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July 21, 2008

Caribbean Coffee

We still haven't gotten the kitchen entirely in order and I've been relying on the jar of instant coffee we got when we were living in the hotel for a week.

I hadn't had instant coffee for years, since I was in Europe, where instant coffee isn't scorned the way it is in the U.S. In fact, after trying it again, I much preferred it to anything I could get at a gas station or similar place where coffee sits for hours on a warming tray.

But, the coffee is not great and I've been searching for ways to enhance the flavor. I normally drink coffee black, but I tried adding other ingredients until I came up with a recipe that I had to share.

Caribbean Coffee

- 1 cup coffee (any quality will do, since the other ingredients would only obscure the subtleties in a high-quality brew)
- 1/4 cup milk (I used skim, but you could use full-fat milk for a richer flavor)
- 1 TBSP brown sugar (more or less to taste. You could also use molasses for a much stronger flavor)
- 1 tsp salt (this is critical, and it sounds odd to put salt in your coffee, but it's necessary as it really brings out the flavor of everything else)
- 1/4 cup coconut milk (this is great to have around if you like making curries, and is absolutely delicious in any form in my opinion)
- Optionally, add cinnamon or nutmeg. These spices don't dissolve well, so they are best used as garnish.

You'll need a large mug to hold all this, since you now have about a cup and a half of liquid. Mix it all up in any order and enjoy. The brown sugar, coffee, and coconut milk are the key flavors, and you may want to experiment with the precise amounts of these so that no one of them overwhelms the others. And don't forget the salt.

Posted by mslaybau at July 21, 2008 02:03 PM

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