Christmas 2012: Homemade Coffee Liqueur

Homemade Coffee Liqueur

A couple of years ago, I found an English toffee bark recipe that I gave as Christmas gifts. It was an educational experience on a number of levels. First, the recipients really appreciated homemade gifts. Second, stretching the budget for Christmas gifts is unnecessary. Third, fighting crowds at the local shopping mall is unnecessary too especially in this day and age when you can have items delivered to your doorstep.

This year, I gave a coffee liqueur. One of the most popular is Kahlua. I was inspired to make this food when Liz of That Skinny Chick Can Bake made hers and thought it was a creative idea.

The Challenge

Making food at home from scratch.

The Source

I didn't use Liz's recipe because Kahlua describes their liqueur as rum-based and she used brandy and vodka. After some research, I found that vodka was a common ingredient in homemade versions because it adds no flavor, but I was able to find one that used solely rum by a bartender on yumsugar.

Ingredients

1 750-milliliter bottle white rum
1 1/4-cup dark rum
1 1/2 cups sugar
12 ounces whole coffee beans
1 vanilla bean
1 cinnamon stick
1 orange peel

Method

1. Combine all of the ingredients in a sealable container. Shake hard to combine. Record the date on the container and store in a cool, dark place for three weeks. Shake or stir the mixture several times of week.

2. Strain through cheesecloth or a fine mesh strainer into a clean vessel. Use like you would Kahlua or any other coffee liquor.

Successful?

Yes. The aromatic scent of the liqueur once I opened the container was very fragrant. I had the time, so I stored the mixture for four weeks instead of three. The picture above where the solids were strained was taken on Sunday, December 23rd.

I hope you all enjoyed your holiday and spent it with family and friends.

Chocolate Espresso Gelato



Chocolate Espresso Gelato

No, I haven't forgotten about you. With such a busy month of May (at least, for me) I recently just realized that I hadn't published here in the last couple of weeks. I actually cooked last week with the intention of posting the recipe here but the result was not well and ultimately it's not something I'd recommend.

Meanwhile, Siri Pinter of SIRIously Delicious recently published a Homemade Chocolate Chip Ice Cream recipe where she linked an instructional blog post by David Lebovitz. Also as I've been reading the blogosphere lately, I've seen a lot of ice cream recipes now that summer is upon us and I wanted to contribute however, anyone can make a custard and throw it into an ice cream machine, but churning manually? Like I've stated before, quick and easy is not my style. My readers ought to know me by now: I love a challenge.

The Challenge

Prepare homemade gelato without an ice cream machine.

The Source

The gelato base is taken from page 207 of Michael Chiarello's Casual Cooking by Michael Chiarello with Janet Fletcher. The freezing and churning process is taken from David Lebovitz from the link above.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups milk
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
3/4 cup white sugar
1 vanilla bean
2 teaspoons ground espresso roast coffee
6 egg yolks
1/2 cup (approximately 2 1/4 ounces) bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

Method

1. Combine the milk, cream, sugar, vanilla bean, and espresso in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer over moderately low heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar.

2. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk the egg yolks until well blended. When the milk mixture simmers, gradually whisk about 1/2 cup of the hot milk mixture into the eggs to warm them, then pour the warmed eggs into the saucepan, stirring constantly. Cook over moderately low heat, stirring with a wooden spoon, until the mixture visibly thickens and reaches 175⁰ Fahrenheit on an instant read thermometer. Do not let the mixture boil or it will curdle.

3. Immediately remove from the heat and strain the custard through a fine sieve into a bowl. Add the chocolate, whisking until it melts. Then chill it over an ice bath.

(It is at this point where I start using Chef Lebovitz's instructions. If you have an ice cream machine, use it here according to the manufacturers instructions.)

4. Put a deep baking dish, or bowl made of plastic, stainless steel or something durable in the freezer, and pour your custard mixture into it.

5. After forty-five minutes, open the door and check it. As it starts to freeze near the edges, remove it from the freezer and stir it vigorously with a spatula or whisk. Really beat it up and break up any frozen sections. Return to freezer.

6. Continue to check the mixture every 30 minutes, stirring vigorously as it’s freezing. If you have one, you can use a hand-held mixer for best results, or use an immersion blender. You can also use just a spatula or a sturdy whisk along with some modest physical effort.

7. Keep checking periodically and stirring while it freezes (by hand or with the electric mixer) until the ice cream is frozen. It will likely take 2 to 3 hours to be ready.

Successful?

After the first 30 minutes, I noticed the custard had barely frozen so I checked on it every 45 minutes thereafter. It took a little longer than advertised (about 4 hours), but my freezer is near my stovetop and I had to cook dinner while the custard sat in it. It was a little warm in the home too.

Ultimately, yes. Not only was I successful in churning the gelato, but the espresso gave the dessert depths of flavor and I highly encourage you to try this recipe.