Not only is our coffee a fabulous drink, it is also incredibly versatile in so many ways. In the garden around the home OR as an ingredient in your favourite recipes…

We asked Jane Baxter, chef of Wild Artichokes in Kingsbridge, for her favourite ‘coffee’ based recipe. Jane has worked with Joyce Molyneux at the Carved Angel in Dartmouth, the River Café in London and for Riverford, first setting up the staff canteen, then local school meals and finally was responsible for the style of food and service at the Riverford Field Kitchen along with her business partner Samantha Miller.

Jane has also had numerous cookery books published and wrote the recipes for the two Riverford Farm Cook books – the first of which gained two Guild of Food Writers awards.

So here is Jane’s favourite recipe:

Tiramisu Cake

125g caster sugar
5 egg yolks
500g mascarpone (room temperature)
125g thick cream, whipped
95-100g strong, cooled espresso Owens coffee
65g Frangelico liqueur or similar
1 packet of sponge biscuits
1 tbsp of cocoa powder

Liqueur Cream
125g whipping cream
1 tbsp icing sugar
1 tbsp cold espresso Owens coffee
1 tbsp Frangelico or similar

Beat caster sugar and egg yolks until pale and thick. Fold in mascarpone until incorporated then the whipped cream and half of the Frangelico. Set aside.
In a separate bowl mix espresso coffee with remaining liqueur. Quickly dunk the sponge biscuits one at a time (don’t let them get soggy, but ensure not too dry too) and pack in a single layer in the base of a serving dish or mould. Spoon half of the mascarpone mixture over, and then repeat with remaining biscuits and mascarpone mixture. Sprinkle cocoa powder over the top and cover loosely. Refrigerate overnight if you can wait that long!, and serve with the liqueur cream. For the cream simply whip the cream with icing sugar til thickened and then fold through the coffee and Frangelico.

To find out more about Jane and her work, visit www.wildartichokes.co.uk

Did you know a tablespoon of fine ground coffee works fantastically well in a ‘chilli’, just add chocolate, bourbon and brown sugar too! You can also use it as a rub for all meats. Adds a superb depth of flavour - here is our ‘Owens Coffee Rub’ recipe:

Teaspoon of sea salt
A couple of good grinds of black pepper
3 teaspoons of fine ground Owens Coffee
Teaspoon of cocoa powder
2 garlic cloves

Pop all in a pestle & mortar and crush gently together! Rub on your steak, ribs or chops!

Coffee grinds are also excellent as a fertiliser for your garden. The benefit of using coffee grounds as a fertiliser is that it adds organic material to the soil, which improves drainage, water retention and aeration in the soil. The used coffee grounds will also help microorganisms beneficial to plant growth thrive as well as attract earthworms. You can also add them to your compost heap to instantly add nitrogen and encourage and speed up the ‘composting’ process. There is also evidence that they deter snails and slugs from plants if sprinkled around liberally.

Around the home, used coffee grounds can work as an odour neutraliser in your fridge, are great as an exfoliation treat for you in the shower, simply add coconut oil, and can even be used as a scoured for your pots and pans. Coffee really is a very versatile commodity!

#coffeetips
#drinkmorecoffee