Don’t talk to me until I’ve had my coffee in the morning. I can’t deal without it.
But how do you take yours?
Black, with cream and sugar, or maybe in an exciting sauce?
That’s right: your morning java has much more potential than you realize!
Here are six interesting ways to use coffee in your weekly meals. If you’re a coffee lover, you’ll want to try these ideas!
Coffee-Rubbed Meat
Coffee grounds can add a complex bitterness to your dry rubs for steak or pork. Just make sure to pair it with spices that can hold up and that you’re using a coffee with a flavor profile that matches the dish you’re preparing. For example, a dark roast would likely benefit from the lift of brown sugar, garlic, paprika, and even citrus. In contrast, a more acidic light roast might require tempering with a fresh herb sauce like chimichurri or a fruit glaze.
Coffee in Your Marinades
Acidic coffees are excellent additions to your meat marinade, especially if you don’t want a more coffee-forward flavor that you’d get with a dry rub. This is another perfect use of coffee if you’re making beef or pork, and considerably less desirable for leaner meats like chicken or fish. Either way, add just a splash or two of brewed coffee to your marinade to act as a tenderizer and see your meat come out consistently lovely and juicy!
Coffee in Stews
Stay with us here: yes, coffee is actually an excellent component for certain types of stew. Coffee and tomato pair well together, but usually, if the tomato flavor is much more concentrated, so using it in stews that call for tomato paste will turn out better than using solely fresh; we can’t in good conscience recommend coffee in a tomato soup or gazpacho. However, try adding it to beef stew or chilis, and you’ll have a much more interesting flavor profile in the final product.
Coffee as a Vegetable Glaze
Heartier roasting veggies, like carrots or brussel sprouts, would love to be smothered in a coffee-rich glaze. Lean more into building some sweetness with ingredients like maple syrup and balsamic, add a touch of coffee and spices like garlic powder or cumin, and reduce it until you get a glossy sauce. Brush the sauce over your veggies and roast them on high heat for something simple, decadent, and utterly different from your average vegetable dish!
Coffee in Cocktails and Mocktails
Brewed coffee is an excellent base for an exciting cocktail concept. And no, we’re not just referring to an Irish coffee or espresso martini. Making coffee syrups or tinctures can transform a basic cocktail and make it something extraordinary. Consider adding coffee syrup to some spiced chai and rum, then finishing it with some cherry bitters; there are a lot of different angles you can take here, so don’t be afraid to experiment with different flavors!
Coffee in Barbecue Sauce
Much like with your veggie glaze, coffee is delicious and more common than you’d expect as an ingredient in barbecue sauce. It often lends a rich, smoky intensity that will be hard to pinpoint but even harder to replace. This is also the first application on this list that would be delicious on other proteins like chicken and tofu, so it’s a much more universal way to enjoy coffee with your cooking!
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