Great Things to make with Leftover Coffee

I’d just like to say that it’s only worth saving really good strong delicious leftover coffee for these ideas.

A Few Quick Leftover Coffee Ideas First …

~   Use instead of water when making hot chocolate.
~   Add a little to French Toast or Bread Pudding.
~   Make sweet coffee butter for spreading on toast, melting over pancakes etc.
~   Freeze leftover coffee in ice cubes for an interesting way to cool appropriate drinks – Vodka
     springs to mind.
~  Replace some of the milk, when making porridge, with leftover coffee. Serve with soft
     light brown sugar and maybe a drizzle of Drambuie!

Coffee Caramel Syrup

I have added a little salt: my Dad used to add a pinch of salt to coffee and for years I didn’t understand why, although it did taste good. Now I am all grown up I realise that salt somehow reduces coffee’s bitterness and enhances the flavour – “Good Girl Daddy” as I used to say before I became so mature, some weeks ago, now!.

225g sugar
120ml water
a pinch of salt
240ml leftover coffee

~   Set the coffee beside the stove.
~   In a saucepan over low heat stir together the sugar and the water till the sugar is dissolved
      and then bring to a boil. Don’t stir any more but when it starts turning colour you can swirl
      it about a bit.
~   Boil to a deep golden brown watching carefully, swirling occasionally.
~   As soon as it reaches deep golden brown all at once yet carefully (it will boil rapidly) add
      the coffee and stir over medium heat till the caramel has melted back into the coffee.
~   Add the pinch of salt.
~   Simmer stirring occasionally till the syrup has reduced and thickened slightly – about 5
      minutes.
~   Cool, decant into a bottle or jar, cover and store in the fridge where it should be OK for up
      to 6 months but if it has mould it is not OK and it time to make some more.

Drizzle over ice cream, pancakes and so on, use to flavour milkshakes, frostings etc. or make …

Coffee Granita or Sorbet

Freeze the above syrup and then …

Granita is made by giving the mixture an occasional stir with a fork to draw the frozen edges into the softer middle. Return to the freezer, and repeat every half an hour or so till it is a mass of frozen crystals. The finished granita should be light and crunchy, give it a final scrape with the fork before serving to separate the crystals.

A sorbet is a smoother ice which can be churned in an ice cream machine for a soft texture but this can also be achieved without a machine by enthusiastic whisking by hand or with an electric whisk every 30 minutes whilst freezing or even better when completely frozen let it thaw slightly! I know – what a surprise! Break into large pieces and run through the food processor till smooth. Re-freeze till needed.  

Caramel Coffee Frappe (posh milkshake)

3 medium scoops vanilla ice cream
about 8 ice cubes
240ml delicious coffee – chilled
120ml milk
2 tablespoons Coffee Caramel Syrup (above)
whipped cream for topping
cocoa powder for dusting

~   Basically blend together everything but the whipped cream and cocoa in a liquidiser strong
      enough the crush the ice.
~   Pour into a large glass and top with cream and cocoa, however …

If you are not sufficiently equipped to crush ice this way then wrap it in a tea towel, smash to pieces with a hammer or similar and put in the glass. Pour over the coffee mixture, or …

Just put the whole ice cubes in the glass before adding the drink!

Ca Phe Sua Da – Vietnamese Iced Coffee

This is surprisingly delicious so don’t sneer till you’ve tried it! For a simple version stir together one part condensed milk and three parts delicious hot coffee. Pour this over the back of a teaspoon into a tall glass containing loads of ice cubes.

Irish Coffee

(and other nationalities of course depending on your chose liqueur)

Per person …

A tot of Irish Whiskey (or other delicious spirit or liqueur)
1 tsp sugar
a cupful of hot strong black coffee
60ml double cream

~   Warm a generous wine glass in warm water (this is to stop it cracking with the heat of the
      coffee) and put a teaspoon in it (so is this!).
~   Put the sugar and half the coffee in the glass and stir to dissolve the sugar.
~   Stir in the alcohol and then add enough coffee to come to about 1cm/½” below the top of
      the glass.
~   Stir then slowly pour the cream over the back of a teaspoon onto the surface of the coffee
      where it should float.

Affogato …

… is Italian for “drowned” and in the foodie world usually refers to ice cream ‘drowned’ in coffee, in which case its full name is Affogato al Caffe. If using Java’mon coffee then it would  be appropriate to add rum, of course, and maybe sprinkle with broken sugar cake.

Per person …

1 scoop chosen ice cream
1 shot espresso or strong coffee or whatever your choice is
1 tbsp brandy or some other spirit or liqueur – optional
2 amaretti or something suitable and crumbly – optional

~   Chill serving dish(es).
~   Put a scoop of chosen ice cream into each dish and
      return to the freezer for a few minutes.
~   Brew coffee or espresso.
~   Have ready chosen liqueur if using.
~   Crumble crumbly thing if using.
~   Remove ice cream from freezer and swiftly and
      immediately pour liqueur and coffee over it.
~   Sprinkle with crumbly thing and serve.

Dark Mocha Sauce

For ice creams, cakes, desserts in general or just eating.

80ml brewed coffee, 
85g soft dark brown sugar
60g cocoa powder
pinch salt
30g butter
½ tsp vanilla extract

~   Whisk together the coffee and sugar in a small pan
      over medium heat till the sugar has melted.
~   Whisk in the cocoa and salt till smooth.
~   Finally whisk in the butter and vanilla extract.
~   Serve hot or cold (or warm) or like this with coffee ice
      cream (recipe in my no-churn ice cream book) and
      buttery cake croutons.

Coffee Meringues

See here for my honestly fail-proof recipe Coffee Meringue recipe and other meringus. 

And a couple of savoury ideas for leftover coffee…

Ham with Red Eye Gravy

This is traditionally served in America’s Deep South with hot biscuits (which here in the UK we call scones!) or grits (a kind of conrmeal porridge) for breakfast.

Per person

a teaspoon of bacon fat
a thick slice of ham (a gammon steak perchance)
a pinch of sugar
30ml strong coffee

~   Melt the bacon fat in a heavy pan, cook the ham in it then set aside and keep warm.
~   Add the sugar and coffee to the pan and cook, stirring and scraping up any meaty juices.
~   Taste, season, dilute if necessary with a little more coffee or water and pour over the ham.

Iced Coffee

Fill tall glasses with ice cubes, maybe the coffee ice cubes below, and then almost fill the glass with cold or, even better, chilled coffee.  Add sugar or coffee syrup (above) to taste and then stir in a tablespoon or so of cream – double cream is best.

Coffee Art

If you have leftover coffee grounds you don’t know what to do with have a look here!

Oh and …

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