Thirsty Thursday: Irish Channel Coffee

In honor of St. Patrick's Day, we'll be totally cliche and have an Irish Coffee.  BUT...because this is a Cajun Food blog [in theory], we'll put a NOLA spin on it.

Photo courtesy of cresentcityliving.com

Those not from NOLA may not be aware, but the Irish have strong historic ties to Louisiana; in fact, by 1850 one in five New Orleans residents was an Irish immigrant, forming the largest Irish population in the South.  The neighborhood just south of the Garden District is known as The Irish Channel for those who settled there in the 19th century, while another large community of Irish immigrants populated the Irish Bayou area in current East New Orleans.

Sadly, these 1800's immigrants likely never had an "Irish Coffee", as the drink was invented in the 1940s.  It was brought back to the U.S. in 1952, and much like the traditions of shamrocks, leprechauns and pots o'gold, wedged itself into our perception of our ginger-haired neighbors across the pond.

HOWEVER, if Irish Channel dwellers HAD ever made themselves an Irish Coffee, I'd like to imagine it was made with good New Orleans Style chicory coffee... and perhaps this tasty pecan praline liqueur I found recently.

Proudly made in New Orleans!

NOTE: I am fully aware that this is a very foofy version of an Irish Coffee, and that the traditional version is made with whiskey and brown sugar, with heavy cream floated on top.  However, I'm not much for whiskey, I had Cool Whip in the house, and this is MY blog.  So suck it. :)

INGREDIENTS:

4-6 oz strong chicory coffee

2 oz Irish Cream

2 oz Pecan Praline liqueur

whipped cream to top 

INGREDIENTS:
In a tall coffee mug, combine the Irish cream and praline liqueur.  Pour hot coffee over, and then top with whipped cream (I used a ziploc bag to pipe the Cool Whip on top).  Add a dash of cinnamon or nutmeg for garnish.

Thirsty Thursday: Keurig Cafe au Lait, Green Goddess Style.

A while back I mentioned my adventure to the Green Goddess cafe in New Orleans for the Notorious Bacon Sundae; and while I was there, I had a FANTASTIC cup of coffee. 

New Orleans is famous for the cafe au lait or “milky coffee”.  This traditionally made with 1/2 steamed milk, and 1/2 strong-brewed dark roast coffee with chicory.  The chicory adds a rich, somewhat bitter flavor to the coffee.  New Orleanians will joke that, much like the cowboys of the west, a cup of traditional New Orleans coffee should be thick enough to stand a spoon in.

(Traditional cafe au lait & beignets at a New Orleans institution.)

The taste for coffee and chicory was developed by the French during their civil war. Coffee was scarce during those times, and they found that chicory added body and flavor to the brew. The Acadians from Nova Scotia brought this taste along with so many others to Louisiana.

This cup o’jeaux I had at Green Goddess was not a “cafe au lait” in the traditional sense; while it was made with chicory coffee, it wasn’t half steamed milk.  Rather, they sweeten the strong brew with sweetened condensed milk.  And it was sooooooo delicious, that I had to replicate it at home.

Now, my good, sweet, wonderful husband (who does not drink coffee unless it doesn’t taste like coffee) caved to my pleas and bought me a single-brewer system for Christmas last year.  It’s a Mr. Coffee, but it has the Keurig system in it (therefore less pricey than the ones with the Keurig name stamped on the front).  It takes K-cups, and can also use the “My K-Cup” insert that allows you to brew a single serving of your favorite bagged coffee (meaning you don’t have to constantly shell out $$ for the pre-made singles).

So…what we need:

1. A Keurig or other single-serve brewer

2. “My K Cup” or other reusable single serve filter

3. 2 tbsp Community Coffee New Orleans Blend w/chicory (or your other favorite chicory blend.  Local New Orleans roaster PJ’s I believe has a blend, and there’s Cafe du Monde, French Market, etc.)

4. 1 tbsp Fat Free sweetened condensed milk

5. 8-10 oz filtered water

 

Directions:

Pop the regular K-cup holder out of the Keurig.

Put 2 tbsp of chicory coffee in the My K Cup filter basket, screw on lid, & insert into the Keurig.

Add 8-10 oz of filtered water to the tank.  Then press “Brew”.

About 90 seconds later, you have a nice, thick, hearty cup of coffee.

Add to that one full tablespoon of sweetened condensed milk, and stir until fully dissolved. (For me, this was the perfect amount.  Not overly sweet, but just sweet & creamy enough to still enjoy the flavor of the coffee.  If you prefer less sweet coffee, you could start with a 1/2 tbsp & then add more from there.)

Enjoy in your favorite mug.

(Yes, this was a gift.)

And there, my friends, you have one AMAZING cup of cafe au lait for a mere 55 calories per 10 oz cup (compared to the average 160-200 calories that the same amount of Starbucks would run you).

And with that, I leave you with the wisdom of the “Honorary Cajun” mug:

 

Just doin’ my part to share the “joie de vivre”. :D

Tuesday Timbits: Beignets

Okay, yes, I know, Timbits have absolutely NOTHING to do with Louisiana, and the nearest Tim Horton's is about 1500 miles north of Baton Rouge (in Thunder Bay, Ontario, just across the national divide--I Googled it--although apparently some lucky folks in Michigan can get some Tim Horton's products in their Coldstone Creamery locations...lucky buggers...) However, Timbits are one of those things that are inherently Canadian. All Canadians know what Timbits are, and so many Americans WISH they knew what Timbits tasted like. I'll be honest--if & when I ever get around to visiting our neighbors to the north, my first stop will be a Tim Horton's, I guar-an-tee.)

So, Tuesdays here will be about discussing products that are just as inherently LOUISIANIAN. The products Louisiana-folk know, love, & grew up with, and probably take for granted, but are a little more challenging to find outside that lovely state.

Given the Timbits reference, it's only appropriate that we start with Louisiana's own version of the Timbit, which of course would be the beignet (bin-yay!)



And the place in New Orleans most famous for these delicious (yet deadly*) treats is the world famous Cafe du Monde, in the French Quarter.

However, if you don't regularly get to visit New Orleans, and you're feeling ambitious, you CAN make your own "authentic" beignets at home, thanks to this box mix.



I have found this at my local Dillon's supermarket before, so there's a good chance it's lurking somewhere inside your own grocery store--probably in the specialty/ethnic food aisle.

The methodology is pretty simple--take the powdered mix, add water, stir, roll out flat(ish), cut into squares, toss into a pan of oil (Cafe du Monde uses cottonseed oil, if you're trying to be authentic), watch for them to puff up (and shake your fist at the pan when some of them don't seem to puff at all--a side effect of only being able to roll your dough flat-ish), flip once, remove when brown, then douse liberally with powdered sugar. Serve with coffee.

(*Deadly, because you have to be VERY cautious not to inhale while the beignet is close to your mouth, because you will snort up copious amounts of powdered sugar and be subjected to coughing and a sugar high. And you'll end up looking like a coke addict.)