WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (WGHP) — So many need a hot cup of coffee to start our day.
While home brew’s delicious, there seems to be something special about coffee brewed at your favorite shop. So we wondered, how can we brew a better cup of coffee at home?
On this Recipe Wednesday, Shannon Smith stops by Camino Bakery in Winston-Salem to find out the secrets from the coffee experts.
Clever Dripper
Ingredients:
- 30 g or around 5 tablespoons of ground coffee
- 500 ml or g or 16 ounces of purified water.
Equipment:
- Gooseneck or Regular Tea Kettle
- Clever Dripper
- Paper Filters
- A scale that can register grams (if available)
Instructions:
- Fill the kettle with purified water but do not fill until completely full to prevent boiling over. If you lack a scale, you can pre-portion the water and place it into the kettle. I would use 18 ounces to account for evaporation and wetting the filter.
- Heat the kettle until boiling then take off the burner and let cool for one minute.
- Place a filter into the clever dripper and wet it using the hot water from the kettle. Either pour the filtered water out or place the dripper onto a cup to empty it. Make sure to empty it of the water before proceeding.
- Place the ground coffee into the filter (if applicable, grind the coffee during this step).
- If a scale is available, place the clever dripper onto it.
- Pour enough water to where it reaches the top of the bed of coffee. If using a scale, pour 3 times the weight of coffee, so in this case 90 grams. Let the coffee ‘bloom’ for 30 seconds.
- After 30 seconds, fill to 500 grams or about a half inch short of the top of the dripper.
- Start a timer for 3 minutes.
- After 3 minutes, place on top of the coffee server or 16 oz mug.
Vanilla Extract
Ingredients:
- 10 vanilla beans
- 750 ml bottle of high-proof vodka (quality of vodka is debatable as to impact on flavor)
- Using a paring knife, carefully slice open the vanilla beans lengthwise.
- Place the vanilla beans directly into the vodka bottle or preferred container.
- Using masking tape, date the bottle with the creation date and end date. The extract preferably should sit for a month and a half, but a month will be satisfactory.
- After letting the extract sit for the allotted time, decant into another container. Extracts can last for a very long time if stored in an airtight container at room temperature out of light, though mileage may vary. You can also reuse the vanilla beans to make more vanilla extract.
Vanilla Syrup
Ingredients:
- 375 grams of sugar
- 400 ml of water
- 40 grams of vanilla extract
Instructions:
- Place water and sugar into a pot, then using a low to medium setting, heat until boiling while carefully stirring to ensure it does not harden on the bottom of the pot (if the sugar caramelizes on the bottom of the pot, it is very difficult to remove).
- Once the syrup has reached a boil, remove it from the heating element. Next, add in the extract and stir to fully incorporate extract.
- Cover the syrup with a cloth and let cool to room temperature. Once the syrup has reached room temperature, use a funnel and pour into your preferred storage vessel. Please do not pour hot syrup into a glass container or a non-heat-resistant plastic container. The temperature exchange between the hot syrup and the glass can lead to the glass shattering, which can be very dangerous.
- The vanilla syrup can last a month if stored in a refrigerator and 1 week on the counter. I use masking tape to label and date all syrups I make.
