Vermont Iced Coffee

April 26, 2011 //
2

Some of the raw ingredients: Ronnybrook whole milk and maple syrup from last year's crop

Today just may be the first day of spring here in New York. It’s certainly the first day I’ve felt warm in the sun. Or felt sun, period.

After breaking a sweat running some errands in Manhattan I came home and decided it was time for iced coffee.

Last year while visiting my friends Kate and Sebastian on their farm in Ripton, VT I was served a delicious “Vermont Coffee” along with homemade brownies and vanilla ice cream. This was just a little welcome amuse bouche for sipping and munching while browsing what was new on the farm front. (Bless Kate.)

Kate’s version of coffee for the warm months involves brewing some very strong coffee, then diluting with cold water and ice cubes. Add to that Grade B (the darker kind) VT maple syrup, to taste, and whole milk or cream. (Kate uses raw milk she gets from a local farm, which is legal in VT if you buy it on the grounds of the farm.) Stir, and serve in a pint glass (if you’re lucky from Otter Creek Brewery). Enjoy while petting a pig or collecting eggs from the chicken coop. This should go down in food history along with Vietnamese Coffee or Thai Iced Tea.

Vermont Iced Coffee

Serves 4

2 cups brewed very strong coffee or espresso (personally I use decaf, tastes as good, without the increased heart rate)
4 tbsp Vermont maple syrup Grade B
1 c whole milk or 1/2 c cream
Ice water, ice cubes

After brewing the coffee, divide equally among 4 pint glasses. While hot, add the maple syrup and stir. Add the milk or cream among the glasses, then top off with cold water and ice.

Categories Drinks, Spring

Desserts, early spring

April 25, 2011 //
2

When someone asks me to bring the dessert, I get giddy. I imagine fudgy chocolate cakes, creamy panna cotta, or chewy chocolate chip cookies flecked with rosemary and sea salt (thank you Bakeri for that one!).

You see, I live with someone who has whatever the opposite of a sweet tooth is (salt tooth?). I don’t get to bake as much as I like because I will be the only person interested in eating it. So one of the only times I make dessert is if someone asks. Lately I’ve been dying to try all sorts of recipes (lemon olive oil cake or strawberry rhubarb mousse anyone?), so I’ve resorted to inviting myself to parties or hosting them myself just to try something new.

A friend was having a birthday party recently and asked me to bring something sweet. Being Saturday, I was feeling inspired to put some time and thought into preparing something. I cracked open my Essential New York Times cookbook, a lovely gift from my step-mother for Christmas this year. I won’t admit how long I pored over the four, yes four, different dessert chapters. Let’s just say I started on Friday.

I decided on the decidedly grown-up sounding Molasses Cup Cakes with Lemon Icing, originally published in 1948. Despite the fact I still don’t have a microplane for zesting, I soldiered on. It was worth it.

For the Cupcakes

2 c sifted all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 c vegetable shortening
1/2 c sugar
1/2 c unsulphured molasses
1 large egg
1/2 cup whole milk
Grated zest of 1 lemon

For the Icing

6 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
2 1/4 c confectioners’ sugar, sifted (I cut this amount in half to just over 1 c)
2 tsp whole milk or cream
3/4 tsp lemon extract

1. Heat oven to 350, line 12 cupcake molds. Sift the first five dry ingredients together.
2. Melt the shortening and let cool.
3. Add the sugar, molasses, and egg to the shortening, and beat well. Gradually add the milk, alternating with the flour mixture. Add the lemon zest. Fill the cupcake papers with the batter 3/4 full.
4. Bake about 16 mins. or until a toothpick comes out clean. Transfer to a rack to cool.
5. For the icing, beat the butter until light and fluffy. Gradually add the sugar, beating well. Add enough milk so it’s the right consistency for spreading, and ice the cupcakes once they’re cooled.

Add beeswax birthday candles. Can be found here.

Categories Desserts
Newer Entries »