Coffee Recipes - One Coffee Cup at a time

For the coffee lover one advantage of traveling abroad is the opportunity to sample the delightful international varieties of coffee recipes as well as the different ways of savoring coffee.

The possibilities of coffee recipes could be endless but just to mention a few (Caribbean, Mexican mocha, Cuban cubano and Grog) bring about a nostalgic feeling in my palate.

Lets take a look at some of these recipes.

The first is one is one of the more unusual. Be a little daring when making this one. First, start by baking a coconut for thirty minutes at 300F (134C). At the end of the thirty minutes, remove the coconut and set it to the side to allow it to cool. Once cooled break open the shell and remove the inner flesh and grate. Mix the meat, coconut milk and a half-cup of cow's milk in a pan and heat until it thickens. Then strain the mixture to remove the coconut granules. Mix the mixture with a cup of coffee and sip. Savor the coconut milk taste mixed with the coffee. Yummy

Next lets make a mocha Mexican style. This is a delicious blend of coffee and chocolate - two natural partners. To start with take a teaspoon of your favorite chocolate syrup and add a quarter teaspoon of cinnamon and nutmeg. Wow, this is starting off good. Making me a little hungry.. Next, pour in one cup of coffee and add white or organic sugar to your taste. To top it off you can mix with whipping cream, or top with whipped cream. You can't go wrong with this recipe.

Cubano is drunk like tequila, straight and like a shot. For the Americano, you might want to dilute with rum or hot milk. Add rum to taste, but any more than a tablespoonful of milk will really spoil the effect. Be adventurous!

Grog, a traditional English holiday treat is sweet and sour mixed into one. Carefully peel a large orange and separate into slices. Do the same with a lemon. Put a peel about the size of one orange slice into the bottom of the cup. Mix in one-third tablespoon of butter, a tablespoon of brown sugar, a pinch each of ground cloves and nutmeg. Then throw in a pinch of cinnamon. Pour in a half-cup of coffee and stir. Add heavy cream to taste. Happy holidays.

How about these international delights, such as Viennese, Turkish and Vietnamese?

For the Viennese, melt one-eighth cup dark chocolate into a sauce pan and stir in one tablespoon of light cream. Slowly add a half-cup of coffee and whip until frothy, then let settle. Sprinkle cinnamon and cocoa across the surface and taste with pinky raised. Now you're an aristocrat.

The Turkish is very simple. It would be to your advantage to obtain one of the special "džezva" pots used to boil the coffee. Yes, boil! Turkish coffee is strong. This coffee is not for the weak at heart. Start with finely ground Turkish coffee. Pour a cup of water into the pot, then add a half teaspoon of sugar and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and add a teaspoon of the coffee, then stir and replace onto the heat. Remove after a layer of foam appears, then allow to settle and cool.

The iced coffee drink of Vietnam is not to be missed. Acquire a Vietnamese coffee press. The hard part is now over. Put the ground coffee in the press, and then pour a tablespoon of condensed milk into the bottom of a cup. Pour boiling water over the press and let drip. Stir and add ice. Wow!

Once again, taking an international world tour will reveal even more recipes that I did not mention in this article. This is not a bad idea if your interested in find new and exotic recipes.

Kenneth Elliott is owner of Espresso Machine Rancillio. A website devoted to espresso machine and a great cup of espresso coffee. Also see: Arabica beans and
Rancilio Espresso Machine.