So much more than a liquid caffeine fix, roasted ground beans will enhance all kinds of recipes
Beef in espresso and stout sauce with hasselback potatoes
Serves 4
To make the hasselback potatoes:
1. Prepare 12 small potatoes by finely slicing 2mm slices almost through but not quite to the bottom.
2. Rub cut potatoes with 25g softened butter, 1 heaped tsp smoked paprika, finely grated zest of 1 lemon and two generous pinches of coarse sea salt.
3. Arrange on a baking tray and roast in a hot oven (200C/Fan 180C/375F) for about 40 mins until brown and crispy.
4. Set cooked potatoes aside to add to the top of the finished casserole.
To make the casserole:
1. Marinate 750g chuck steak, cut into chunks, in 35ml freshly made espresso, for min 4hrs.
2. Melt 30g butter in a large pan and brown 125g cubed, smoked bacon.
3. Transfer bacon into a casserole with a slotted spoon. In the buttery bacon fat, lightly brown 250g whole, peeled baby shallots and transfer to casserole.
4. Toss the marinated beef in 30g seasoned plain flour, shake off excess and brown in the same pan before transferring to casserole.
5. Deglaze the pan with a slosh of stout (from 330ml bottle) and add this, with any scrapings, to the casserole.
6. Add remaining stout and a bouquet garni (homemade or tea bag), season and bring to the boil on the stovetop.
7. Cover and place in a low oven (120C/Fan 100C/250F) for 1½hrs.
8. Brown 250g button mushrooms in a little butter and add to the casserole for a further hr of cooking (2½hrs total), until the meat is tender.
VOLCANO MARTINI
Makes 1.
To give your martini a hint of vanilla, add the seeds from a vanilla pod to 240ml cold-brewed coffee and leave to infuse overnight (or you could just add or drop or two of vanilla essence per martini).
Combine 50ml vodka and 30ml vanilla-infused cold-brewed coffee in a lidded container, such a cocktail mixer.
Add 10–25ml condensed milk, to taste; shake and double strain into a chilled martini glass.
Dust with grated dark chocolate and serve.
ESPRESSO MILLIONAIRE’S SHORTBREAD
Makes 24 squares.
Preheat the oven to 180C/Fan 160C/350F.
Line a 33x23cm shallow tin with parchment.
Put 210g melted butter, 110g caster sugar, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 1/2 tsp salt, 260g plain flour and 2 tbsp ground espresso coffee into a food processor and blitz to form a paste-like ball of dough.
Press evenly into prepared tin and bake for 25-30mins until firm. W
hen cool, spread over contents of a 400g can of dulce de leche; set aside.
To make the ganache, chunk 200g dark chocolate and 75g white chocolate into a bowl with 2 tsp sunflower oil.
Put 200ml cream with 2 tsp ground espresso coffee into a pan over a medium heat.
Heat until just before it bubbles, then remove from heat and strain through a sieve into the chocolate and oil.
Leave for 1 min, then whisk gently to combine until smooth. Pour over caramel and smooth with palette knife.
Leave somewhere cool (not the fridge) to set, then cut into squares.
Recipes courtesy of Volcano Coffee Works (www.volcanocoffeeworks.com), a small batch speciality coffee roaster