Coffee

From time to time enjoying a morning, afternoon or evening coffee is a must. We cook and bake with so many different ingredients from around the world that coffee should not be over looked as an ingredient. Cooking and baking with coffee, as with tea, is simple because it is found in most, if not all pantries and can easily be overlooked. Both may add the subtlest or a robust flavour to a recipe.  

This mini coffee table cookbook has 208 pages, 100 recipes to get you inspired and make one enjoy a bit more coffee. There are coffee based beverages both hot and cold, an array of the infamous coffee cakes, cookies, sweets, desserts and a few savoury dishes. This book is perfect for coffee lovers and home cooks and priced at $2.00, it is a bargain!

I have already started my holiday baking however I do want to try a few recipes like... the Coffee Fruitcake, Coffee & Hazelnut Biscotti and the Mocha Coconut Clusters. However for tonights dinner I will be attempting the Turkey Stir-fry with Spiced Coffee Glaze. I do not have any turkey so I will substitute with chicken. Therefore that is the recipe I will share with you now. 

Turkey Stir-fry with Spiced Coffee Glaze

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1 pound turkey breast, sliced into thin strips

1 teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1 teaspoon five-spice seasoning

4 teaspoons sesame oil

1/4 cup strong black coffee, cooled

1/4 cup teriyaki sauce

2 tablespoons honey

2 tablespoons rice - wine vinegar

2 teaspoons cornstarch

6 scallions, trimmed and sliced

1 red bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced

1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced

salt and pepper

boiled egg noodles, to serve

Method:

1) Place the turkey in a shallow, nonmetallic bowl and add the ginger, garlic, five-spice seasoning and half the oil. Stir well, then cover and marinate in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

2) Mix the coffee, teriyaki sauce, honey, vinegar and cornstarch in a small bowl. Cover and set aside.

3) Heat the remaining oil in a large wok until almost smoking. Remove the turkey from the marinade, add to the wok, and stir-fry over high heat for 3 to 4 minutes, until brown. Add the scallions, red pepper, and yellow pepper and stir-fry for an additional 1 to 2 minutes.

4) Pour in the coffee mixture and continue stir-frying for 1 to 2 minutes, until the sauce has thickened and coated the turkey and vegetables. Season with salt and pepper and serve with noodles.

Notes: Although this recipes calls for turkey try chicken, beef or tofu. I will be serving this with brown rice not noodles as suggested in the recipe. Grate some orange rind to give the sauce a hint of citrus. This recipe would be great to use up some of those holiday leftovers, like turkey.  

Hope everyone has had a good week, so far. - JD