Cold-Brewed Iced Coffee

Most moms I know have complained, at one point or another, about not being able to fit in a morning shower. But they always get their coffee.

I have the opposite problem. I've never skipped the shower, but there's rarely time to brew coffee. I'm the only one with a java habit in our home, so no one else misses it.

Come summer, cold-brewed coffee solves my problem (and saves me from dropping a lot of cash at a certain coffee shop). Just after the kids go to bed, I stir coffee grounds into a jar of water and leave it on the counter. In the morning, I strain it through a coffee filter once or twice, toss the used grounds in the grass or compost heap, and enjoy some strong, smooth iced coffee.

This coffee concentrate stays good in the refrigerator at least a week or two. It works well in recipes requiring strong coffee. You also can zap it in the microwave for a hot cup.

Cold-Brewed Iced Coffee

Scale the recipe to make as much as you want. I usually make a double or quadruple batch.

3-4 tablespoons ground coffee
1 cup water

Put coffee in a glass jar and add water. Stir with a chopstick or butter knife to combine. Put lid on jar and let sit on counter for 12 hours (overnight).

Line a small fine-mesh strainer with a coffee filter, and set strainer over a small bowl. Pour coffee and water through strainer; repeat if strained coffee looks sludgy. Rinse remaining coffee grounds from jar and lid. Pour coffee concentrate into jar and store in refrigerator.

To make coffee, combine equal parts water and coffee concentrate, or to taste, adding milk, cream or sweetener as desired. And lots of ice. Try adding sweetened condensed milk for an easy Vietnamese coffee. For hot coffee, heat in microwave.

Playdate Special: Coconut Tapioca Frozen Cream

There I was in the middle of one of the cafés at the amazing California Academy of Sciences when I saw that tempting beauty: one small jar of tapioca cream with something on the top, perhaps a syrup or jam made of fruit. That was enough to trigger a little old obsession. I  was in a rush to see the albino alligator, so didn't have time to eat it.

At that point, though,  I didn't know if I was daydreaming -- probably one of the jet-lag effects, but I knew it was time for me to experiment again with tapioca pearls. I grew up having tapioca pudding (called sagu where I come from) always a treat from my grandma's kitchen. I don't know the original recipe, but remember well it was cooked in grape juice and served with créme anglaise. Later I ate it cooked in diluted red wine instead of grape juice. And just about three weeks ago, my mother-in-law prepared a cake with it to celebrate my husband's birthday.

Because I was craving it, I decided to go for a very reliable brand and ordered it as soon as I could to not make a mistake. Last time I tried to prepare tapioca, it was a disaster, mainly because it was a bit sour, probably because of the type of cassava used to make it.

So there I was with my project for the playdate: I wanted to make ice cream, tapioca coconut cake and tapioca pudding from my grandma. The result was what my kids loved. Darienne went home with one package of pearls hopeful that her older boy would like it. He did. And on Saturday, some of our guests and their kids tried the dessert before it was frozen. And went home with little samples and the desire to eat more. They were so pleased that they asked for this very simple recipe, that I now share with you.

Tapioca Coconut Frozen (or not) Cream 

The brand of tapioca is important for this one here. You can also try to make it with the large pearls. And let me know how was that! I served it with a swirl of organic dates syrup. And I and Darienne believe that you can add other delicacies over the top, or even inside the mix, such as cardamom, nutmeg, cinnamon or other syrup.

1 cup uncooked tapioca white pearls
2 cups water
2 cups nonfat or 2% milk
1 can organic coconut milk
1 can sweet condensed milk

Soak tapioca for at least 30 minutes before  cooking. Add milk and bring to a boil. Simmer the mix, adding condensed milk, and cook on low heat for about 20 minutes or until you see that the pearls are transparent and the mix has a pudding look. Add coconut milk and cook for about 5 minutes more. You can now include your favorite spice, such as cardamom or nutmeg. Cool and and transfer mix to an ice cream maker. Process it for about 30 minutes. Serve it right after preparation or freeze it. 

Second Helping: Inspired Aroma Salad

One of the best salads I had while on vacation was made with three of the main Israeli ingredients: Fresh chopped cucumbers, tomatoes and lots, lots of good extra virgin olive oil. The specific one that I keep dreaming about over and over again was surrounded by quinoa and was topped with grilled eggplant, haricots vert (one of my favorite ingredients in life), mint and a bit of green onions.

I tasted it between one laugh and another with my friend Tamara, who lived here in the Bay Area and now is living in Tel Aviv. We met to catch up in a chain cafe called Aroma, where generous bowls of salad share the stage with coffee. I would dare saying that's exactly what makes the place so specially Israeli: They could not live without salad. Nor good and strong coffee. Any time of the day.

So, after tasting it I could not forget it. I tried one interpretation of it for my husband's birthday and the second time I prepared it was for our last playdate. We were lucky to have Darienne's grilled eggplant and fresh mint form her garden to help achieve the maximum perfection. My boys obviously decided not to eat it. But they tried before and liked it. So, peer pressure was there and no person under the age of 6 touched the micro portion on their plate.

In the meantime I was pleased to watch Darienne and Doug trying it - and enjoying it! So I hope to share the same pleasure with you here in this very simple recipe .

Israeli Inspired Salad

I used a very nice crunchy cucumber, called here Persian, and seasonal sweet tomatoes. But I am sure that most of the success of this salad lies on the quality of the olive oil. 

4 cups cooked quinoa, prepared as instructed by package plus 2 tablespoons olive oil
3 ripe sweet tomatoes, chopped in 1/2-inch cubes with peel and seeds
4 small cucumbers (Persian) or 2 big sized cucumbers (English), chopped in 1/2-inch cubes, peel on
Enough olive oil to involve all ingredients
Juice from one lime
Kosher salt, to taste
1/4 medium purple onion, chopped in tiny cubes (optional)
4 slices grilled eggplant (see Darienne's recipe here)
Haricot verts, to garnish
Mint leaves, chopped to salad and whole leaves to garnish
Chives or spring onions, to garnish

Mix all ingredients but don't overdo it: you want to see all chunks there and quinoa grains involving them. Top bowl with French green beans, eggplant, mint leaves, chives or spring onions.