Coffee | Entertainment and Style Gossip

August 13, 2010

Best Accompaniments for Tea and Coffee

Filed under: Drinks, Food — Tags: coffee, Food, hot beverages, tea — admin @ 6:37 pm

Tea or coffee used to be just for breakfast or as drink that is used between real meals like lunch or dinner, perhaps combined with cookies or tiny sandwiches. Today, tea and coffee are accompanied by an assortment of breads, meats, cheeses and of course, desserts.

There are different types of tea and coffee, with each having favorites among diners as to which one best enhances the meals served. Tea, both the green and black kinds, compliments foods by helping to cleanse the palette as each course is served.

Things to consider when matching different foods with tea are the flavors of each, whether it is acidic or not, does it have a good flavor and the texture of the tea and dish it is paired with.

These are similar things to how wine and food are paired; with each bringing out the flavor of the other. The Whittard teas are among the best to be paired with meat, fish, seafood, salads or desserts when entertaining. Black teas are best when matched with darker meats and spicier food such as Thai or curries and rich chocolate desserts.

Green teas are best with salads, fruit and seafood.

A popular idea is to have Japanese or Chinese tea served with salad, chicken, fruit or seafood because the tea smoothes out the flavor of the dish. Chi loose-leaf tea is one of the best paired with light dinners and originates from India, where it served both day and night. Oolong teas are a mixture of the green and dark teas and most often served accompanied by grilled or Oriental foods. Chinese green and dragon teas are also often paired with salads, seafood or fruit.

Coffee comes in different blends and flavors and while is not as common as tea during meals, can be wonderful when paired with the correct foods. Fruit based desserts or even the fruit itself is great with certain types of coffee but it is not if the fruit is too sour. Ethiopian coffees go well with dark chocolate and rich tart desserts. The chocolate is often even better when combined with the coffee and sugar to make a rich full bodied drink.

Most people in the United States are used to having coffee with their breakfast but coffee goes well with other meals also. There are many rich coffees from different countries that have great flavors, some sharper than others, some perfectly matched with the breads, such as biscotti or sweet desserts. The espresso coffees and flavorings are wonderful when paired with fruity breads and rolls, even quiche.

Teas and coffees are a wonderful accompaniment to many of the foods that we enjoy. By mixing the flavors of the different drinks with the best known and loved types of foods, we can find new and unique accompaniments to the old ones we have enjoyed. Feel free to experiment and find the new Whittard blends that enhance every meal.

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July 29, 2010

Shake Up your Frappuccinos this summer with 5 Great Flavours

Filed under: Drinks — Tags: coffee, coffee syrups, tea — admin @ 12:16 pm

Summertime is no reason to give up your favorite coffee brew but learn how to enjoy in more ways with a smooth, cold, deliciously flavoured Frappuccino. Whether you like bold and strong or mild and sweet, make your perfect drink with creative coffee syrups.

You can make a Frappe Shake with few ingredients that will make your guests believe that you ran to the coffee shop. Start with a teaspoon of your favorite instant espresso or coffee. Add four ounces of cold water, ten ounces of crushed ice, and two ounces of milk then turn on the blender.

Before long, you will be experimenting with cocoa, coconut, cinnamon, vanilla and hazelnut. Add sugar to taste and you have a luscious treat without all of the calories of an ice cream shake.

If you are not counting calories, try a frozen caramel Frappuccino delight. Mix up 1½ cup of cool coffee, ½ cup milk, ½ cup sugar, 1 teaspoon chocolate syrup, 1/8-teaspoon vanilla extract, add 3 cups of crushed ice and blend. After creaminess starts to form, add 2 tablespoons of caramel syrup.

This recipe makes enough to share with a friend but only after a topping of whipped cream and a drizzle of caramel or chocolate has been added. Caramel is so dreamy but if you are a chocoholic, bring on the chocolate syrup instead of caramel.

What better way to end an exercise workout than with an ice-cold high protein mocha banana or peanut butter Frappuccino shake. You can find flavoured protein mixes in a variety of tastes but chocolate truffle works extremely well with the mocha banana Frappuccino.

Mix 2 teaspoons of protein mix with 2 ounces banana syrup, 2 tablespoons sugar free chocolate syrup, 1-cup skim milk and 2 cups crushed ice. When making a peanut butter Frappuccino, replace the banana syrup with 2 tablespoons peanut butter to add real kicker flavour.

There are many different types of syrups that are breathing new life into your favorite coffee pleasures, many developed by coffee shops and gourmet coffee distributors. Starbucks has introduced a line of eleven special flavours to enjoy in your Frappuccino drink; cold or hot while Whittard of Chelsea offers instant ground coffee with the flavour already packed in!

A favorite coffee beverage can be made even better with the choices of flavours that are now available. If you have found just the right blend of coffee that no other can beat, use your taste buds to determine what additional flavours can make a great Frappuccino. Hazelnut, vanilla, caramel, cinnamon and even gingerbread can make that perfect blend even better. Summertime is a special season to enjoy by sitting on the porch and enjoying the sensuous taste of a delectable ice cold Frappuccino.

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July 2, 2010

Top food recipes using coffee

Filed under: Drinks, Food — Tags: coffee, coffee recipes, tea — admin @ 10:50 am

Apart from coffee for hot drinks, when we think of coffee recipes, for many,
tiramisu or a really sumptuous coffee and walnut cake comes to mind.

To call tiramisu an Italian trifle belittles it rather. It is an exquisite Italian sweet made with everything that is good about Italy; namely mascarpone cheese, savoiardi biscuits and good Italian coffee, and nothing less will do.

Coffee brands such as Cello, Lavazza, Kimbo, Mauro and Illy, the very best Italian mascarpone cheese, savoiardi lady fingers, sugar, eggs, Cognac and cocoa power all combine to make this luscious dessert. Everything works rather like an English trifle where the espresso is put into a shallow bowl, cognac and cocoa rather than sherry and jam added and the biscuits then soak it all up. The eggs yolks, sugar and mascarpone are then beaten together like custard, and the whole assembled together with sprinklings of cocoa power on the top.

Another top recipe using coffee would be something Austrian, like a rich coffee and walnut cake. Again ingredients are everything in this cake. Toasted walnuts are used, again the very best espresso coffee and lots of softened butter. All the ingredients including the eggs, butter, caster sugar, and flour are whisked together, then freshly made espresso coffee and the toasted chopped walnuts are added. The mixture is then divided into two sandwich tins and cooked for 30 minutes.

When cooked, the cake is left until cold, and then coffee syrup made of freshly brewed espresso mixed with demerara sugar is drizzled over both halves of the cake. Finally the frosting and filling made with caster sugar, mascarpone, full fat fromage frais and some more espresso is spread over the top and through the middle of the cakes and whole toasted walnuts placed on top for decoration.

Both tiramisu and coffee walnut cake would make sublime desserts to end those special dinner parties with friends.

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June 2, 2010

Brewing the best cup of coffee

Filed under: Drinks, Food — Tags: coffee, hot drinks — admin @ 4:00 pm

There are some strict rules to brewing the best cup of coffee. These are as follows:
• Where possible use filtered water as chlorinated tap water can affect the flavour of the coffee
• The temperature of the water is crucial when brewing coffee. Experts agree on 190 degrees Fahrenheit or 85 degrees Celsius. A high temperature ensures that all the flavour is extracted from the coffee.
• The quantity used should be an ounce or 30 grams of coffee to 20 ounces or 550 ml of water. Using less results in over extraction and a bitter taste. The flavour can be mellowed by adding more milk or hot water to the brewed coffee.
• Choosing the right grind; this should be coarse for a cafetiere, medium for drip filter and fine for expresso. The level of time the coffee should be in contact with the water also depends on the grind; the finer the grind the less contact time. So 15 seconds for expresso, 1-2 minutes for a drip coffee maker and five minutes in the cafetiere.
• Coffee used should be freshly roasted and ground immediately before brewing. As this is not always convenient, grounds should be kept in an airtight container so should be transferred straight away on opening. Do not allow the grounds to get damp as this will destroy the flavour.
• Serve coffee immediately. Don’t allow it to hang about and do not keep it warm on the stove as again this will affect the flavour.

If you follow the above, then brewing the best tasting cup of coffee for that early morning lift will become a matter of course.

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April 30, 2010

Top recipes using coffee

Filed under: Drinks, Food — Tags: coffee, coffee recipes — admin @ 4:12 pm

Coffee is one of the most popular drinks in the world, and a drink that many people refuse, or are unable, to start their day without. However, most people take their coffee the same way every time, either white or black, with or without sugar. Coffee doesn’t have to be this one-dimensional though, as there are thousands of different ways to take this delicious hot drink.

Here are a few of the more popular coffee recipes you could try:

Irish Coffee
Irish Coffee is one of the most popular forms of coffee liqueur, and it was originally invented for people to drink when they were crossing the North Sea in a seaplane. This hot drink requires coffee, whipped cream, brown sugar and of course, Irish Whiskey.

Strawberry Dream
Perfect for enjoying during the summer, and of course for watching the tennis; the Strawberry Dream is a delightful coffee recipe that also packs a punch. This coffee recipe is made with espresso coffee, strawberry puree, sweet cream and sugar syrup. It can of course be topped off with real cream and strawberries for a truly glorious summer hot drink.

Winter-Dream Coffee
When the summer nights aren’t quite as warm as you’d hoped, or for when the winter creeps upon us, the Winter-Dream coffee recipe is the perfect solution. This drink is made from two portions of strong coffee, mixed with 200ml of cocoa. You then add to this gingerbread spice and 100ml of milk, as well as some sugar. The hot drink is topped off with some frothed milk foam, sprinkled with gingerbread and accompanied by some gingerbread biscuits.

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April 8, 2010

How does coffee define you?

Filed under: Drinks — Tags: coffee, hot beverage, hot drinks — admin @ 7:51 pm

“A cup of coffee, black as a moonless night. Hit the spot.” It’s fair to say that when David Lynch penned those words for Twin Peaks, back in 1990, he was placing an awful lot of his own personality into them. Tea and hot chocolate both have their place, and nothing defines summer better than a glass of iced tea, but to really get the creative juices going, what you need is a real fine coffee.

Nothing defines a person’s character better than their choice of coffee. A cup of milky hot chocolate before bedtime is a pleasant-tasting beverage to get you to sleep. Add a dash of mocha to the mix, and you’re suddenly vibrant, alive and ready for a night on the tiles.

It’s true, mocha drinkers really are more fun loving. Research has shown that those who like their coffee frothy or a latte are the ones most likely to go clubbing on a Saturday night. Mocha drinkers tend to be young, gossip-loving females who enjoy showbiz magazines. They listen to dance music, have lots of Facebook friends and enjoy texting. A point of fact – most empty coffee cups found on public transport are those of latte drinkers.

Cappuccino drinkers, meanwhile, are masculine and gregarious. They read the sports pages, and prefer to spend the night at home with a good DVD. They aspire to exclusive apartments and well-paid sales jobs, and enjoy mixing with others in their social peer group.

Flat black coffee drinkers are mature sophisticates. They enjoy classical music, country pursuits and expensive cars. They eschew social media sites but read their news online.

So – how does coffee define you?

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March 1, 2010

Coffees around the world

Filed under: Drinks, Fashion trends — Tags: coffee, hot chocolate, tea — admin @ 5:22 pm

Like tea and hot chocolate, there are many ways to serve coffee, but did you know that over 50 countries actually grow the beans? Only a handful produce them in commercially viable quantities. However, there is a growing number of specialist coffees from smaller producers reaching our shores. They include Jamaican Blue Mountain, Java Estate Kuyumas and Indian Mysore.
All are at the higher end of the market. However, the most expensive coffee in the world is Kopi Luwak. Made from beans that have been eaten and passed by the Asian Palm civet, it is produced in Indonesia, Timor and the Philippines. With a totally different chemical structure to ordinary coffee beans, it has a mild, aromatic flavour.
Brazil and Columbia are the coffee growing nations of the world, producing more beans than anywhere else. Prized for their light, tangy quality, they are ideal for blending. Other Latin producers include Mexico, Guatemala, Panama and Costa Rica. Some of these countries are equally prized for their cocoa beans, used to make hot chocolate.
The coffees of Eastern Africa and the Middle East are like wine: complex and alluring, with copious flavours including citrus fruits, blueberries and spices. Asian coffees, on the other hand, are full-bodied and thick, and are often used to deepen lighter blends.
The coffee of each country has its own distinct characteristics and flavour. Coffee tasters, like tea tasters, are employed by importers to ensure only the best beans reach our shores. These connoisseurs sample each batch as though it were the finest wine. It’s certainly something to think about, when you next reach for a cup.

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February 3, 2010

Best hot drinks for January chill

Filed under: Food — Tags: coffee, hot chocolate, tea — admin @ 11:52 am

Christmas 2009 gave us one of the worst winters we’ve ever had in the UK, with seemingly endless snowfall and icy conditions on the roads. The weather meant it was better for many of us to stay indoors, with the fire on and firmly hold on to a nice warm drink, while other people went outside to work or to build snowmen.

So what are the best drinks to enjoy during the winter, while you sit by the fire and look at the thick blanket of white snow on the ground?

In Britain we’re known as a nation of tea drinkers, and that is one stereotype that we’re comfortable with. A good hot cup of tea certainly serves the purpose of keeping your toes warm when it’s too cold to go outside. There are also a wide range of teas available to drink, rather than just the usual brands that you see advertised on TV by monkeys and men with flat caps.

If tea isn’t to your liking, you could always stay indoors with a good, strong coffee. Many people find that a cup (or usually mug) of coffee is the best way to start the day, whether it’s snowing or not.

Perhaps the best drink for staying warm in winter is hot chocolate. A tall mug of hot chocolate, filled with marshmallows and sprinkled with chocolate flakes, is the ideal way to sit out the cold weather. There’s no need to venture outside, so long as you have an ample supply of marshmallows on hand.

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