Iced coffee recipes

Posted by david on Jul 23rd, 2009 | one comment home title

The temperatures are rising, but coffee drinkers still need to get their buzz on. Can’t stomach the thought of a steaming cup? This summer, you can get iced coffee drinks of all kinds from more places than ever, including your own kitchen.

Cold-brewed Iced Coffee

You can make great iced coffee with tools already in your kitchen. You can sweeten this with simple syrup.

* 40 grams (approximately 1/2 cup whole beans) coarsely (press-pot) ground, fresh coffee

* 12 ounces freshly drawn, filtered water

* Ice

Equipment: Non-reactive container, mesh strainer, fine strainer such as cheesecloth or paper filter

Grind coffee and place in non-reactive container. Pour water over coffee and stir gently to combine. Steep at room temperature for 12 hours, then filter. Pour through a mesh strainer to remove large grounds (or use a press pot), then pour carefully through a double layer of cheesecloth or a paper filter.

Chill. Dilute with water (about half of each, to taste) over plentiful ice. Use within 48 hours for best flavor.

Makes approximately 10 ounces of concentrate.

Simple Syrup

* 1 cup sugar, 1 cup water

Stove-top method

Combine sugar and water in a sauce pan. Bring to a simmer, stirring to combine. Gently simmer until no sugar particles are visible in the water. Remove from the heat and transfer to a non-reactive container. Let cool to room temperature, then refrigerate in a sealable container. Keep for up to 1 month.

Shaking method

Combine sugar and water in a glass jar with a screw-on lid. Shake as you would a cocktail for 1 minute. Let rest for 30 seconds, then shake for 15 seconds. Repeat if sugar hasn’t completely dissolved. Refrigerate. Keep for up to 1 month.

Variations

To make lemon syrup, add the zest of 1 lemon to the heated solution and let it cool to room temperature. Strain liquid before storing. To make vanilla syrup, cut a vanilla bean in half, scrape the seeds into the sugar and water and add the vanilla bean before heating. Or for a slightly less fancy version, add 11/2 teaspoons of vanilla extract to the cooled syrup.

Vietnamese Iced Coffee (Ca phe sua da)

Vietnamese coffee is often made with French roast coffee with chicory such as Cafe Du Monde. The design of the Vietnamese press makes it difficult to use freshly ground coffee. If you want to use whole beans, this recipe may be a good way to use up older coffee beans. Vietnamese presses are available at Kim Do in the Strip District.

* 2 tablespoons ground French roast coffee

* Freshly drawn, filtered, boiling water

* 1 to 2 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk

Equipment: Vietnamese coffee press

Add condensed milk to a glass. Add coffee to base of Vietnamese press and place it over the glass. Wet the coffee with a little bit of water just off the boil.

Screw on the top of the press, not too tight or too loose. (This will take a little practice. You want the water to drip through the pot slowly, but not too slowly. You can use a small spoon to adjust the screw while the water drips.)

Fill press with water just off the boil. Cover the press with its top to keep heat from escaping and wait until all of the water has dripped through.

Meanwhile, fill a glass with ice. Stir coffee and milk together, than pour over ice.

Makes 1 drink.

Shakerato

This popular Italian drink is often modified with a bit of alcohol or flavored simple syrups. If shaken properly, it will have a beautiful layered look in the glass. If you don’t have an espresso maker, you can make a pretty good approximation with an AeroPress, a small manual brewer that makes concentrated coffee.

– China Millman

* Double-shot of espresso, pulled according to machine instructions

* Ice

* Simple syrup (optional)

Equipment: Espresso maker, cocktail shaker, martini glass

Pull shots. Immediately pour into cocktail shaker filled 2/3 with ice. Add simple syrup if using. Shake vigorously until the shaker is very cold. Strain into chilled martini glass.

Serves 1.

Source: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09204/985597-107.stm#ixzz0M7GOT7GR