CHAPTER 8

DRINKS & DREGS

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Whether you prefer coffee, tea, beer, or wine, there is often still something good left in the coffeemaker, tea bag, bottle, or can.

 

COFFEE GROUNDS

COFFEE IS NOT REALLY a bean, but rather the seed of the coffee plant, a small tree or shrub that grows in warm climates. The seed is the inside “stone” of the coffee berry, the edible burgundy-colored fruit that is discarded in order to process the seed. About 10 billion pounds of coffee beans are produced every year and, once ground and brewed into a coffee drink, the leftover grounds are discarded, sometimes to be composted or used as mulch, but often not.

I started thinking about the waste from coffee because in a restaurant people drink a lot of coffee; you can end up throwing away a lot of coffee grounds. We decided to start cooking with used coffee grounds, and the dishes we came up with tasted just as good—with a rich dark coffee flavor—as they would have using fresh coffee grounds. Just store the grounds in the refrigerator in a sealed plastic container with enough space for air circulation.

COFFEE GROUNDS PANNA COTTA

MAKES 4 SERVINGS / ACTIVE TIME: 15 MIN / TOTAL TIME: 1 HR 30 MIN

2 sheets gelatin (I prefer leaf gelatin 200 bloom), or 2 teaspoons unflavored powdered gelatin

3 cups heavy cream

1 cup whole milk

¼ cup used coffee grounds

¼ cup sugar

2 pinches kosher salt

Crumbs from Coffee Grounds Biscotti (here), optional for serving

Apple Scrap Vinegar (here), optional for serving

If using gelatin sheets, soften them in a small bowl of cold water for 1 minute; squeeze out excess water. If using powdered gelatin, combine with 1 cup warm water and stir until dissolved.

In a small pot, combine the cream, milk, coffee grounds, sugar, and salt. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring frequently so the milk doesn’t scorch at the bottom. Gently stir in the sheet gelatin (make sure there is no water in it) or the powdered gelatin dissolved in the warm water. Once incorporated, remove from the heat, cover, and let the mixture steep for 15 to 20 minutes. Strain.

Divide the panna cotta mixture evenly among 4 small serving bowls and refrigerate for 1 hour until set.

To serve, top each panna cotta with biscotti crumbs and a dash of apple scrap vinegar.