Thai Coffee Frappe

Every once in a while we crave a special treat and a Thai coffee is often what is desired. As it's hot outside, we decided to take it one step further and turn that coffee into a Thai Coffee Frappe.  Something a bit different and total deliciousness!!   

Thai Coffee Frappe

• 2 cups strong brewed coffee
• 1/4 tsp. ground coriander
• scant 1/8 tsp. ground cardamom
• pinch roasted cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp. vanilla bean paste, or vanilla extract 
• 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
• 6 oz. sweetened condensed milk, more or less to taste

To the hot coffee, add the coriander, cardamom, cinnamon and vanilla.  Stir to combine and then place covered in fridge overnight (or longer) to cool and for flavors to develop.  When ready to make the frappe, add the spiced coffee, cream, condensed milk and ice to the jar of a blender.  Process until smooth.  Makes 2-3 servings.  Top with whipped cream if desired.  Serve immediately.

Enjoy!

Mexican Hot Chocolate Fudge

Another ~off our usual eating plan~ treat which we made for this Christmas season.  Chocolate fudge is wonderful but the addition of some spiciness just makes it all that much better.  The fudge isn’t too hot or spicy but rather just has a nice little kick.  Make and enjoy!

Mexican Hot Chocolate Fudge

• 18 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk
• 2 cups miniature marshmallows
• 1 tsp. instant espresso 
• 2 tsp. ground cinnamon 
• 1/8 tsp. dark chili powder 
• 1/8 tsp.ground cayenne pepper 
• 1/8 tsp sea salt
• 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Line a 9-inch square pan with aluminum foil, or use a square silicone pan, unlined.  Melt the chocolate, condensed milk and marshmallows in a heavy pot.  Remove from the heat and stir in the espresso powder, cinnamon, chili powder, cayenne, salt & vanilla. Pour into prepared pan and smooth the top.  Chill for 2 hours or until firm.  Remove the fudge from the pan.  Remove foil if used.  Cut the fudge into squares. 

Enjoy!!

Double Chocolate Mousse Cake

I love this time of month as it’s Secret Recipe Club time, woohoo!!  This month my assigned blog was Holly’s Phemomenon which is a blog that I just adore so I was super excited to dig through the multitude of recipes she has to find the “one” that I wanted to make and feature.  Finding that one recipe wasn’t easy because Holly not only cooks for her family but she also cooks and does television demonstrations and participates in numerous online cooking challenges so her blog is just chockablock with fabu recipes and tempting pictures.  Just as a funny aside, last month for our Secret Recipe Club posts Holly and I both, from two different blog assignments, each decided to make versions of candied popcorn.  I guess great minds think alike  ;-)

In the end I chose a recipe which Holly made for one of her online cooking groups, French Fridays with Dorie and the Michael Rostang’s Double Chocolate Mousse Cake.  I have been trying to avoid white…you know flour & sugar and this recipe was perfect as it didn’t contain flour and I could easily substitute the sugar and as I needed a dessert for a dinner I was making, well it was just a perfect pick.

I read that Michael Rostang is Michelin-starred chef in Paris and that this recipe is considered a classic at his restaurants, so off the top I figured it was going to be good.  I was also intrigued by the recipe as it uses only six ingredients and you make only one chocolate mousse and then bake some of it and then pile the rest of the mousse on top and either chill it or bake it again so you can enjoy it either warm or cold, but in the end it’s six ingredients, one batter, two layers, two textures, “my” diet friendly…and it’s chocolate….need I say more?

Let me start by saying, I took a LOT of liberties with this recipe.  First, because I didn’t have the correct sized pan for the recipe (I used a 10-inch springform pan) I doubled the original recipe so that my cake would have some depth and didn’t turn out pancake thin. Then to also mess around with what is probably chocolate perfection, I mean the originator IS a Michelin-starred chef, I used sugar-free chocolate chips instead of good high quality bittersweet chocolate and I also substituted Whey Low Gold for the sugar AND cut the amount of sweetener. 

Even with all my messing about this cake was absolutely amazing and I love the two layers, so I can’t even begin to image how delicious and wonderful the original recipe would be.  Either way you choose to make this, my lower-carb no-added sugar version or the original, this is a simple and winning recipe.

Double Chocolate Mousse Cake

• 8 oz. sugar-free chocolate chips
• 2/3 cup hot brewed espresso
• 14 TBS. butter, at room temperature, divided
• 1 cup Whey Low Gold
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 8 large eggs, separated
• Whey Low Powdered, for dusting

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 400 F.  Using the base of a 10-inch springform pan as a guide, cut a piece of parchment paper to fit into the bottom of the pan.  Re-assemble the springform pan and generously butter the sides and bottom.  Add the cut sheet of parchment paper to the bottom of the springform pan and smooth it down.

In a large microwave safe bowl melt the chocolate along with 4 Tablespoons of the butter.  Do not over heat the mixture, once the butter is all melted and hot stir to finish melting the chocolate until it's smooth.  Whisk in the espresso and then whisk in the remaining 10 Tablespoons of butter one tablespoon at a time. Gently whisk in the Whey Low Gold and one pinch of salt.  Then add the egg yolks, one at a time, whisking until you have a lovely, velvety mixture.

Using an stand mixer and a clean, dry bowl, whip the egg whites and the remaining salt until they are firm but still glossy. Very gingerly whisk about 1/4 of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture. Switch to a rubber spatula and gently fold in the remainder of the egg whites.

Scrape a generous third of the mixture into the buttered springform pan and place on a baking sheet. Cover and refrigerate the remaining mousse.

Bake the mousse in the springform pan for 15 minutes, at which point it will be puffed. Transfer the baking sheet to a wire cooling rack  and let the cake cool to room temperature. There will be a dip in the center of it. Place the cake, still in the springform pan, in the refrigerator for at least an hour.

Now you have a choice:

TO SERVE BAKED AND CHILLED (recommended and how I proceeded): Chill the base of the cake for at least an hour. Preheat the oven to 400 F. Scrape the remaining unused chilled mousse onto the chilled baked base and place on a baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes or until top is puffed and dry. It will crack and a knife inserted inside a crack will come out almost dry.

Transfer the baking sheet to a wire cooling rack and cool to room temperature. Chill in the refrigerator for at least four hours or overnight. Remove the sides of the springform pan. (Run a blunt knife around the edges or warm the pan with a hairdryer.) Carefully transfer the cake to a serving plate, and dust with Whey Low Powdered.  Serve with whipped cream or ice cream if desired.  

TO SERVE BAKED AND WARM: Bake as for "baked and chilled" (above). After you have transferred the baking sheet with the cake on it to a cooling rack, wait five minutes and then run a blunt knife around the edges of the cake and remove the sides of the pan. The cake will sink, so just let it settle for another five minutes. Transfer to a serving platter and dust with Whey Low Powdered. Serve with whipped cream or ice cream if desired.

TO SERVE CHILLED: Let the base of the cake chill thoroughly. Scrape the remaining mousse over the base. Cover and refrigerate at least six hours or overnight.  Transfer the springform pan to a serving plate and remove the ring. (Run a knife around the edges or warm the pan with a hairdryer.) Dust with Whey Low Powdered. Serve with whipped cream or ice cream.

Enjoy!

My previous Secret Recipe Club Recipe Posts:

Candied Popcorn
Fruit, Nut & Poppy Seed Chicken Salad 
Broiled Sushi 
Health(ier) Peanut Brittle 
Crunchy Fudgy Heart Bites 
Texas Chicken with Lime Butter 
Pork Belly Soup with Collard Greens 
Thin Mint Irish Coffee 
Levain Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies 
Welsh Cakes 
Nutella Crêpes 
Cilantro Lime Chicken 
Holy Guacamole 
and
Home Style Chicken Curry

Thin Mint Irish Coffee

I love being a part of The Secret Recipe Club because it motivates me to cook and try new recipes and also it forces me to get them posted which is my major downfall.  Because of the club I have found some wonderful new cooking blogs and made some great new recipes including Home Style Chicken Curry, Holy Guacamole, Cilantro Lime Chicken, Nutella Crêpes and Welsh Cakes. 

Each month we are assigned another participating blogger and secretly from their blog we make any recipe of our choice, as written or with any changes we need or desire.  We are informed of the time and date to publish and then at that assigned time, all the participating bloggers go live with their posts and we get to see who cooked from our blog and what they decided to make.  The Secret Recipe Club has grown from just a handful of bloggers all in a once a month posting group to where it is now, with four groups of approximately 75 bloggers each.  I am part of group ‘A’ and this month my posting date was on the tenth and I published a wonderful recipe for Levain Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies.   

Sometimes bloggers sign up for the month and assignments are made but things happen and for one reason or another they can’t complete their assignment so as not to have a blogger left out and not have someone cooking from their blog, reinforcements are brought in and that is why I am doing a second Secret Recipe Club posting this month.  About a week ago, Amanda, the brain behind this group contacted me and asked if I could fill in and cook from a blog where the original assignee had to back out.  I of course jumped on the opportunity especially when I saw which blog I would get to cook from, Rhonda’s The Kitchen Witch. 

Rhonda seems like a very cool lady who knows who she is, speaks her mind and doesn’t pull any punches.  She’s funny and witty and I love reading her posts.  Her tastes in food span the globe as do her travels and her pictures of it all, well they’re just gorgeous.  Our food tastes are very similar and a few of her recipes are virtually the same as the ones I make.  Rhonda makes grilled pizzas very much like my Blacksmith Pizzas, her Tiramisu and Hummus are almost identical to my recipes as is her Lemon Curd.  We both make Jalapeno Poppers but she has a very unique way of stuffing them which I’ll have to try the next time I make them.  Rhonda also makes one of Eammon’s favorite appetizers which I’ll only make for him once a year as she has the dish nailed when she calls it Heart Attack on a Stick.

I was first drawn to Rhonda’s blog a few months ago when she posted a recipe for Roasted Butter Chicken which just looks beyond delicious and sounds super easy to make.  Right away when I found out that I was going to be cooking from her blog I knew, just KNEW that I was going to make that chicken for this post…but then I looked at some of the other recipes I had bookmarked from her blog and I was torn.  I adore asparagus and she has two recipes, Grilled Asparagus Wrapped in Boursin and Prosciutto and Grilled Asparagus Gruyere Tart which I know I would love.  I’ve also been eyeing her Chili Rubbed Pork Steak with Cilantro Lime Butter and Grilled Pineapple and if you read my blog at all you know that cilantro, lime and chili are favorite flavors here in the Cook Lisa Cook home.  Sometime around the holidays I’m planning on making Rhonda’s Brown Sugar and Smoked Sea Salt Brussels Sprouts as Eammon loves Brussels Sprouts and I’m always on the search for new and delicious ways to prepare them.  Then, how cute and delicious looking are her Mini Pizzatizers and how perfect they would be for not only a party but to put in Maisie’s lunch or for a snack at gymnastics practice.   

In the end and after debating over which recipe to make I finally decided on Rhonda’s Thin Mint Irish Coffee.  It had turned cold and rainy here in Georgia and what better than a wonderful hot drink laced with booze to warm ourselves on a cold and wet night.  Plus does Eammon and that Irish face look like he’d ever say no to a good Irish Coffee?  Eammon declared the coffee gorgeous, perfect and brilliant so needless to say it was a hit, such a big hit that we’ve enjoyed a drink or two a few nights already and I’ll be making it again and again.

My cup runneth over!

Thin Mint Irish Coffee (Adapted from here)
For one drink

1/2 oz. Kahlua Mocha
1/2 oz. Crème de Menthe
1 oz. Irish Whiskey
1/2 cup strong coffee (I used Fresh Market’s Wake Me Up Before You Cocoa)
3 oz. whipping cream
1 tsp. Crème de Cacao
1 tsp. sugar
1 Thin Mint cookie, chopped for garnish plus a few for snacking
Green decorating sugar sprinkles

Mix Kahlua Mocha, Crème de Menthe, Irish Whiskey and coffee in an 8 oz. mug.  In a cold bowl whip together the whipping cream, Crème de Cacao and sugar until soft peaks form.  Top the coffee with the whipped cream and garnish with the cookie crumbs and sprinkles.

Enjoy!!

Coffee Crusted Steak

I saw this recipe for coffee crusted steak on Kevin & Amanda’s site and thought, what an interesting idea, so I decided to give it a try.  I strayed a bit from their recipe in the cut of steak, kind of coffee, fat used and cooking method…but the idea of using coffee on a hunk of beef came straight from their site.

Coffee Crusted Steak served with Potato Salad with Bacon 

I had two beautifully well marbled New York strip steaks which I made sure were nice and dry.  I then sprinkled them with sea salt and fresh cracked pepper and then I went and looked at my stash of coffee.  I debated between the Guatemala Organic, the Rwandan blend, my favorite decaf or….
Fresh Market’s dessert coffee, Wake Me Up Before You Cocoa. 

Now Kevin & Amanda used a hazelnut coffee and I liked the idea of using a flavored coffee but I almost totally wimped out.  Instead I threw caution to the wind and heavily coated the steaks with my chocolate coffee.  I then misted the steaks with some olive oil and placed them on a roaring hot grill.  Three minutes on the first side, flipped them and then one minute on the second.  I let them rest tented for about 10 minutes and they were a perfect medium rare.

Am I glad that I tried coffee crusted steaks and even more that I used a chocolate flavored coffee?  Heck YES!!  The coffee added a whole new dimension to the flavor of the steak and the little hint of chocolate was just an added depth of flavor which was wonderful.  When I served the steak Eammon asked what they were coated with but I wouldn’t tell him until he tried it.  He had no clue even after tasting that it was coffee but he and I really both really enjoyed this preparation.

Coffee Crusted Steak  (adapted from here)

2 – 10 oz. well marbled New York strip steaks
sea salt to taste
fresh cracked pepper to taste
flavored ground coffee of your choice
olive oil

Season steaks with salt & pepper and then cover with ground coffee.  Lightly mist with olive oil.  Place on a very hot grill and cover.  Cook for three minutes covered then flip steak and cook uncovered for an additional minute or until done to your liking.  Remove to a plate and tent loosely with foil and allow to rest for 5-10 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!!