Cooking with Coffee

Most of us meet coffee in a cup. In the kitchen, though, it is an interesting ingredient: bitter, smelling of roast, faintly acidic and as deep as dark chocolate. That lets it work with both sweet and savoury food. This article goes through some familiar uses and a few tips to try at home.

Why does coffee suit so many dishes?

Coffee's bitterness balances sweetness and richness. A sweet cream-cheese layer can feel heavy, but a little coffee makes it taste tidier. With grilled meat, coffee's roasted notes echo the charred, caramelised edges of the meat, so the two complement each other. The key point: in cooking, coffee is a seasoning, not the star.

Sweet dishes: where coffee is most at home

• Tiramisu. The famous Italian dessert: ladyfingers (savoiardi) dipped in coffee, layered with mascarpone cream and dusted with cocoa. The coffee is usually espresso or strong brewed coffee, cooled before dipping.
• Sponge cakes, brownies, cookies. A little coffee makes chocolate taste deeper, even if no one can tell coffee is in there.
• Affogato. A scoop of vanilla ice cream with a hot shot of espresso poured over it. Two ingredients, and the quickest dessert for a busy day.
• Ice cream, panna cotta, mousse, caramel. Coffee gives a more grown-up flavour than plain vanilla.

Savoury dishes: rubs and sauces

One use that surprises many people is marinating with coffee. Ground coffee (or instant coffee) mixed with salt, brown sugar, garlic, paprika and pepper makes a rub for ribs, beef or pork. The sugar browns the crust, while the coffee adds roasted aroma and a slight bitterness that offsets the sweetness. Some barbecue sauces and the southern American "red-eye" gravy also use coffee to add depth.

Tip: do not sprinkle too much, and avoid very high heat, because burnt coffee grounds taste harsh and acrid.

Hybrid drinks: salt coffee and coconut coffee

Both drinks grew out of the creativity of Vietnamese cafés and are now made in many places:

• Salt coffee: strong coffee, often with milk, topped with a thin, smooth salted cream. The hint of salt rounds off the richness and softens harsh bitterness.
• Coconut coffee: coffee with coconut cream, often blended with ice into a cold, smoothie-like drink. The creamy, fragrant coconut goes well with bold Robusta.

These are recipes cafés make themselves, not products of any particular brand; you can make them at home with phin-brewed coffee and everyday ingredients.

Using freeze-dried instant coffee in baking

In baking you often need only a small amount of strong coffee flavour, and brewing a whole cup for a few spoonfuls is a hassle. Freeze-dried instant coffee solves this because it dissolves quickly in hot water. A neat method:

1. Stir a small amount of instant coffee into 1–2 tablespoons of hot water (or hot milk) until fully dissolved.
2. Let it cool a little, then mix into batter, buttercream, cream cheese or filling.
3. Taste, and add a little more until it suits you.

This also works for no-bake desserts such as mousse or whipped cream, since you control both strength and the amount of liquid added. If you want a cup to drink alongside, you can prepare the same coffee following the instructions on the package.

A few small notes

• Cool the coffee before folding it into cream or toppings, so it does not melt the butter or cream.
• Match strength to the dish: mousse and ice cream need stronger coffee than a sponge cake.
• Caffeine is still there in food. Anyone sensitive to caffeine, children and pregnant women should limit it and ask a doctor.

If you like making Vietnamese-style coffee to go with dessert, read Vietnamese Iced Milk Coffee — the Nation's Favourite. To see how people elsewhere in the world drink coffee, continue with Coffee Rituals Around the World.