Now you're cooking with coffee

Long known for its coffee, Van Houtte has just appointed several gastro-types as brand ambassadors. In Ontario, the nod went to award-winning author and food critic James Chatto. Chatto is a National Culinary Advisor and Head Judge for Gold Medal Plates, and for a number of Canadian, American and British publications. We especially like that his fourth book, The Chef’s Table, co-written with the amazing Lucy Waverman and Tony Aspler, was a fundraiser for Second Harvest.

Over the next year, the ambassadors, who include Alberta’s Kelly Doody, renowned chocolatier and pastry chef Wendy Boys (B.C.) and in Quebec, Marc-André Royal, chef and owner of Le St-Urbain restaurant and bakery/catering service La Bête à pain, will attend branding events and contribute to the company’s Facebook page and C! The Coffee Blog, found on its site.

For a fun few minutes, go to Van Houte   to take a quick quiz to determine your coffee “profile”. You’ll also find great recipes, including tips on how to use coffee in cooking  (oh yes, you can).

Although I’m not in the same league as these folks, I have a few little tips. Here they are:

For cool summer drink, brew an extra pot of coffee in the morning. Add some sugar (or a bit of maple syrup) and place in a closed container in the fridge. (I like glass because it doesn’t take on the smell/colour of the coffee). Later in the day, add some cold milk (and/or a shot of Bailey’s Irish Cream). Pour over lots of ice in tall glasses.

Add a teaspoon of instant coffee granules to your chocolate chip recipe. Divine.

Substitute some of the liquid in your cake recipe for strong, cooled coffee. Works especially well on chocolate cakes.

Add a tablespoon of instant coffee granules to your home-made Dulce de Leche recipe. You’ll find easy (so easy!) instructions in this recipe from Kraft for cheesecake

Use it as a spread between thin cookies, or as filling for a layer cake.

Speaking of cheesecake, did you know that Anna Olson  is working with Kraft and Philadelphia cream cheese on a contest in which you might win  a trip to your grandmother’s hometown to learn old family recipes? Or a week in Paris?  All you have to do is create a great recipe using Philly. Here’s my idea: Make the recipe in the link above, adding instant coffee to the Dulche and substituting some ground hazelnut for the graham crumbs in the crust. Then I’d top the cheesecake with Dulche, and sprinkle it with fresh raspberries and a great big shaving of bittersweet chocolate. Whadyya think? I’m trying it this weekend. I’ll let you know how it works out.