Allspice Institute creates Cafédirect-inspired recipes

The chefs at Allspice Institute who were involved in creating coffee-based recipes with Cafédirect coffee blends. 

Cafédirect, the UK drinks company, presented a number of coffee-based recipes created by the Allspice Institute, a heritage culinary and cooking school, when it launched new packaging for its Smooth, Lively and Intense Roast Coffees.

Chef Sakthi adding coffee grounds to the saucepan ahead of
smoking the cooked chicken for coffee smoked tandoori
chicken.

At the launch event, Chef Sakthivel Karuppiah, COO, Allspice, used coffee in two ways to prepare coffee smoked tandoori chicken. It would have been three ways, he said, but he had wanted to include coffee to make yoghurt instead of mixing coffee with yoghurt, and failed. It turns out that coffee mixed with milk will simply not turn into yoghurt, likely because the acid levels are too high in the first place.

Chef Sakthi's chicken for the dish is marinated in coffee and so tender he recommended that the audience use coffee to marinate chicken from now on. He also demonstrated how to recycle spent coffee grounds to smoke meat using a saucepan and some water.

Some of the recipes created by Allspice are below:

Silent screamer (beverage)

Source: Mileage Communications. Silent Screamer.

Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Serves three

INGREDIENTS:

3 single shots of brewed Cafédirect Lively Roast Coffee. A single shot typically uses 7g of powder to 30ml of liquid
2 tbsp natural coconut oil
360 ml skimmed milk
1½ tbsp maple syrup
¼ tsp cinnamon powder
¼ tsp vanilla extract

METHOD:

1. Combine brewed Cafédirect Lively Roast Coffee, coconut oil, maple syrup, vanilla extract in a jug and mix well.

2. In a medium-sized saucepan, heat the milk over low-medium heat until the milk reaches 60-70^o C.

3. Transfer the hot milk into a jug then back into the saucepan, then back again a few times to make sure it is thoroughly mixed and aerated.

4. Pour the mixture into three serving cups. Sprinkle with cinnamon powder and serve warm.

Coffee smoked tandoori chicken (savoury)

Source: Mileage Communications. Coffee smoked tandoori chicken, served with a mint sauce.

Preparation time: 4 hours
Cooking time: 10–12 minutes
Serves three

INGREDIENTS:

130g chicken, cut into cubes, with enough skewers to hold them for cooking and serving

A double shot of Cafédirect Lively Roast Coffee. Double shots are made with about 14g of coffee and about 60ml of liquid

Pinch of yuzu salt

For marinating:

50 ml thick yogurt. Yoghurt can be thickened by straining it through cloth.
½ tsp ground allspice
¼ tsp ground smoked paprika
½ tsp Himalayan salt
1/8 tsp ground white pepper

For smoking:

1 tbsp used/fresh coffee grounds
Cardamom

METHOD:

1. In a mixing bowl, combine chicken and coffee; mix well. Cover and place it in the refrigerator for about 1 hour to marinade. The chicken should ideally be marinated for two to three hours, or even overnight.

2. In another flat plate or bowl, mix the marinade ingredients to form a smooth paste.

3. After an hour in the fridge, remove the chicken from the coffee, and pat the meat dry with a kitchen towel 

4. Place the chicken onto the marinade paste and ensure the paste coats the chicken well.

5. Cover the chicken with wrap and put it back into the refrigerator for about three to four hours.

6. Remove from the fridge and arrange the chicken on the skewers to pan fry or grill in the oven.

7. Place the coffee grounds and some cardamom `in a large flat saucepan or frying pan that has a lid. Cook covered over high heat for two minutes. Add a splash of water, then place the cooked chicken in a heat-proof bowl or plate into the pan. Cover the pan. Turn off the heat and leave it to sit for two minutes.

8. Serve warm, sprinkled with yuzu salt.

Coffee Religieuse

Coffee Religieuse (dessert)

Preparation time: 45 minutes
Cooking time: 45 minutes
Makes 12 pieces

INGREDIENTS:

Icing sugar for garnishing

For Cafédirect Smooth Roast pastry cream

1 litre milk
1 vanilla pod
125g sugar
240g egg yolk
80g custard powder
30g Cafédirect Smooth Roast Coffee

METHOD:

1. Heat the milk with the split vanilla pod and sugar and once it is boiling, turn off the heat.

2. Add the coffee and leave it to infuse in a covered pot for 10 minutes.

3. In a separate bowl, whisk* the sugar and egg yolk, mix in the custard powder.

4. Pour in the hot coffee-infused milk and mix briskly.

5. Strain it through a fine sieve and decant into a saucepan. Bring to a boil, whisking continuously. Cook for 1 minute.

6. Pour the coffee pastry cream onto a tray covered in food wrap, then cover the pastry cream with another layer of cling wrap. The wrap should be touching the surface of the cream.

7. Place the cream in the chiller to cool down.

INGREDIENTS:

For pâte à choux dough (choux pastry)

220g milk
220g water
4g salt
8g sugar
180g butter
220g flour
400g eggs

METHOD:

1. Boil milk, salt, sugar and butter.

2. Sift the flour and spoon it into the boiling liquid, stirring with a whisk.

3. Dry out the dough to obtain a panade (paste-like consistency).

4. Transfer the panade into a container, then gradually fold in the beaten eggs using a whisk.

5. Add a little boiling milk if needed, depending on the dough consistency**.

6. Pipe spheres onto baking sheet and bake in preheated oven at 200^oC for 30 to 35 minutes.

ASSEMBLY:

1. Turn each choux bun upside down, make a small hole in the base and pipe in the coffee pastry cream.

2. Dust with icing powder.

Description for the Smooth Roast Coffee from Cafédirect.

Cafédirect also demonstrated its own recipe for a frappé:

Frappé (beverage)

Preparation time: 10 minutes
Serves one

INGREDIENTS:

2 tsp Cafédirect Instant Freeze-dried Coffee
2-4 tsp of sugar to taste
Ice cubes
100ml cold water
100ml to 150ml of fresh milk

METHOD:

1. Place the instant coffee, water, and sugar into a shaker

2. Shake vigorously until a light-coloured froth has been created

3. Pour into a glass of ice cubes. Top up with fresh milk.

4. Stir well and enjoy.

Explore:

Read about Cafédirect coffee and try the recipe for coffee damier cake in this WorkSmart Asia blog post

In Singapore, Cafédirect coffee packs are available at Cold Storage, Fairprice Finest, Fairprice Xtra, Jasons, Market Place and Redmart at S$8.70 per 227g pack.

*Use an electric mixer to whisk.

**The Leiths School of Food and Wine says in a blog post that the right consistency for choux pastry is when a wooden spoonful of the pastry can fall into a container "to the slow count of six". The Flavor Bender blog covers mistakes made with choux pastry.

Cafédirect presents premium-grade coffee blends in new packaging

Source: Cafédirect. The Intense Roast Coffee from Cafédirect, presented in the new packaging.

Cafédirect, the UK drinks company, has introduced its Smooth, Lively and Intense Roast Coffees in all-new packaging.

The coffees are carefully formulated by Cafédirect’s own Q-graders (coffee experts) to express the full-bodied taste of the beans and bring out specific notes. Q grading ensures consistency in the way coffee is graded, and Q graders for coffee are analogous to sommeliers for wines.

“The exciting thing about creating these blends is that we are able to choose coffees that complement each other. Blending different varieties and regions together not only allows Cafédirect to tailor the coffee to a particular taste profile but also provides you with a consistent cup of coffee,” said Georgios Kokkalis, Q Grader and Production Manager, Cafédirect UK.

Three coffee blends were presented by Cafédirect at the Allspice Institute, a heritage culinary and cooking school:

Cafédirect Smooth Roast (strength 3)

This smooth 100% Arabica coffee is a "people pleaser", a blend of Central and South American coffee beans. There is a milk chocolate aroma with natural peanut, brown sugar and gingerbread flavours. It was the first Cafédirect coffee to get the Fairtrade label.

Cafédirect Lively Roast (strength 4)

The perfect balance of body from the Arabica and strength from the Robusta coffee beans, Cafédirect Lively Roast is a skilful blend of Latin American and African beans. It bears a caramel popcorn aroma with hints of tamarind-like and dried orange flavours, perfect for coffee lovers who enjoy a full-bodied brew that provides a creamy mouthfeel.

Cafédirect Intense Roast (strength 5)

Cafédirect Intense Roast is a superior blend of African and Latin American beans, balancing rich coffee flavours with a rounded toffee finish and a mint chocolate aroma. Strong and heavy bodied, this blend of Arabica and Robusta beans imparts the natural flavours of liquorice and tobacco. Kokkalis recommended that this blend be served with sugar and milk.

The table setting ahead of the coffee tasting session. Formally, coffee tasting is called "cupping".

Source: Cafédirect. Georgios Kokkalis, Q-Grader and Product Manager, Cafédirect UK showing how perfect coffee can be made simply by using Cafédirect Smooth Roast in a plunger/cafetierre.

Kokkalis conducted a coffee tasting session for the three blends at the launch of the new packaging. Of the three, with the Intense Roast turned out to be my favourite in terms of aroma and flavour. As an irregular coffee drinker, I assumed a lower-strength coffee would be more to my taste. Lighter roasts, with lower strength ratings, have less intense flavours.

Cafédirect further demonstrated the spectrum of taste profiles of the three blended roast and ground coffees, through a spread of dishes made with coffee. The company invited chefs from Allspice Institute to recreate both savoury and sweet recipes:

Kopi udang (coffee prawns; savoury), which many said was delicious.

Chicken lollipop with coffee sauce (savoury)

Coffee smoked tandoori chicken (savoury)

Coffee religieuse (dessert)

Coffee Damier cake ("damier" means "checkerboard pattern" in French, and the cake when sliced has a checkerboard pattern inside; dessert), another crowd pleaser.

Silent screamer (drink), so called because it will have drinkers screaming in silent delight. The recipe is a twist on traditional coffee tarik with coconut milk and cinnamon added. This was a crowd favourite.

The spread also included coffee-flavoured chendol ice cream and coffee-flavoured hoon kueh, a Peranakan dessert of steamed green bean flour typically mixed with another ingredient, such as corn, and served wrapped in a banana leaf.

Coffee chendol popsicles, with coffee religieuse nibbles to the left and coffee hoon kueh in between. 

Cafédirect’s coffee beans are responsibly grown so that the quality of each coffee bean is at its natural best and a stellar taste profile is retained and delivered freshly ground, directly to consumers. From bean to cup, Cafédirect’s mantra is "100% Fairtrade".

The company's coffee has a premium price as it invests in making sure growers are able to grow coffee sustainably and maintain a better qualify of life. "It was about having that direct relationship with coffee growers from the start," said Olivia Minter, Export Manager, Cafédirect UK.

She shared that to date, Cafédirect has directly given over 50% of its profits to 280,000 growers represented by 39 partner grower organisations across 12 countries. In 2017 alone, it has paid £500,000 to the Fairtrade Foundation. On top of the Fairtrade Premium, Cafédirect also pays 36% above the Fairtrade minimum for Organic Premiums, and 46% over the Fairtrade minimum for Quality Premiums.

“Cafédirect integrates environment and social strategies into our overall business strategy. Social targets for 2020 include projects that will impact 1.5 million farmers of which 50% are women and 40% are youth. The approach will support the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals to improve food security, climate resilience and decrease poverty. We hope to achieve 100% increase in incomes for the farmers and 70% farmer confidence to combat climate change,” she said.

In working directly with charity partner Producers Direct, Cafédirect has impacted 600,000 farmers and their families since 2009. Producers Direct delivers services by farmers for farmers. The services help producers build resilience to market forces through training, pooled knowledge, access to finance and data for better decision-making. Today, the smallholder farmers have enjoyed a 50% increase in income, and 90% of farmers have witnessed an increase in crop quality and yields.

Explore:

Damier cake slices at the buffet.

Recipe for coffee damier cake, created by the Allspice Institute for Cafédirect

Preparation time: 60 mins
Cooking time: 30 mins
Serves: six to 12 

INGREDIENTS part 1:

Chocolate Genoa sponge

600g marzipan (50% finely ground almonds)
420g eggs
50g plain flour
50g corn starch
70g cocoa powder
160g egg white
180g melted butter

METHOD:

1. Mix marzipan with whole eggs

2. Fold with the flour and starch

3. Fold in the melted butter, followed by the cocoa powder mixed with the egg white. 

Leave aside until the coffee Genoa sponge is ready.

INGREDIENTS part 2:

Coffee Genoa sponge

600g marzipan (50% finely ground almonds)
420g eggs
70g plain flour
70g corn starch
180g melted butter
30g Cafédirect Intense Roast Coffee

METHOD:

1. Mix marzipan with whole eggs

2. Fold with the flour and starch

3. Fold with melted butter, followed by the Cafédirect Intense Roast Coffee

4. Pipe the chocolate Genoa sponge batter and the coffee Genoa sponge batter in alternate strips and in layers into a 20cm x 30cm biscuit frame. A biscuit frame helps to ensure a cake keeps its shape. 

5. Bake at 180^oC for 10-12 minutes

INGREDIENTS part 3:

Chocolate ganache - a filling, glaze or sauce made with chocolate and cream

800g 35% cream  - this is a heavier cream with a higher fat content

100g glucose syrup
1 kg dark chocolate
200 ml softened butter

METHOD:

1. Bring cream and glucose to a boil and turn off the heat

2. Fold in the chocolate and soft butter

3. Cool at room temperature before applying a layer to the cake using a silicon spatula to ensure even coverage.

Explore:

In Singapore, Cafédirect coffee packs are available at Cold Storage, Fairprice Finest, Fairprice Xtra, Jasons, Market Place and Redmart at S$8.70 per 227g pack.

Nespresso launches new Inissia colours and bespoke gourmet recipes for Singapore

Source: Nespresso.

Nespresso has launched two new colours for the limited edition Inissia – Pacific Blue and Fuchsia Velvet – to accompany two permanent colours, red and black.

Weighing in at 2.4kg, Inissia is the lightest in the Nespresso range. It features all of Nespresso’s advanced technologies, including a quick heat up time of 25 seconds, a 19 bar pressure extraction system, automatic pre-programmed coffee buttons and an automatic power-off mode after nine minutes of inactivity. 

In conjunction with the launch, Nespresso partnered local culinary personality Willin Low to introduce four coffee creations catered to local taste preferences. Named by the New York Times as one of the three chefs to transform the culinary scene in Singapore, Chef Low is the brain behind the trendy Wild Rocket restaurant at Mount Emily. His expert take on modern Singaporean cuisine has made him a perfect partner for Nespresso to celebrate Singaporeans’ love for coffee. 

Said Low on his partnership with Nespresso, “I believe great food and great coffee go hand in hand, like a match made in heaven. I’ve always loved a cup of Nespresso and I’m thrilled at this partnership opportunity as we are both committed to providing our customers with the best possible gourmet experiences.”

The gourmet coffee recipes are inspired by the palettes of coffee lovers in Singapore and the playful colours of Inissia. Distinctive ingredients, from hawthorn powder to condensed milk, are used to create and deliver pure Nespresso pleasure. 

"The recipes created for Nespresso incorporate my signature style of adding reminiscent elements of my childhood, such as hawthorne flakes, for an added dimension that I’m sure all Singaporeans will appreciate and love!” noted Low.

The four creations are:

The Hawthorne & Raspberry Milkshake, with Ristretto, which combines the fruity notes of the Ristretto Grand Cru, the tangy flavours of raspberry and hawthorn, and the richness of vanilla ice cream. 

Blue Oasis with Rosabaya de Colombia delivers the winey notes of the Rosabaya de Colombia Grand Cru with a well-rounded chocolate cream and coconut topping.

Reverse Affogato with Coffee Granita, with Indriya from India is a unique take on an Italian favourite.

Red Velvet Kueh Buloh Tiramisu, with Arpeggio A is a distinctive spin on the Chinese New Year delicacy, harmonising the cocoa notes of the Arpeggio Grand Cru with the creaminess of tiramisu. 

The recipe card set is complimentary with any purchase of an Inissia machine, from 18 May to 30 June 2015, or while stocks last at Nespresso Boutiques in Singapore (ION Orchard #01-14 or Takashimaya Department Store B1); Nespresso Authorised Trade outlets, online at www.nespresso.com, via the Nespresso mobile app or through the toll-free hotline 800 852 3525 (available 24/7). 

The company also has an ongoing social media campaign, the #MyNespressoColour Social Media Contest. To participate, post your most creative and colourful coffee moments on social media with the hashtag #MyNespressoColour by 31 May 2015. 

Each submitted coffee moment must feature one colour theme out of the four Inissia colours (Fuchsia Velvet, Pacific Blue, red or black), and include your coffee drink. The top five most creative entries will walk away with an exclusive Inissia experience worth S$900!