Sunday, September 20, 2009

Irish Cream!

350ml decent whiskey (you can adjust the kind and quantity based on taste, the whiskey does not have to be Irish)
1 14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup heavy cream
2 tall tbls hot coco mix (you can use 2tbls of chocolate syrup, but I like the taste less)
2 tsp. instant espresso (you can use instant coffee too)
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. almond extract

Throw it all in a blender, then a jar, then chill in the fridge.
You only need to blend it for a short time, 40 seconds at most on a rather slow setting - if you over blend it you'll churn your milk to butter.

It'll last a month or two in there.

Shake well before serving. Serve over ice. Or ice cream. Or as I prefer, in cold brewed, iced coffee, with a shot of mint.

I'd love to hear what you think of the recipe, or what variations you use (I've read about people adding raw eggs to make it creamier, or coconut extract for a slightly different taste). So leave a comment :)

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Cold brewed coffee

I guess you can say this coffee is more "eco-friendly" because it doesn't use heat. It's also more "delicious." I like the way coffee tastes when brewed this way, you get a lot more of the subtle flavors and a lot less of the undesirable ones. I've also noticed it really smoothes out the "bitter" taste of some coffees.

HOW TO DO IT:
- Mix 1 cup coffee grounds to 4.5 cups water

- Stir it every so often till the grounds become saturated and sink to the bottom.

- Let it sit for 8 hours (a lot like sun tea)

- Filter it (I stick a wire strainer over a pot and put a paper towel in it)

- Filter it again (I use a regular old coffee filter in the strainer this time, and just like a tea bag, don't squeeze it to speed it up)

- Store it in the fridge for whenever you want coffee.


It'll come out more concentrated, so you may have to dilute with water to taste - or if you're like me, don't dilute it at all, and just mix some Irish cream and a shot of mint in with it, and pour it over ice.

I'd love to hear what you think.