Gourmet Coffee

There are a lot of coffee lovers in the world who only drink decaffeinated coffee for any number of reasons, and sometimes they are frustrated by the lack of coffee choices that do not contain caffeine.  H&C partnered with Shalina’s Gourmet Coffee to bring the best gourmet coffee and espresso varieties to the market, and unless they are in the website category marked “Eye Openers”, a decaffeinated version is available–great news for those who take their coffee “unleaded”.

The flavor variety for decaffeinated coffee is astounding, with options ranging from nut roasts to liquor-inspired flavors like amaretto, Irish cream, pina colada and Jamaican rum.  There are delectable decaf drinkable dessert varieties such as chocolate cherry, cinnamon orange, English toffee, and mocha mint, and many more decaffeinated choices in all flavor categories.

Ingredients:
3 large egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 shot strong Italian espresso coffee, room temperature
1/4 cup skim milk
1 cup heavy whipping cream
6 coffee beans

In a small saucepan, combine the egg yolks, sugar, flour, vanilla, and Italian espresso coffee. Whisk until well blended. Add a bit of milk and turn the heat to medium-high, stirring continuously with a wooden spoon. Gradually add the milk to the egg mixture, continuing to stir so as not to let the eggs begin to cook at the bottom edges of the pan. Once all the milk has been added, allow mixture to boil.  Reduce to a gentle simmer, stirring the entire time. Let mixture sit until it thickens. Remove from the heat, letting the cream cool.  In a separate bowl or the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk, mix the cream until it becomes thick whipped cream. Using a spatula, gently fold 2/3 of the whipped cream into the egg custard mixture. Separate the custard into 6 tall glasses. Chill the filled custard glasses in the refrigerator for 1 hour before serving. As a garnish just prior to serving, top each glass with a spoonful of the remaining whipped cream and a coffee bean.

Recipe courtesy Mario Batali on the “Molto Mario” TV show (The Food Network)