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Susan Jung

Coffee is consumed most often as a drink, but it also makes for a distinctive seasoning.
The seeds of the coffee fruit (called “cherries”, because that is what they resemble) are picked when the fruit ripens to a deep red colour.
The pulp and skin are removed to reveal the green seed, which goes through several stages – including fermenting, washing, drying, hulling and grading – before the beans are stored or shipped.
The processed beans can be stored in their dried green state for several years, but for optimal flavour, once roasted and ground, they should be used as quickly as possible.

Everyone has their preferred method of brewing coffee. That can range from simply covering the ground beans with water, heating them together and then straining out the residue, to using elaborate (and expensive) machines that force water at high pressure through the ground coffee.
As a seasoning, the coffee – whether whole beans (for a more subtle flavour) or ground – can be infused in liquids other than water. You can make flavoured alcohol by dropping whole beans into a bottle of vodka; over time, the vodka will absorb the coffee flavour.
For ganache (to make truffles or for use as a cake filling), you can infuse ground coffee in hot cream (which enriches the texture), then strain out the grounds before whisking the liquid into chocolate. If you want more flavour, mix the chocolate with strong, hot coffee that has been brewed the regular way.
For ice cream, it is better to infuse ground beans in cream; if you were to make coffee the regular way, the water could affect the texture and make the ice cream icy rather than smooth and rich.

Coffee can also be used as a seasoning in savoury dishes.
Red-eye gravy is made by whisking brewed coffee (instead of the usual water or broth) into a roux that is made with flour and the drippings of pan-fried breakfast meats (such as bacon, ham or sausage).
In more modern preparations, lamb loin is coated in finely ground coffee beans, salt and other seasonings before being pan-fried, and oxtail is braised in a coffee-based broth.
This content first appeared in Post Magazine in 2014.


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Coffee is most often consumed as a drink, but coffee beans also work great as a seasoning. Here is how to use them to flavour everything from vodka to ice cream to red-eye gravy. Photo: Shutterstock

A coffee farmer harvests coffee “cherries”. Photo: Shutterstock

Coffee ganache is made by infusing ground coffee in hot cream and then straining out the grounds. Photo: Shutterstock

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 Fry until the pieces are medium brown and cooked through. Photo: Jonathan Wong

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Lifestyle

Food & Drink

Beyond brews, coffee beans can be used to season sweet and savoury foods and even alcohol. Here’s how to use them in ganache, gravy and more


Beyond brews, coffee beans can be used to season sweet and savoury foods and even alcohol. Here’s how to use them in ganache, gravy and more.


Coffee

Susan Jung's recipes

How to use coffee beans to flavour food and drinks, from ice cream and lamb loin to vodka

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Beyond brews, coffee beans can be used to season sweet and savoury foods and even alcohol. Here’s how to use them in ganache, gravy and more

Beyond brews, coffee beans can be used to season sweet and savoury foods and even alcohol. Here’s how to use them in ganache, gravy and more