Some say it's a Lutheran tradition, others claim it's a Scandinavian or Norwegian thing. Regardless of origin, egg coffee isn't very well-known in America. Yes, I said egg coffee. Curious? Check out the recipe:

Ingredients:

• 1 egg
• ¾ cup ground coffee (stick to coarse or medium grounds)
• water

Preparation

Begin by boiling nine cups of water in a saucepan. While your water is being heated, mix the coffee and egg together, along with ¼ cup of lukewarm water. Once your water has been brought to a boil, pour the egg-coffee mixture into the saucepan; if necessary, turn down the heat to prevent the contents from boiling over. After 3-5 minutes, remove the saucepan from the stove and pour in one cup of cold water. Let the coffee settle for 10 minutes then pour the contents of the saucepan through a strainer; serve and enjoy!

At your next holiday gathering, don't ask guests if they want coffee and eggs; ask if they'd try egg in coffee!

It sounds odd, but it's not really that strange if you think about it. Coffee and beer (generally the darker styles) actually share a lot of flavor or aroma characteristics. You can have beers or coffees that are bitter, chocolaty, smoky, sweet, or any other of a plethora of descriptive terms for even the slightest unique flavor notes.

So why not combine the two great tastes that go great together? There are micro and craft brewers that offer beers infused with coffee or that simply showcase coffee flavor tones without actual coffee in the brew. Check out Brooklyn Brewery's "Intensified Coffee Stout" or Lagunitas' upcoming Cappuccino Stout. For something with coffee notes but no additional brew in your brew ;-) check out Stone Brewing's Smoked Porter.

If there are any others out there that, like me, like brewing both espresso and beer, you can always make your own brew-within-a-brew...brew. Just take a darker style beer recipe or kit (porter, stout, etc.) and add about 16 oz. of freshly brewed espresso into the wort before you pitch the yeast. Then comes the long, hard wait for fermentation...but you can relax and enjoy many a homebrew (espresso or beer) until it's ready for bottling.

-Milan
Whole Latte Love Technical Support

Finally!! The warm weather is here and people are out and about. For those of you in a four season location, this is a very exciting thing. Winter seems all too long here in upstate NY. I know for myself at least that I love a nice cold beverage to beat the heat. And lets face it, the usual hot cup-o-joe that gets me through the winter just doesn’t cut it.

I’ll be the first to admit that I’m completely addicted to espresso and anything to do with it, so seeing numerous commercials for iced latte and cappuccino drinks really gets my mouth watering. And after spending my daughters college savings at the various coffee shops I came up with a few recipes of my own to help my bank account. I hope you enjoy…..

Chilly Espresso

Start by brewing a double shot of espresso and pour into a cocktail mixer. Add three ice cubes and any flavoring and shake well. Pour into an empty glass. If you pour slowly you should be able to create a nice, long-lasting crema on top of the drink.

Americano Cool Down

Brew a double shot of espresso and mix with an equal amount of water in a cocktail shaker. Add three ice cubes and flavoring and shake well. Take an empty glass, add ice to the top and strain your mixture into the cup.

Arctic Latte

Pour a double shot of espresso into a cocktail shaker with an equal amount of milk. Add three ice cubes to the shaker and any flavoring and shake well. Use about 5 ice cubes and blend in a blender until ice is crushed. Add crushed ice into empty glass and pour the contents of the shaker into the glass.

To mix it up a little on the weekends add a shot of your favorite coffee liquor. Just be sure to stay responsible. Enjoy!

Kris
Whole Latte Love Sales

What is it about creating a great latte that make me feel so good? Is it not a simple act? You brew some coffee, you steam some milk and that’s kind of it.

Well it ain't that easy. The espresso alone has enough talk or advice and experts to theorize everything; even stirring the espresso with a paper clip has a name. I can't picture my dad making an espresso proudly using the greatest tool in espresso history the paper clip without muttering a few choice words as to why the hell this is necessary. I get a laugh just picturing that happening. Well I do know how to pull a great shot thank goodness, or as some people say a God shot. I can't see my Mom, a religious woman at the church sitting around while all the ladies in the hand bell choir get the paper clip working with the latest greatest espresso and each one expressing the jubilation that only comes with a God shot. It can be fun though knowing what you have created cannot be had to often out in the real world- a truly fine espresso.

The milk steaming is an art. We will discuss latte art in another post. When we trained at the coffee shop we even had a sexy name by Freudian standards for when the tip of the steam wand was properly positioned in the pitcher to get the milk to steam in a whirlpool fashion. We called it the W spot and we expected each employee to know the W spot and how to make sure they hit it each time they steamed milk.

So the joy I get out of making a great drink is it is fun, sexy and when made right is truly a feast for the eyes and the taste buds. I guess between God shots, paper clips, and the W spot ( sounds like a bad title for an even worse movie) it is not all that easy, and why so many practice and make lattes at home and create that drink that sometimes is so elusive in the outside world.

Have you ever heard these terms or have a different name for them? Post them here.

Mark
Whole Latte Love Commercial Sales

Christmas, Thanksgiving and the summer barbeque holidays were already well established by the time I married my husband, so I got stuck with Easter.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m not jealous, I actually rather enjoy it.  We have a huge yard so we always have a great Easter Egg Hunt for the kids and Easter isn’t a holiday with a standard menu.  Each year I get to do something different.  Oh sure, I’ve done a few glazed hams but the last few years I’ve changed it up and switched to lamb. 

I starting looking for new recipes early this year, and as always, I settled on a caffeinated dish!  It is a little labor intensive and can be a little expensive for the perfect cut of lamb chops, but you won’t be disappointed.  Enjoy!

Coffee Marinated Lamb Chops

Marinade:

• 2 teaspoons finely chopped garlic
• 1 ½ tablespoons chopped fresh mint leaves
• 2 tablespoons finely ground espresso beans
• ¼ cup garlic infused olive oil
• 1/3 cup Pinot Noir (my fav is Italy’s Canaletto Pinot Noir, if you can get a 2006 or earlier bottle that is the best)
• ¼ teaspoon whole peppercorns
• ¼ teaspoon cumin seeds
• ¼ teaspoon mustard seeds
• ¼ teaspoon coriander seeds
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
• ¼ teaspoon coarse kosher salt

Lamb:

• 8 extra thick lamb loin chops
• 2 tablespoons garlic infused olive oil
• 1 cup coarsely chopped shitake or chanterelle mushrooms
• 2 tablespoons minced shallots
• 1 ½ cups Pinot Noir (you might want to buy more than one bottle…for serving with the meal of course)
• 1 long vanilla bean, split lengthwise
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint leaves
• 2 cups lamb or chicken stock
• ¼ cup freshly brewed espresso
• ½ teaspoon honey
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon room temperature butter
• Kosher salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Prepare the marinade. In a small bowl, combine the garlic, mint, ground espresso, olive oil, and wine. Next, grind the spices by hand using a mortar and pestle or a spice or coffee grinder dedicated to spices. Grind together all the peppercorns, cumin seeds, mustard seeds, coriander seeds, rosemary, and salt. Add the spices to coffee/wine/oil mixture and whisk thoroughly. Set aside.

Place the lamb chops in a large glass baking dish, taking care not to have them touch one another. Then pour the marinade over them, rubbing thoroughly on the top, bottom and sides. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and marinate in the refrigerator at least three or four hours. When ready to cook, remove the dish, and wipe off most of the marinade with paper towels.

To cook this dish, heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large sauté pan or iron skillet and when it is hot, sauté the mushrooms and shallots, about 4 to 5 minutes, or until tender; the mushrooms will give off their moisture and the shallots will be opaque. Add the wine, vanilla bean, and mint. Bring this mixture to a boil then reduce the heat to a simmer and heat until the amount of the liquid is reduced in half. Stir in the stock, brewed espresso, and honey and continue to simmer until that mixture is reduced again by half. With tongs, remove the vanilla bean and discard it. If you like a thicker sauce, add cornstarch to thicken, whisking in a little at a time to avoid lumps. Remove the pan from the heat and swirl in the butter. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and keep warm while you grill the chops.

Heat your grill and carefully cook the chops for 7 to 8 minutes per side or until a meat thermometer registers 125°F. They will be pink. Place the cooked chops on a pre-warmed platter, cover loosely with aluminum foil, and allow to rest 5 to 10 minutes as the meat continues to cook and the juices will redistribute throughout the chops.

To plate, place two chops on a plate, top with the mushroom/coffee sauce and garnish, as desired, with fresh mint sprigs. Serve immediately.

Amber