Coffee and Honey Granita - I've got chills... they're multiplying...

Pin It

If you are cooking with wine, the rule is, make it, at the very least, one you would happily sip. The same is true for coffee, and when coffee is the star ingredient I like it to have a bit of personality.

Heathen that I am, I don’t have a proper grinder so I used my blender – not processor – to crush the single origin specialty roasted coffee beans sent to me by Hancock & Abberton. I used a caffetiere/French press to brew the resultant medium ‘grind’ (you may remember, I blew up my coffee machine...)

This Mexican coffee from Finca Muxbal, which stands on the slopes of the active Tacana volcano on the border with Guatemala, is billed as having “flavours of peaches, cream and sweet honey complemented by an exceptionally clean finish”. There was a fruitiness that may or may not have been peaches and I couldn’t detect the cream but there was rich sweetness to it. It was very smooth and the advertised ‘clean finish’ was there - perfect to round off a meal.

I'd originally planned to flavour the granita with Baileys. However, having tasted the coffee, I ditched the booze. There is enough going on in this cup o’ Joe to let it stand on its own two feet! It is best to end a lunch rather than a dinner with this dessert - unless you want your guests wide awake for the night.

For the lightest, simplest dessert imaginable, you will need...

500mls strong coffee, freshly brewed (I used double-strength)

90g runny honey (I used a light floral honey)

 To serve (optional)

Whipped cream

Finely chopped toasted walnuts or finely shredded lemon zest

 Method

Add the honey to the hot coffee and stir until dissolved. Pour into a shallow freezer-proof container with a lid. Leave to cool to room temperature. Cover and chill before transferring to the freezer. Set a timer for an hour then remove from the freezer and beat the mixture with a whisk or fork to break up the crystals that are starting to form. Replace in the freezer. Reset the timer and repeat the beating process. Repeat every hour until you have a coffee snow (it took me 5 hours but the actual work only takes a few minutes). Leave the lid off the container for another hour after the final whisking to let any excess liquid evaporate. That’s it! Granita done! Covered, it stores well in the freezer.

The 'puddle' stage... (I've got chills...)
 

The 'slush' stage... (They're multiplying...)
 

The 'perfect for skiing on' stage, and ready to eat  (You're the one that I want!)

 

To serve, fluff up the granita with a fork and scoop a portion about the size of an espresso into a pretty glass or cup. At this point it is a stunning, no fat dessert.

Throw caution to the wind and top with a little cream, and some chopped toasted walnuts or shredded lemon zest (delicious with this coffee snow), or both. You could add a little liqueur to the cream if you fancied it – Baileys, Tia Maria or Kahlua all work.



(Ooh, ooh, ooh, honey!)

 

Disclosure: These are my personal views. I have not received any compensation from, nor have I any material connection with, the brands, products, or services I have mentioned.

Pin It

Coffee Mille Feuille – child’s play!

Pin It

Naughty breakfast!

When I was a child, my cousin Pamela had what I considered to be one of the best jobs in the world – right up there with ballerina, stunt pilot or zoo keeper. She sold pastries from a little bakery close to where my mother shopped. It would have been just plain rude not to pop in and visit when in the neighbourhood.

Pamela always had a cake for me and my brother when we stopped by to pester her say hi. Oh such agonising over what to choose! My favourites were crackly chocolate éclairs, squidgy cream doughnuts, and coffee slices, which I could separate into a thousand puff pastry layers, having licked away the vanilla cream and the coffee icing. You’ll be glad to know I’ve developed manners since and no longer dismantle my food before consuming it (well not much). Although, I did have these for simple little mille feuille for breakfast...

For 12 pastries (6 portions) you will need...

1 sheet decent quality puff pastry (250g)

icing sugar to dust



Hidden potential...



That's more like it!

For the coffee cream you will need...

250mls fresh cream

25g icing sugar, sifted

2 heaped teaspoons instant coffee granules dissolved in 2 teaspoons boiling water

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Whisk, dissolve, sift, swirl, sigh!

Preheat the oven to 200°C

1                 Trim the edges of the pastry sheet with a sharp knife so that they are straight. Cut into 12 equal rectangles approximately 5cm (2 inches) by 10cm (4 inches). Transfer to a baking sheet lined with non-stick baking parchment.

2                 Dust generously with icing sugar and transfer to the preheated oven. Bake for approximately 8 – 10 minutes or until the pastry is well risen and golden brown and the sugar has caramelised. Transfer to a cooling rack.

3                 For the coffee cream, simply whip the cream until it forms stiff peaks when you lift the whisk out. Whisk in the icing sugar, the dissolved coffee, and the vanilla extract until combined.

4                 Split the cooled pastries and fill with the flavoured cream. Dust with icing sugar before serving with a decent brew.

Variation: Coffee is great with orange or blackcurrant. Add another flavour dimension by spreading the pastry with good quality marmalade or homemade blackcurrant jam.

Pin It