Cooking with Coffee: Session 1 - Chef August Mrozowski
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Coffee has different nuances and flavor profiles that not only make it the remarkable beverage that we all know and love, but also a great cooking ingredient. It can add unique flavors and aromas to a variety of dishes. We know coffee, but when it comes to cooking with coffee, we are no experts. We went to four local restaurants to ask experienced chefs if they use coffee in their cooking. The answer was an overwhelming YES! Below is our first interview in the series with Chef August Mrozowski of Augie’s Front Burner. Over the next couple of months stay tuned for a series of great cooking-with-coffee-recipes from amazing culinary artists located right here in our headquarters’ home of Springfield, Illinois.
Plus, each Cooking with Coffee blog post will give you an opportunity to win a BUNN Adventures in Coffee cookbook. How? Simply leave a comment to the question listed at the bottom of this post on the BUNN At Home Discussion Forum to go into a drawing to win a cookbook. Answer the question by October 18 at midnight to enter into the drawing. Bon Appétit! CLICK HERE FOR OFFICIAL RULES
August Mrozowski, the chef and owner of Augie’s Front Burner, had a smirk on his face when we asked have you ever cooked with coffee before. “I’ve made sauces with coffee forever, for 20 to 30 years.†Chef Mrozowski has been in the culinary industry for 42 years. His resume is quite impressive as he started his culinary career at the age of 13 and has gone on to own numerous restaurants in Illinois and Florida, as well as a successful catering business. His experience has given him the opportunity to experiment with coffee in many his dishes. One of his favorite coffee recipes is the ever-popular tiramisu. However, he likes to use coffee in rubs, sauces and has even given red-eye gravy (a southern favorite) a gourmet twist with quail or pheasant breasts. Mrozowski says it is “endless what you can do with coffee.†Below are a few easy rub recipes, and suggestions that Chef Mrozowski offers reader.
Coffee Rubs or Dustings
Chef Mrozowski suggests using coffee as a dusting, or rub, for steaks, especially rib eyes. What you mix with the coffee is personal preference. He also says creating these rubs is really trial and error, so experiment and have fun with it! To create a rub, use a grinder to produce a fine grind with your ingredient of choice.
Some of the more popular rubs that utilize coffee are:
- Cocoa and Espresso Dusting- Combine equal parts coco and espresso and rub on steak.
- Porcini Mushroom and Coffee dusting- Dehydrate porcini mushrooms. Once dry, combine with coffee for a delicious rubs to add to steaks. The ratio of mushrooms to coffee is about 10 to 1.
- Other suggested ingredients are garlic or pepper.
Tip: When making these dustings be aware of the amount of coffee you use. You do not want the coffee to be too overpowering. A little can go a long way. With cocoa and espresso the ratio is equal, however with porcini and coffee very little coffee should be used.
To cook with these rubs simply dust the steaks with the rub. Use an iron skillet as it will retain the flavors in the oils from the steak. Pan sear both sides of the meat, and then place in the oven to keep warm. Or you can heat an iron skillet, place the dusted steak in the skillet and then turn off the heat. Let the steak sit in the skillet if you prefer your steak a little more done.