Tasty, refined, and indisputably chic: introducing coffee sauce! It may not be the easiest dressing to include in your everyday menu, but it’s super simple to make. With our advice and a few tips, you’ll do an excellent job! Coffee is exquisite when paired with meat and fish: let’s find out how to use it.
2 basic coffee sauce recipes
To make coffee sauce we recommend two basic recipes: the first is made with cream and the second is for those who prefer not to use cream as a thickener when cooking.
Coffee sauce with cream
- 2 espresso cups of coffee, not ristretto. In this recipe you could use the strong, creamy coffee of the Intenso capsules.
- 50 ml UHT cooking cream.
- 1 teaspoon of sugar.
- A pinch of salt.
Pour the two espresso cups of coffee into a non-stick pan and cook on a low heat. Stir in the cooking cream (the unsweetened type, of course), a teaspoon of sugar and a pinch of salt. Mix and simmer until the mixture is creamy.
Coffee sauce without cream
- 3 espresso cups of coffee, not ristretto. For this recipe we recommend full-bodied, velvety smooth Samba coffee.
- 15 gr all-purpose flour, sifted.
- A knob of butter.
- 1 teaspoon of sugar.
- A pinch of salt.
Pour the three espresso cups of coffee into a non-stick pan, add the knob of butter, and cook on a low heat. Mix in a teaspoon of sugar and a pinch of salt, then blend together.
Add 15 gr of sifted all-purpose flour, a little at a time, and stir, mixing the ingredients until you obtain the desired texture, (it should be lump-free!).
If, when the coffee evaporates, the sauce becomes too thick, you can thin it by adding a little more coffee.
You can flavour both these versions of coffee sauce with onion, slightly browning it before adding the coffee.
Or, just before serving, with some thyme, or a sprig of rosemary.
How to use coffee sauce
The recipes we’ve suggested are basic and easy to make and the pairings suggested below are also a starting point. Consider them the first step on your journey to becoming a coffee sauce expert, because in future articles we’ll teach you how to make a coffee reduction sauce and to use coffee powder, offering recipes that become more complex as we go.
But let’s take it slowly! The simple, smooth sauces described above can accompany:
- Beef fillet.
- Steak.
- Roasts.
- Sliced beef.
- Sea bass fillets.
- Salmon.
Serving tip: pour the right amount of coffee sauce on half of the plate, taking care to present it nicely. Place the meat or fish on the other half. The “right amount” can be defined as enough sauce to dress the serving you have plated.
If you’re a real coffee lover, you’ll find a host of sweet recipes made with our favourite drink on our blog.
