Cranberry Wheat Coffee Buns

For a different type of pastry, try wheat.

Modified from Cinnamon Pecan Coffee Ring, Hodgson Mills

prepare 1/2 recipe of dough (or full recipe if preferred)

  roll out the dough in a rectangle and spread with butter, brown sugar, dust with cinnamon and sprinkle with course ground all spice and some grated unsweetened chocolate. Spread out some unsweetened cranberries (cook and mashed cranberries, cooled). Roll up dough and slice into rolls, place on cookie sheet and bake at 425 degrees till done. Serve with coffee.

 

 

small recipe can be baked in a toaster oven

 

Coffee Seminar

 

Source: Volume 2 Winter Issue No. 11

Engwall’s Journal, A newsletter for Coffee Connoisseurs, January 1988 

This is an article from a  pamphlet that was included when coffee was purchased from  Gevalia Kaffe.

This describes taste sensations using a pyramid diagram and terms used to define the mouth feel of coffee .

coffee roasting for gifts

coffee that I roasted for Christmas favors this year. I selected  the coffee project’s organic bundle. 6 varieties. Uganda, Peru, Nicaragua, Mexican, Indonesian,  & Bolivian.

 

this morning’s blend

Mexican Organic about 2/3

Indian Robusta about 1/3

Peruvian Cocoa nibs about 1/4 teaspoon

Course Grind

French Press

Simple Syrup

Milk

If you have a chance to taste Robusta , it is best blended with other varieties of coffee to produce, a tasteful blend and with the addition of cocoa nibs, a mocha flavored cup of coffee.

Coffee, new green beans purchased

Who can pass up a 10% discount that the coffee project offers during your Birthday month.  I roast my own green coffee beans.

Mexican Chiapas  6.80 /lb

El Salvador Cup Of Excellence Hermansos $7.00/lb

Uganda Bugisu AA Organic Sipi Falls $7.00/lb

Also bought Chicory  @$3.50/lb to blend with ground coffee for different flavor profiles to taste, Louisiana Style .

Roasting Notes:

El Salvador, medium dark Roast, about 10 minutes, Clear fruity flavor. Nice change from the other brand of store bought coffee beans.

Uganda, beans turn from green to yellow than to a dark brown, unmistakable first crack sound like popping corn. Have not brewed yet. 

Note: free issue of Roast Magazine SEPT/OCT 2011 has a must see article about the constructing and operation of  solar powered coffee roaster using a mirrored solar array dish to focus sunlight to produce heat to roast coffee.

coffee break

Mocha Pudding

adapted from Chocolate Cornstarch Pudding, Joy of Cooking,

melt a piece of chocolate in the top of a double boiler, about an ounce.
stir in about 1/2 cup raw sugar, 1 3/4 cup milk, 1/8 teaspoon milk and a demitasse of espresso
heat till boiling

dissolve about 4 tablespoons of cornstarch in about 1/4 cup whole milk and add slowly.

cook for ten minutes, stirring constantly, you have to stir it for ten minutes without interruption !

cover and cook 10 -12 minutes

cool by stirring and add 1 teaspoon vanilla
pour into custard cups, chill . you can caramel coat the molds, or make semi sweet chocolate cases. I didn’t ….

WOW you an make pudding without opening a box mix or using instant (gratification) pudding mix !

Learned skills , working with cornstarch, utilizing a double boiler, recipe recommends reading about cornstarch, page 548.

New Items

From The Coffee Project:

4 ounces of Cocoa nibs, from Peru, Organic @ $1.60 per ounce. So far I have ground a very small amount with coffee beans for a mocha blend , good tasting results, they can be eaten as a snack such as a trail mix, will look up other recipe ideas.

Tea, Darjeeling, Fair trade Black Tea, $4.00 ; brew , hot or iced tea, good with ginger syrup and as a drink with liquor. (Simply Ming has recipes for ginger syrup and it’s uses) Good if you want an alternative to coffee now and then.

One of my fav coffees, it figures! (Mexican Chipas FT ) is up to $7.00 (USD) /pound now highlighting the increase in some food commodity prices. Used to be in the $5.50/pound price range.

note: mispelling of “cocoa” might attract unwanted attention !