles to share or store (just remember to refrigerate after you filter!)
  • Pour over ice or dilute with water/milk to tast

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How did your cold brew turn out! Did you mix up the layers, ratio, steeping time or other variable? Would LOVE to her any tips and tricks that you discover in your homemade cold brew coffee process!!

Cheers!

Seafood Breakfast for Dinner: Potato Parsnip Pancakes with Shaved Crab, Poached Eggs and Breakfast Cocktail Sauce

Living so close to Pike Place Market truly does spoil us. Brunch, being one of my favorite meals to cook and eat, has recently become a fun tradition to try new recipes and variations on the good old favorites. We decided to do a seafood brunch Sunday morning so down to the market I went only to returned with fresh AMAZING crab from the Pike Place Fish Market. Not only do they stock a wonderful inventory of fresh, quality fish but they are notorious for throwing the fish great distances, much to the amazement of the crowd. It was a quite a feat to even make it the few blocks home before digging into “sample” the crab meat which I KNEW would be amazing. Even with my high expectations I was blown away. The freshness and quality of the crab was evident in how rich, buttery and just wonderful it tasted.

Potato Parsnip Pancakes with Shaved Crab, Poached Eggs and Breakfast Cocktail Sauce
Potato Parsnip Pancakes with Shaved Crab, Poached Eggs and Breakfast Cocktail Sauce

As I started preparing the brunch, grating the parsnip and potato and setting aside to drain, mentally setting the table and project managing the meal, starting the cocktail sauce… pause here. I opened a jar of our much loved Pike Place Fish Market cocktail sauce, mashed up a little avocado because I love them with both eggs and crab and started the grinder for some fresh coffee grounds to mix in. DON’T turn up your nose yet! It’s quite delicious and thanks to a trip to Seatown for Mother’s Day happy hour, Tom Douglas has me hooked on cocktail cause with coffee grounds.

I mixed and I blended, mashed and molded. Calling my trust taste tester over, I scooped up a bit for each of us and we had the same response when we tasted…it’s missing something. After much deliberation it was decided that a “kick” was missing. Imagine how dejected I was that I would need to make ANOTHER trip to the market and postpone making brunch until my taste tester made a most wonderful suggestion: let’s have the left over fajitas for lunch and have breakfast for dinner! What a brilliant idea! In our afternoon chores we picked up some fresh horseradish root and then it was game time! Breakfast for dinner, yes please!

Seafood Breakfast: Potato Parsnip Pancakes with Shaved Crab, Poached Eggs and Breakfast Cocktail Sauce
Serves 2

Ingredients:
1/2 lb crab meat, already cooked
eggs (one for the pancakes and one to top each pancake)

For the Breakfast Cocktail Sauce
1 Jar Pike Place Fish Market Cocktail Sauce
2 tbsp Fresh bold roast coffee, ground at a medium grind
Fresh Lemon, squeezed into the sauce to taste
Fresh horseradish root, exterior layer removed, soft white flesh grated and chopped

For the Potato Parsnip Pancakes
3 medium mini gold potatoes, grated
1 medium sized parsnip, grated
1 egg, lightly beaten
fresh cracked salt & pepper to taste

  1. Grate the potato and parsnip in a colander and sprinkle with a bit of salt. Let stand for about 20 minutes. I also take one more step and lay out the grated vegges on a paper towel and pat dry.
  2. In the mean time, make the breakfast cocktail by combining all ingredients to taste. Cover and let stand in the fridge.
  3. Place grated vegges in a bowl.
  4. Heat some oil in a skillet over medium/high heat
  5. At this time, heat a sauce pan with water to poach the eggs
  6. Lightly beat one egg and add it to the veggies, seasoning with fresh cracked pepper to taste.
  7. Add a scoop of the mixture to the hot skillet, forming into a patty once in the pan and cook until brown on one side (about 8 minutes) then  flip and cook the until brown on the other side.
  8. Place pancakes on paper towel to drain excess oil and serve.
  9. Poach eggs in boiling water for 90 seconds to 2 minutes depending on how you runny you like your yolk. Remove from water with a slotted spoon and place in a small ramekin to drain for a few seconds.
  10.  Plate  up the potato parsnip pancakes and top with the breakfast cocktail sauce. Top with shaved crab, squeeze a bit of fresh lemon and place your poached egg on the top. Garnish with a bit more cracked pepper and dried parsley.
  11. Enjoy!!!