No one thinks twice about coffee as a beverage, but cooking with coffee? Suddenly the dish is considered foreign.
Coffee is both delicious and keeps us going day in and day out. It is also surprisingly versatile, as evidenced by these recipes below.
Last week, Nespresso held a virtual cook along on Facebook with chef Gregory Czarnecki, Joao da Fonseca aka Mi Casa's J’Something, and chef Wandile Mabaso to celebrate and demonstrate the craftsmanship, skill, flavour, and heritage encapsulated in the Nespresso Master Origins range of coffees.
These chefs were challenged to come up with recipes that show off their craftsmanship and hero one of the Nespresso Master Origin variants. Mabaso did India (Nespresso pumpkin baumkuchen), Czarnecki did Columbia (langoustine, leek and red pepper rougaille, with Nespresso coffee) and J’Something did Nicaragua (the Nespresso gin and tonic).
Pumpkin Nespresso Baumkuchen
Irish coffee parfait
Ingredients
½ cup milk
¼ cup castor sugar
150ml Nespresso coffee (extract a lungo and an espresso and measure out 150ml)
1 ½ tbsp dark rum
½ cup fresh cream, whipped
3 egg yolks
½ tsp cornstarch
For curry leaf and coriander jelly
5g curry leaves
20g coriander leaves
50g castor sugar
25g water
10g gelatin
For Nespresso tuile
85g castor sugar
45g egg whites
¼ cup butter
¼ cup flour
1 ½ tsp Nespresso grounds
For pumpkin gelee
Warm 150ml pumpkin juice
For spiced pumpkin chantilly
150ml pumpkin juice
1 stick cinnamon
1 whole nutmeg
14g gelatin
60g mascarpone cheese
10g granulated sugar
15g vanilla extract
For pumpkin baumkuchen
50g egg whites
5g castor sugar
1 whole egg
100g pumpkin purée
50ml Nespresso Master Origin India coffee (extract two espressos and measure out 50ml)
125g flour
Method
In a bowl placed on top of a pot with boiling water, whisk egg yolk and sugar until ribbons form.
Whisk in rum and Nespresso coffee.
Gradually add warm milk, then corn starch.
Pour mixture into a pan and bring to the boil, whisking continually until there are no more bubbles and It starts to thicken.
Remove from heat and decant into freezer-friendly containers.
Place in the fridge to cool down, then fold in the cream and freeze, preferably overnight
Method for curry leaf and coriander jelly.
Blanch the coriander and curry leaves in boiling water and shock in ice water.
Bring sugar and water to the boil and simmer until it thickens.
Remove curry leaves and coriander from the ice water, squeezing out excess liquid.
Add gelatin to the warm sugar syrup and stir until dissolved.
Add sugar syrup mixture and the blanched leaves in a blender and blend until perfectly combined.
Allow cooling before using it.
Method for Nespresso tuile
Preheat the oven to 170 degrees Celsius.
Whisk the sugar and egg whites until light and fluffy with stiff peaks.
Melt the butter and add it to the egg mixture.
Fold in the flour and melted butter.
Layout strips of the batter, sprinkle with Nespresso grounds and bake for 6 minutes until golden brown. Then take out of the oven and twist around a rolling pin or wooden spoon while warm and pliable.
Method for pumpkin gelee
Warm 150ml pumpkin juice.
Add 10g gelatin and dissolve.
Pour into a bowl and place in the fridge.
Method for spiced pumpkin chantilly
Toast the cinnamon and nutmeg in a hot pan.
Add the pumpkin juice, sugar, and vanilla and heat to infuse the flavours.
Add gelatine and allow it to dissolve.
Remove spices so only liquid remains.
Add the mascarpone cheese and mix until combined and smooth.
Allow setting (approx. 20 - 30 min).
Method pumpkin baumkuchen
Whisk egg whites together with castor sugar until stiff peaks form.
Blend the whole egg, pumpkin puree, Nespresso coffee, and flour until evenly combined.
Fold into meringue mixture until combined.
Spread 2 ladles of the batter on a nonstick mat or baking paper and put in the oven at 180 degrees for 2 minutes.
Add another layer of batter and put it back in the oven for 2 minutes.
Repeat until the mixture is done.
Allow cooling before cutting into circles.
The Nespresso coffee G&T
Serves: 1
Ingredients
2 capsules Nespresso Master Origin Nicaragua, brewed as lungos
1tsp honey
35ml local gin
Ice cubes
250ml tonic water
Lemon peel, sliced, to garnish
Method
Brew the coffee.
Add honey to coffee and stir; allow to cool.
Pour most of the coffee into ice cube trays, reserving 10ml.
Put an ice tray in the freezer and allow it to freeze. Keep frozen until ready to serve.
Place 2-3 coffee ice cubes in a glass.
Pour gin over ice cubes.
Add 10ml of chilled coffee and then top up with tonic water.
Add a piece of lemon peel to garnish and serve.
Langoustine, leek, and red pepper rougaille, with Nespresso coffee
Ingredients
12 langoustines
2 leeks
1 red pepper
4 egg yolks
1 Nespresso Master Origin Columbia capsule
200g butter softened
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Method
Burn the red pepper with a blowtorch or with the flame from your gas-top. Make sure all the skin is burned. Place the red pepper into a plastic bag, close the bag by making a knot, and let the steam do the rest.
After a couple of minutes, the skin should be coming off very easily. Clean the red pepper under running water, rinsing off all of the black skin. Cut the red pepper flesh in little cubes of 5 mm x 5 mm, discarding the inside and seed.
Set aside.
Cut the leeks in two lengthwise and rinse them under running water. Halve each, cutting down the middle lengthwise, then cut into pieces roughly 1 cm x 1cm.
In a pan, add 2 to 3 tablespoons of olive oil and start cooking the leek until caramelized. Add the red pepper and keep pan-frying for another 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
To prepare the langoustines, peel off the shell, keeping the last ring and tail. Remove the intestinal tube running down the langoustine flesh with the tip of a paring knife, making a little incision by the tail. Once fully clean, set aside in the fridge.
Pull a ristretto with a capsule of Master Origin Columbia. Allow to cool and mix it with the softened butter until you get a smooth mixture. Place in the fridge to harden.
Once hardened, cut the butter into small cubes and keep refrigerated.
Place a small amount of water in a large pot and bring the water to a simmer.
In a large bowl, place the 4 egg yolks, 3 tablespoons of water, and season with salt and pepper.
Place the bowl on top of the pot and start whisking until ribbons form. Add the butter, one cube at a time, until they are all emulsified. Adjust seasoning to taste and keep warm.
Season the langoustines and sear them on both sides in a pan with hot olive oil – about one minute per side. Plate by placing rougaille of leek and red pepper on the bottom of the plate. Place the seared langoustine on top, and glaze them with a spoon of the foamy coffee sauce.