Hey, did I ever mention that my mom is from New Orleans? Maybe once or twice. Or four times. Whatever. So part of my New Orleans heritage (that I apparently like to trot out with some regularity on this site*) is cafe au lait. That would be coffee with milk for all you non-French speakers (like me--I took Spanish in high school, so that would be cafe con leche). But not just ANY coffee. No, it must be coffee with chicory.
I don't really like coffee. I'll just get that out of the way right now. I was never a coffee drinker. Even in college, when many people pick up the habit of staying up late and then drinking coffee in the morning to get through classes, I never did. The only coffee I ever drank was New Orleans-style coffee with chicory when we visited my grandmother, Duchess, in New Orleans. It's crazy-strong, bitter, and mixed with a lot of milk. And that is still the only coffee I will drink.
Of course, this poses a bit of a problem, since I obviously live nowhere near New Orleans, and our local coffee companies don't seem inclined to indulge my own personal coffee preferences. (I KNOW--don't they know who I AM?) But I got a hook-up. My mom sends me 12 pounds of Community Coffee's New Orleans Blend Coffee and Chicory every year for my birthday. I only drink one cup a day, so you might think 12 pounds is overkill for a year's supply. And it would be, for normal coffee. But this is New Orleans-style coffee. This is the coffee used for cafe au lait. This needs to be some strong, no-pansies-allowed coffee. So to make 8 cups of coffee, I use about three-quarters of a cup of grounds. Maybe more. I don't really measure it.
I suspect that what I'm making is basically like espresso. The coffee is mixed with an equal amount of milk. Now technically, the milk is supposed to be heated separately and then poured into the cup at the same time as the hot coffee. This is all well and good for those who have servants, but in reality, what happens is I pour the coffee, dump in milk, and nuke it for a couple of minutes. Then I add sugar. Because I like sugar.
I also hate making coffee every morning, so I make half a pot at a time and then drink it for the next three days. Some of you may think this is disgusting. To you I say, get away from my coffee, then. I don't want to share, anyway.
I am well aware that coffee preferences are highly personal, so tell me: What's your coffee ritual?
* I don't think I've even mentioned that my father is from Wisconsin. I should get all nostalgic and maudlin in the presence of bratwurst and cheese, too, but somehow, those don't seem to have the same effect on me as red beans and rice. Sorry, Dad.
YES! My husband is from Louisiana & his family stocks us up on Community Coffee every year when we visit. I love it! My friend calls me a "coffee purist" because I enjoy a big cup of strong coffee with none of the fancy stuff. Just black. My parents always drank from the same coffee pot for a few days, but I can't do that here. Ours starts to get mold on it the 2nd day.
ReplyDeleteHey speaking of mold & my dad (ha ha!)...when I was a kid, if something was ever moldy (like cheese or vegetables) my dad would just cut that part off & cook with the rest. Aaaand...he made us drink milk past the expiration date!!! I always thought this was normal until I was an adult & my friends would freak out about it. Anyway, my dad grew up on a farm in the country so I was wondering if you do the same thing now that you're country folk?
That little side about your dad and WI? I just moved here to Wi and it's brats brats brats everwhere! got a fund raiser going on? have brats! picnic? have brats?
ReplyDeletebackyard BBQ? yep, there has to be brats! how about some chicken?
Most of the other important people in my life (parents, brother, boyfriend) are coffee addicts. I love the way coffee smells, but I hate the way it tastes. About once every two or three months I will drink a cup, but I make it into cafe au lait also - lotsa milk and sugar, because otherwise: yuck.
ReplyDeletebigskygirls: my dad used to do the same thing. And he also used to combine things - like if there was a little bit of Grape Nuts left in the box, he would mix it in with the Raisin Bran. My brother and I used to get so grossed out by that.
bsg: Funny you should mention that . . . yes, the MiL has taught me that for certain things (hard cheeses, jams and jellies) you can just get rid of the mold and the rest will be fine. My family never did this. For other things, like soft cheeses, you really shouldn't use them if they're moldy. And as for using milk after the expiration date? Sure, as long as it smells and tastes okay, you're good to go.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to get some irate e-mails about food safety advice from the USDA now, aren't I?
I am absolutely passionate about my coffee and, like you, a tad bit picky.
ReplyDeleteIt HAS to be Ethiopia Sidomo beans from Starbucks, freshly ground, and it has to cafe au lait, flavored, preferably with two tsp. of toffee nut syrup. (Hazlenut will do in a pinch).
I used to spend an insane amount of money at Starbucks buying cup after cup of this perfect concoction until I discovered this:
http://www.bialettishop.com/MokaExpressMain.htm
It's a stovetop cafe au lait maker, easy as pie to use, and CHEAP. After spending $39 to buy it, I saved that amount in the first week by not making daily Starbucks trips. I did, however, buy a big bottle of Starbucks toffee nut syrup (for only $4).
This morning, however, I'm stranded in a Tulsa hotel in the aftermath of an ice storm, so I shall walk downstairs to the lobby and buy, what else but a Starbucks latte.
Alton Brown's USDA police shall smite you.
ReplyDeleteI love love love love LOVE cafe au lait, but don't think I've ever had one made with chicory.
ReplyDeleteSo, do you know how to make beignets too? They look like the food of the gods.
Probably lots of you have wondered how Kristin manages to live with a MiL. Well, for one thing, I steer clear of her asphalt (whoops, I mean coffee). A., on the other hand, excellent spouse and son that he is, happily drinks New Orleans' style cafe au lait or my Gevalia. What a diplomatic soul! One happy family. Two coffee pots.
ReplyDeleteGoosefoot Acres in Cleveland makes a chicory coffee drink. http://www.dandyblend.com/
ReplyDeleteMr Chiots is an accomplished barist so we have all kinds of deliciuos hot coffee. In the morning I have a latte with raw milk, in the afternoon a cappucino, if I'm lucky he'll throw a shot of kahlua in there. Here are some photos of the master at work: http://chiotsrun.com/2009/01/24/relaxing-with-a-cup-of/
We also like to drink various herbal teas throughout the day. We love working from home!
How ironic. I'm sipping coffee as I read this. When I purchase my coffee from The Cofee Bean & Tea Leaf (cuz I would never do Starbucks) I order a small caffe late with skim milk. But, when I make it at home I just brew good ol' Folgers and add milk and three big lumps of sugar.
ReplyDeleteWhen you get the coffee just right, temperature and taste, it's heaven on earth.
You must brew your coffee daily. It's not right otherwise. I use Dunkin' Donuts coffee, brewed in my stainless steel carafe (which keeps the coffee hot for a while, but it never tastes burnt because the burner turns off after brewing!).
ReplyDeleteYou should write a whole post about cheese and dedicate it to your dad and his Wisconsin roots. Mmmm...cheese.
And please, do not use your milk past the expiration date! I don't even like to drink milk on its expiration date. It skeeves me out. There is a reason there are expiration dates on such things.
Mmmm, Community Coffee. I drink the normal stuff daily (and although I prefer fresh ground beans, I can't deal with the noise first thing in the am, so it's pre-ground beans) but I do love being over at Mom and Dad's house and getting the real stuff. Although you really should heat it on the stove with the milk (and boil it over often...just for authenticity)
ReplyDeleteAny kind of coffee is just fine so long as it is delivered to me IN BED, before the day has officially begun. Effortless coffee-- is that a brand name?
ReplyDeleteMikey
I don't drink coffee at all. But i do drink Dr. Pepper in the mornings. Does that count?
ReplyDeleteLeft over. Iced. Always iced. Never hot. Milk no sugar.
ReplyDeleteAnd that super strong NO style? Sounds delish but I kind of get shaky just thinking about it. I am lightweight when it comes to caffeine.
Ooooohh, Cafe du Monde beignets and chicory coffee. I know I can't be buried there but maybe they could just prop up my rotting body at one of those little cafe tables...
ReplyDeleteJ.T.: Actually, we made beignets from scratch one time, and they weren't that great. So the last time I was in New Orleans, I picked up a box of Cafe du Monde (the place in the French Quarter famous for beignets and cafe au lait) beignet mix at an airport gift shop. I figured it was just a touristy rip-off and wouldn't be any better than the ones we made. But it was. Lots better. Almost perfect, in fact. Weirdly enough, the mix includes barley flour, which must be the secret ingredient.
ReplyDeleteBut of course, the best part of beignets is the powdered sugar dumped over the top of the hot, greasy beignets. For the truly authentic New Orleans experience, it's best to eat beignets and steamy cafe au lait at one of the outside tables at the Cafe du Monde when it's 95 degrees with 90 percent humidity. That way, you can blow powdered sugar all over the other people at your table and it will stick to their sweaty faces. Just ask my sister.
Your post kind of made me sad that I don't have a coffee ritual. Oh well, c'est le vie!
ReplyDeleteMiL, that is indeed a diplomatic son. Diplomatic, or blessed with dead tastebuds, eh? ;)
Sincerely, it's a lucky household that can benefit from being happily multi-generational.