Cooking with coffee- Chicken Mole recipe.

Posted January 12, 2010

 

I recently committed via our facebook page to take a hiatus from eating out in order to try my hand at cooking more.  I plan to cook up a caffeinated storm in my tiny Highlands kitchen this winter- as long as the recipe involves coffee.  Above you can see my first tasty attempt, a Chicken Mole made with Heine Brothers' own Guatemala San Marcos.  Mole is a term that is used in Mexico to refer to any number of sauces or concoctions, like guacamole.  The mole that we are familiar with in the U.S. normally involves poblano chiles and chocolate, most notably.  The sweetness of the chocolate is a perfect match for the bold, tangy flavor of the coffee included in this dish.  In an effort to deviate from the norm,  I tried boneless chicken thighs in this recipe instead of the very usual (and somewhat bland) boneless chicken breast.  They were ultra convenient, well worth the extra few cents per pound, and gave an added richness to the flavor of the mole.

If you have any coffee related recipes that you'd like to share with me (and my ever-hungry friends), you can email them to:  scrawford@heinebroscoffee.com

 

 

Chicken Mole with Coffee Extract

Recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse
Serves 2

Ingredients
* 2 (5 to 6-ounce) chicken breasts
* 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon coffee syrup, recipe follows
* 1 cup pistachios, shelled and toasted, plus extra for garnish
* 1 poblano pepper, roasted, peeled and chopped
* 1/2 cup chopped onion
* 3 tablespoons chopped cilantro leaves, plus extra for garnish
* 1 tablespoon finely-chopped bittersweet chocolate
* 1 teaspoon garlic
* 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
* 1/4 teaspoon cumin
* Salt and pepper
* 3 cups stock
* 2 tablespoons cream

Directions
Marinate chicken breasts in 1 cup of coffee syrup for several hours or overnight. Preheat a grill or broiler. In a saucepan combine remaining 1 tablespoon coffee syrup with remaining ingredients, except cream, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes. Puree with an immersion blender and pass sauce through a strainer into a clean saucepan. Or pour sauce into a blender or food processor and puree; strain for a very smooth sauce. Whisk in cream and adjust seasonings to taste. Meanwhile, grill or broil chicken, turning once, until well-browned, about 8 minutes in all. To serve, top each chicken breast with sauce and garnish with pistachios and cilantro leaves.
COFFEE SYRUP:

* 2 cups strong coffee
* 1 cup sugar
* 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

In a small saucepan heat coffee just to simmering. Stir in sugar and vanilla and simmer 8 minutes, stirring until sugar dissolves; cool before using. Yield: 1 to 1 1/2 cups

Printed from FoodNetwork.com on Mon Dec 28 2009
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