Of Eggs and Coffee

We have 4 female ducks. As spring approaches, we are averaging about 2 eggs per day. Now that may not seem like a lot. But you try eating over a dozen eggs per week, every week. And, I have to say, we can get a little tired of omelettes. To make it more interesting, we will add in a plethora of coffee. Our mornings are coffee fuelled, leaving us with coffee, beans and even grounds. I am consequently on the search for something new to do with our eggs, and coffee. Why the heck not.

My first new attempt has been Coffee-Caramel Creme Brulee, a recipe I found when I was looking for additional uses for coffee. So two birds with one stone, as it were.  Now I haven’t made Crème Brulee before as it seems rather fiddly. Actually, I think anything involving a bain-marie makes it feel more complicated than I generally might be interested in.  However, needs must and this recipe eggs and coffee recipe appealed.

The warm water in a roasting pan is not really that difficult. No, it was turning the sugar into caramel that was actually the most time consuming part. That was all of 11 minutes.  I did slightly over do it and it lumped into candy so I had to take time to dissolve it back into the crème with lots of stirring. But I got there in the end.

But what has prompted me to write this blog is the coffee bit. In this recipe you take coffee beans and you heat them in cream, creating a coffee flavoured crème. Then you are supposed to throw away the beans.

Now they have a lovely coating of crème, and I am definitely of the no waste principle, so I decided to try my hand at chocolate covered coffee beans ~ and see if the crème possibly adds anything to it.

Turns out chocolate covered coffee beans are simple, really simple.

Now its funny, I baulk at a bain-marie but have no issue with a double boiler. Or in my case a glass bowl over a simmering pan of hot water for melting chocolate. I find it strangely therapeutic. Once the chocolate is melted (and I used a single bar of dark 70% chocolate), you simply add the roasted coffee beans. Swish them around until covered and then scoop them out and lay on sheet of baking/waxed paper. Let the chocolate cool. Rrefrigerate if you are in a hurry or its a hot day. And there you have them.

It’s funny how eggs and coffee are a sort of natural combination. Something in the flavour combo I think. My searches and cooking above prompted me to search out more eggs and coffee recipes. It turns out that the two combined as a drink is worldwide. And varied. From a Traditional Swedish Egg Coffee to Ca phe trung, or Vietnamese Egg Coffee. The are made with completely different methods, and consequent tastes. The Swedish version clarifies and boosts the caffeine, whilst the Vietnamese version is like drinking liquid tiramasu.

Time to add some walnuts since we always have lots of them from foraging each year. So, now I am on the search for the perfect walnut coffee cake. I’ll let you know what I find…