Johannesburg - There's nothing quite like the smell of freshly brewed coffee to get your senses going in the morning. Even those who don't like drinking coffee may find the aroma irresistible.
Estate agents recommend one of the quickest ways to sell your house is to always have a pot of coffee brewing when showing it to prospective buyers.
Coffee works well in both sweet and savoury dishes. It complements the flavour of chocolate - be it in a mousse, a cake or truffles. In savoury dishes, it adds a depth of flavour, and using it in a marinade or as a rub will enhance the flavour of the meat.
When used in baking, the coffee flavour tends to dissipate so make sure you add enough so that you still get the flavour after it is baked.
Ground coffee or beans do not dissolve when used, so if you don't want that texture, use instant coffee which you can dissolve in a little boiling water before using.
For an extra morning kick, add a shot of espresso to your breakfast smoothie.
The espresso butter that accompanies the banana loaf recipe is quite addictive and you will want to spread it on to everything, from toast to scones and even crackers.
If you have leftover coffee in your coffee pot, pop it in the fridge to use in a tasty recipe.
COFFEE-GLAZED LAMB CHOPS
Serves 4-6
8 lamb chops
30ml olive oil
1 red onion, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
30ml paprika
30ml finely chopped fresh rosemary
5ml dried chilli flakes
2 shots of espresso
125ml pomegranate molasses
30ml brown sugar
30ml Worcestershire sauce
125ml tomato sauce
chopped pistachio nuts and pomegranate rubies for garnish
Put the lamb chops in a plastic bag. Heat the oil in a pot and fry the onion and garlic for 5 minutes.
Add the paprika, rosemary and chilli flakes and fry for a further 2 minutes.
Add the rest of the ingredients to the pot and simmer for 10-15 minutes, until thickened.
Allow to cool slightly before pouring over the lamb chops. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
Remove the chops from the marinade, scraping off as much as you can. Heat a griddle pan until hot and cook the chops for a minute each side, then transfer to an ovenproof dish.
Pour the marinade over the chops and bake in a preheated oven at 180degC for 15-20 minutes.
COFFEE CHICKEN
Serves 4
250ml boiling water
375ml strong brewed coffee
60ml salt
45ml sugar
15ml chilli powder
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
15ml ground cumin
1 cinnamon stick
8 chicken pieces - thighs and drumsticks
COFFEE RUB
20ml cumin seeds
15ml coriander seeds
5ml whole peppercorns
15ml coffee beans
5ml coarse salt
45ml olive oil
In a large bowl, stir together the water, coffee, salt and sugar until dissolved.
Stir in the rest of the ingredients up to the chicken.
Stir, then add the chicken. Top with a small plate to keep chicken submerged. Cover and refrigerate for 2-4 hours.
Remove the chicken from the brine and pat dry. Discard the brine.
Rub the chicken with the coffee rub and roast in a preheated oven at 180degC for 30 minutes until cooked through.
RUB: In a frying pan, dry fry the cumin, coriander and peppercorns until fragrant, about a minute.
Place in a spice grinder with the coffee beans and salt and grind to a fine powder. Transfer the coffee rub to a small bowl and mix with the oil.
Serve sprinkled with pistachios and pomegranate rubies.
CAPPUCCINO CHEESECAKE
Base
200g digestive biscuits, crushed
5ml ground cinnamon
100g butter, melted
CHEESECAKE
2x 250g thick cream cheese
250ml castor sugar
60ml strong espresso coffee
5ml vanilla extract
4 eggs, beaten
250g sour cream
30ml castor sugar
15ml lemon juice
grated chocolate for decoration
chocolate coated coffee beans for decoration
BASE: Put crumbed biscuits in a bowl and add the cinnamon and enough butter to make the crumbs stick together.
Press crumbs on the base of a 22cm springform cake pan.Wrap the outside of the pan in a double layer of foil and put it in the freezer while you prepare the filling.
FILLING: Beat together the cream cheese and castor sugar until smooth.
Beat in the coffee and vanilla.
Add the eggs and beat until smooth.
Pour the mixture onto the crust. Place the pan into a large roasting tin and add about a litre of water to the tin.
Bake at 150degC for 1 hour until the cheesecake is set but still has a slight wobble in the middle.
Remove the cheesecake from the oven and remove it from the roasting tin of water. Allow to cool for 15 minutes.
Mix together the sour cream, castor sugar and lemon juice and spread over the cheesecake.
Return the cheesecake to the oven for another 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and take off the foil from the outside.
Cool completely then refrigerate overnight.
Top with grated chocolate and chocolate coated coffee beans before serving.
COFFEE BISCUITS
Makes 36
250g butter
250ml icing sugar
15ml instant espresso coffee granules
30ml ground espresso beans
30ml hot water
625ml cake flour
melted chocolate
Using an electric mixer, cream the butter and icing sugar.
Dissolve the coffee granules and ground beans in the hot water and cool.
Add the creamed mixture together with the flour and mix well to form a dough.
Roll out to about 5mm thick on a lightly floured surface and cut out shapes with a biscuit cutter.
Place on a greased baking tray and bake in a preheated oven at 180degC for 10-15 minutes until golden.
When completely cool, drizzle with melted chocolate.
BANANA LOAF WITH ESPRESSO BUTTER
125g butter, softened
125ml brown sugar
2 eggs, beaten
5 ripe bananas, mashed
30ml coffee powder dissolved in 80ml hot water
500ml flour
5ml baking powder
5ml bicarbonate of soda
5ml salt
ESPRESSO BUTTER
180g butter, softened
60ml icing sugar
15ml instant espresso powder dissolved in 15ml hot water
Cream the butter and sugar until well blended and creamy.
Add the eggs and mix well.
Add the bananas and mix until blended.
Mix in the cooled coffee.
Sift the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt and add to the creamed mixture.
Spoon the mixture into a 12x20cm greased and lined loaf tin. Bake at 180degC for 50-60 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean.
Remove and cool in the tin for 10 minutes before turning out onto a cooling rack.
Serve sliced with the espresso butter. The loaf can be drizzled with some melted chocolate if desired.
ESPRESSO BUTTER: Cream the butter and icing sugar well. Beat in the cooled coffee mixture. Beat until light and fluffy.
The Angela Day cookery column is published in The Star, the Cape Argus, the Daily News and the Pretoria News.