Cold Brew Coffee (with Cardamom!)

In honor of International Coffee Day yesterday, we’re bringing you an international coffee recipe!

I’m sure by now you’ve heard of cold brew coffee. Especially now that Starbucks has started featuring it. For those of you who aren’t sure about it: No, it’s not cold coffee. You can still drink it hot. Yes, it’s so much more delicious, flavorful and fresh than regular brewed. No, you don’t have to use it all at once. It can stay in the fridge for up to two weeks. Yes, it gives you an excuse to use one of your cute mason jars for real (and not just decoration).

My British friend (told you this would be international) recently introduced me to this British fellow, Mike Cooper, after discussing homemade cold brew coffee. I thought I needed huge special equipment and my own goddamn coffee tree to make cold brew. But therein lies the beauty – you only need a bowl and a strainer. (Oh, and that cute mason jar.) That’s it. However, I will warn you – it does take about 24 hours to make, but it’s well worth the wait. Trust.

  • 2 cups fresh coffee grinds
  • 4 cups filtered water
  • 1/4 cup cardmom pods (optional)*
  • Paper towel or a sieve

In a large bowl, pour in the coffee grinds and water. *If you’re making cardamom coffee, mix in the pods. Cover it with a tea towel and place in the fridge. Our British fellow says to leave it for 20 hours but I’ve been doing between 24-28. You’ll see a nice foam at the top when you take it out.

After the wait is finally over, you’re going to strain the grinds. If you’re using a sieve, strain the coffee into a medium sized bowl. Once strained, covered another bowl with the paper towel and pour the coffee over it.

If you’re using paper towel, you’ve already cut to the second part and will only need to strain once. Cover a medium sized bowl with the paper towel and pour the coffee over slowly, letting it strain through.

At this point the coffee is really concentrated, but it gives you the freedom to choose how strong you want your cup to be. Pour a little coffee into a cup, and using piping hot water (or cold for iced coffee) fill it to your liking. If you’re a big fan of iced coffee like my husband, you can also use the concentrate to make a few iced cubes for next time.

cold-brew-coffee

 

Happy Drinking, XO.

Homemade Dill Dressing

Ever since Sonia posted the flies and swims recipe, I’ve had cravings for dill. Weird, I know. I’ve never given dill a second thought (why would I?). But it was so refreshing, I want it in all the recipes! So it got me thinking, how hard could it be to make a dill dressing? I got a little “epicurious” and found a simple recipe for it, but my own spin on it is below. It’s the perfect compliment to our kale and quinoa salad (recipe coming soon!).

*Makes about 2 cups of dressing.

  • 1 1/4 cups mayonnaise (please don’t use Miracle Whip. I usually love the stuff but it def doesn’t work for this. Trust me, I tried it with the first batch.)
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 1/3 cup heavy cream
  • 1/3 cup chopped fresh dill
  • 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

Whisk the mayo, sour cream, and heavy cream first, then blend in the rest of the ingredients. I stored mine in a cute mason jar so it will last a little longer. And who doesn’t love mason jars these days?!

Happy Eating, XO.