WEEK 27 WILDCARD WINNER
Magical Coffee (aka Cafe Davio)
Photography by Sarah Shatz
BY ERINH | SERVES 2 TO 4
A&M: One of those recipes that’s a great concept rather than a precise formula, ErinH’s iced coffee takes inspiration from both her local coffeehouse—Cafe Soleil in Madison, Wisconsin—and a recipe in the New York Times. At Cafe Soleil, she said, “they brew the coffee hot, but since it was summer and I am lazy, I wanted to use a cold-brewed coffee base.” Adding a teaspoon of cinnamon and a few spoonfuls of dark brown sugar to the coffee as it cold-brews give it a lush sweetness and a hit of warmth. After it spends a night in the fridge, you strain the coffee and pour it over ice cubes. Then comes the cream. (Or milk, depending on your mood.) And then, as ErinH said, you “die of happiness.” We loved this iteration and think her “Scandinavian version” (using almond extract and fennel) sounds like a winner too.
COFFEE BASE
2/3 cup coarsely ground coffee
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
FINISHED DRINK
Milk, half-and-half, or cream
- Combine the coffee, cinnamon, and brown sugar in a 1-quart jar. Add 3 cups cold water and stir to dissolve the sugar. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
- Pour the coffee base through a sieve or strainer into a bowl, then strain back into the jar for easy storage.
- For each drink: Fill a tall glass halfway with ice. Pour in the coffee until the glass is about three-fourths full, and add milk, half-and-half, or cream to taste.
- Die of happiness.
TIPS AND TECHNIQUES
Ted: “Delicious. I pour it back through a coffee filter to get rid of the sediment, but the powdered cinnamon clogs up the filter, so I use 2 cinnamon sticks instead.”
ABOUT THE COOK
Erin Hanusa is a writer and editor in Madison, Wisconsin.
Her favorite kitchen tip: “Whenever you dice onions, dice some extra to keep in the fridge. It makes starting dinner on another night super-easy, and may even prevent takeout from happening.”
Her best entertaining tip: “When bringing food to an event, everyone from kids to the snobbiest food snobs love homemade chocolate chip cookies. You can’t lose.”
WHAT THE COMMUNITY SAID
Sandy Castle: “I made this for my daughters (seventeen and fourteen) and they loved it so much that they’re now making it themselves every evening so they can have it in the morning. They prefer it over the coffee house drinks! Thank you.”
Kitchen Butterfly: “Made this, drank it, enjoyed it … thoroughly, and I’m not a coffee drinker. Wow, magically good coffee! I’m going to make it again with crushed cardamom seeds and maple syrup! Thank you for introducing me to the world of cold brew—which I didn’t know existed.”