Thai Iced Coffee

Thai Iced Coffee

This sweet treat can easily take the place of dessert at the end of a spicy meal, offering a refreshing finish for the palate.

Serves 4

Ingredients

Ground coffee (enough to brew 4 cups)
¼ teaspoon ground coriander
4 cardamom pods, crushed
Sugar, to taste
Heavy cream
Ice

Preparation

Mix the ground coriander and cardamom pods with ground coffee and brew 4 cups as you normally would, then allow to cool.  In each of 4 tall glasses, dissolve 1 or 2 teaspoons of sugar in a little of the cooled coffee.  Add several ice cubes and the rest of the coffee, leaving an inch or so at the top of each glass. Holding a spoon over the glass, rounded (bottom) side up, slowly pour the cream over the spoon and into the glass so it floats on top of the coffee.

Serve immediately.

[Chef’s Notes: When crushing cardamom pods, we suggest wrapping them in a piece of cling film or putting them in a zip-top baggie, then giving them a few good strikes on a wooden cutting board with a kitchen mallet, hammer, or cast—iron pan. This is also an excellent stress reliever.

For a lighter drink, you can substitute evaporated milk for the heavy cream; for a more authentically Southeast Asian taste, use sweetened condensed milk.  For a stronger drink, use double-strength espresso.]

Recipe by Mark Tafoya