Tuesdays With Dorie - Espresso Cheesecake Brownies

I know my readers are prob wondering what has happened me to the past week or so. Well, I got a job. Now before you go congratulating me and whatnot, it's not what you think. It's just a part-time job at Target. Yes, I spent the past four years in college, and I'm at Target. People tell me to suck it up and be grateful because it is a form of income. Sorry but working at Target doesn't help my self-esteem when I know I can do better. I just hope I can get life straightened out before it gets worse bc frankly, I'm not happy with how things are going.

ANYWAY

On a slightly happier note, I made Dorie's Espesso Cheesecake Brownies aka crownies. Apparently Verizon doesn't recognize the word brownie when texting, but it does put crownie. I didn't even know that was a word or part of a word. Verizon also doesn't recognize salsa, jalapeno, fajita, or cupcake.


I really like my swirling. So pretty! I was skeptical on adding the sour cream layer, but some people said it added good contrast, so I did. Nope, not a fan. I ended up scraping off the sour cream when I ate a piece. The rest of the brownie is good, so next time I'll leave off the top layer. Also, I didn't have instant espreso powder. I was going to use instant coffee, but at the last minute thought, hey why don't I just make espresso? I'd be dissolving it in water anyway. If I would've thought about it earlier, I would've saved some when making my coffee.


Thanks to Melissa of Life In a Peanut Shell for picking these brownies! So good! You can find the recipe on her blog or pages 104-105 of Baking: From My Home To Yours.

That Back-To-School Boost - Part 2

Yesterday, I talked about why it is important to buy freshly roasted and whole coffee beans. Today, I'm going to talk about the different drinks and two syrups you can make at home.

When you order a drink at a coffee shop, whether it's a chain like Starbucks or just a local cafe, there are many choices. An espresso is coffee produced with a pump or lever machine. If you order just an espresso, you'll get roughly 2 oz. of coffee. It is the base of almost all the coffee drinks at coffee shops. A cappuccino is 1/3 espresso, 1/3 steamed milk, and 1/3 frothed milk. A caffe latte (or just simply latte) is espresso and steamed milk. Sometimes it is topped with a thin layer of frothed milk. There is one important detail many people overlook - ordering a cappuccino or caffe latte does not mean flavoring! If you want a caramal latte, you have to say caramal latte so the barista will add the syrup. If you simply order a latte, you will get coffee and milk. No caramel, no mocha, nothing. I don't even think they put sugar in it. Same goes when ordering a cappuccino.

If you find yourself constantly buying drinks at coffee shops, you may want to invest in an espresso maker and grinder. Mine went for $30 at Wal Mart, but it's a steam machine and not a pump machine. Pump machines make the best quality espresso (hence why they are expensive). Steam machines produce espresso, but it's on the low quality end because it may "burn" the coffee grinds when the hot water passes through. If you are the type that adds sugar and syrups to your drinks, then you'll be fine. I'm content with my machine (at least until I somehow find the money for a pump machine). However, if you are the type that drinks coffee black, then you may notice a taste difference.

As for the coffee syrups, they can be pretty expensive if buying from the store. Being the foodie that I am, I learned to make homemade syrups for more than half the cost. You can pretty much do any flavor if you have the correct extract, but my two favorites are caramel and mocha. One thing I noticed when making the caramel syrup is when it cools to room temperature, a thin solid layer forms at the top. After a bit of poking, I'm thinking it's the margarine. I have no clue on how to prevent this, so I let mine sit in the pan until the layer forms. Then I use a baby strainer and scoop it out. I've had no problems with the mocha syrup. I use plasic squeeze bottles for easy storage and pouring.

It's hard to see the caramel syrup in my picture, but it's there.

Caramel and Mocha Coffee Syrups




Mocha Syrup
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1/4 cup regular cocoa
2 Tbsp vanilla extract

Boil water in a small saucepan. Once boiling, add sugar and cocoas. Beat with a whisk or fork until dissolved. Add vanilla and stir. Remove from the heat and let it cool before transfering to a container. Makes 8 ounces.

Source: Recipe Zaar

Caramel Syrup
4 Tbsp butter or margarine
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup water

Melt butter in a saucepan. Add sugar and mix together until it becomes moist and sticky. Add water and stir until sugar is dissolved. Boil mixture for a few minutes before removing from the heat. Let it cool to room temperature. If a solid layer forms, scoop out and throw away. Transfer to a container. Makes 8 ounces.

Source: Recipe Zaar

That Back-To-School Boost - Part 1

A brand new semester started today for most college students. I technically don't start until tomorrow because I only have Tuesday/Thursday classes (11:00 - 6:15 with a break 12:30 - 2). What a better way to start your day than with a nice cup of coffee?

Ever since I received my espresso maker for Christmas (steam operated, not pump so I make low-quality drinks compared to coffee houses), I've been doing research and becoming more knowledgable. For starters, you never want to buy ground coffee. As soon as the beans are grinded, they instantly start losing their freshness. Trust me, once you've been exposed to fresh coffee, you'll think Folgers and Maxwell House taste like crap. I've learn when a place offers free coffee (like a brunch line or hotel complimentary breakfast) not to take any because they use stale coffee (mainly without knowing and it's cheaper).

Even buying the whole beans in a grocery store isn't a better option. Sure, it's "fresher" than the packaged ground coffee, but who knows how long those beans have been sitting in the store. I haven't tried the brand-name packaged whole beans (like Seattle's Best or Folger's), but I bet they have been sitting the bags for a few weeks at least.

For the best quality, you don't want to grind the beans until right before you make the coffee. When I was grinder shopping, I had so much trouble finding a grinder that produced a fine enough grind for my espresso maker. When someone makes espresso, it isn't referring to a type of bean. Espresso refers to the grind of the bean. It is a very fine grind compared to drip coffee. Drip coffee is what most Americans make at home - place coffee grinds in a paper filter, insert it into the machine, add water, and let the water drip through the filter and into your pot (hence, drip coffee). The coffee grounds for drip coffee is a little more "chunkier" while espresso grind is similar to a powder. After trying several grinders, I finally settled on the Capresso Infinity Burr Grinder. Expensive, yes but it gets the job done. I've spent two whole weeks researching and checking customer reviews of grinders out there. This is the best one you are going to get for espresso makers.

You also want to buy whole beans as close to the roasting date as possible. Now, unless you have a local coffee shop, you probably won't be able to find out the roasting date on most beans. That is why I resorted to buying mine online. I've only bought mine from Boca Java, and when you receive your bag, they have the roasting date stickered on the back. Usually it's the day before it gets shipped. I've only had Boca Sunrise and Sumatran Sunset. I prefer dark roasts, so I wasn't a fan of Boca Sunrise (which was a medium roast). Sumatran Sunset is pretty good, though. Click below if you want 15% off your first purchase!



I haven't had too much experience with the different companies, but Marye from Kettle and Cup has done a ton of reviews, so go check her out!

I was going to explain the difference between lattes and cappuccinos and post two coffee syrup recipes, but I didn't think I had that much knowledge on coffee beans. Come back tomorrow for part two!

Coffee Break Time

Interested in winning an Easter contest? Head on over to Megan's contest and leave her a comment. It's that simple! You can win some nice kitchen accessories that will remind you that spring is around the corner. If you enter, tell her I sent you.

I've been meaning to try Dorie's Coffee-Break Muffins ever since I photocopied the page from the library (I really need to ask for this book for my birthday). I finally decided last weekend I would. I suggest using your best coffee because the flavor will carry over greatly in the muffins. It also called for instant espresso powder, but I only had instant coffee, so good enough. You can also freeze these muffins so they will last more than a few days. Just wrap individually in plastic wrap, place in freezer, and pull out an hour or so before you intend on eating them.

Coffee-Break Muffins




2 cups flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 Tbsp instant espresso powder or coffee
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp salt
1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
1 cup coffee, cooled
1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Line or spray muffin pan.

2. In a large bowl, whisk flour, sugar, instant espresso/coffee, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Stir in brown sugar until there are no lumps present. In another bowl, whisk coffee, butter, egg, and vanilla until combined. It is important that your coffee and butter are cooled because if not, the heat will result in a scrambled egg. Add liquid to dry ingredients and gently but quickly stir. Do not overmix.

3. Divide the batter among the muffin pan evenly. Bake 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan. Cool completely on rack.

Makes 12 muffins.

Source: Baking: From My Home To Yours, 2006 p. 15