The perfect PERK Give cookies, muffins and savory dishes a jolt of flavor with espresso powder
In our family, coffee and sweet treats go together like chocolate and peanut butter. Of course, we all enjoy coffee without sweets, but rarely the other way around. Hot coffee proves the perfect beverage to counter sweet flavors and lubricate cakey textures and flaky-crusted pies. It soothes the chill of frosty ice cream concoctions and cuts the sweetness of candy bars.
My mom baked a homemade sweet nearly every day when the five children lived at home. She served the dessert right after dinner with percolator-hot coffee with a splash of cold milk.
In my house, the workday starts with strong, black coffee and a banana. On the weekends, I crave that combination in a decadent muffin format. Think of all the specialty flavors of the local coffeehouse crammed into one handheld sweet — chocolate, toasted pecans, cinnamon, vanilla, cream — with a coffee backdrop thanks to espresso powder.
Espresso powder deserves a place in the pantry. I add a little to nearly every chocolate dessert I make — not necessarily to add coffee flavor, but to enrich the chocolatey-ness. Iced coffee and banana smoothies likewise benefit from the coffee boost. It’s useful in savory applications, too. For example, a spoonful in a pot of chili somehow deepens the chile pepper flavor. Mole sauces like the dark bitterness as does a pot of rich beef stew.
Serviceable Italian brands of espresso powder can be found in most large supermarkets. You can use instant coffee powders instead, but choose a dark roast. Store the powders in the freezer to keep the flavor bold.
MOCHA SHORTBREAD LOGS
Makes: 28 cookies DOUGH: 1 cup all-purpose flour
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
¼ cup sifted powdered sugar
2 to 3 tablespoons espresso powder, to taste
½ teaspoon vanilla Pinch salt GLAZE: 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 teaspoon espresso powder
Put all dough ingredients into the large bowl of an electric mixer. Mix on low speed until a smooth dough forms. Gather into a ball; wrap in plastic. Refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour or overnight.
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
Pinch off a small nugget of the dough and roll in your hands to make a 2-inch log about ½-inch in diameter. Place on a prepared baking sheet. Repeat to form all the cookies placing them on the sheets about 2 inches apart.
Bake until the bottoms are barely golden, 10 to 13 minutes. Cool completely on wire racks.
For the glaze, put chocolate in a small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on medium (50 percent power) just until barely melted, 1 to 1½ minutes. Stir in espresso powder until smooth.
Dunk one end of each shortbread log into the melted chocolate. Set dunked cookies on a wire rack over a piece of paper toweling, and let the chocolate firm. (They can be refrigerated if the kitchen is warm.) Store in a cookie tin for up to a week.
PER COOKIE: 62 calories, 4 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 7 mg cholesterol, 7 g carbohydrates, 3 g sugar, 1 g protein, 6 mg sodium, 0 g fiber
ANCHO ESPRESSO LAMB CHOPS
Makes: 3 servings
6 loin lamb chops, each about 1 to 1¼ inches thick, total 1¾ pounds
3 tablespoons ancho espresso rub, see recipe
Creamy cucumbers and chives, see recipe Pat lamb chops dry and place on a broiler pan or a shallow baking sheet with sides. Press some of the rub into all sides of the chops. Let stand, 30 minutes. Or refrigerate up to 1 day.
Position the rack 6 inches from the heat source; heat the broiler. Broil the lamb chops, 4 minutes. Flip the chops; continue broiling until meat feels nearly firm when pressed (medium-rare), 2 to 4 minutes more. Transfer chops to a serving platter. Serve chops with a side of the cucumbers.
PER SERVING: 444 calories, 29 g fat, 12 g saturated fat, 147 mg cholesterol, 4 g carbohydrates, 1 g sugar, 40 g protein, 887 mg sodium, 1 g fiber
ANCHO ESPRESSO RUB
Makes: about ½ cup
¼ cup pure ancho chile powder
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
1 tablespoon each: espresso powder, dried minced onion
2 teaspoons each: salt, sugar
¼ teaspoon each: ground ginger, garlic powder
⅛ teaspoon ground cumin Mix everything in a small bowl. Store in a jar with a tightfitting lid.
CREAMY CUCUMBERS AND CHIVES
Makes: 4 servings
6 small pickling cucumbers or 2 small seedless cucumbers, trimmed Salt
¼ cup sour cream, plain Greek yogurt or store-bought ranch dressing
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives or green onion tops
½ teaspoon chopped fresh mint, optional
Slice cucumbers very thinly; place in a colander. Sprinkle generously with salt; let stand over the sink, about 30 minutes. Squeeze the cucumbers lightly; pat them dry with paper toweling.
Put cucumbers into a bowl; stir in sour cream, yogurt or dressing, chives and mint. Refrigerate. Serve cold.
PER SERVING: 40 calories, 3 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 10 mg cholesterol, 3 g carbohydrates, 2 g sugar, 1 g protein, 24 mg sodium, 1 g fiber