Cooking with Coffee: Session 2- Chef Robb Wyss
It’s time for the second session in the Cooking with Coffee series! Remember to enter the drawing to win an Adventures in Coffee cookbook by commenting on the question listed at the bottom of this post on the BUNN At Home Discussion forum topic. Comments must be received by November 1 at midnight to be eligible. Bon Appétit! CLICK HERE FOR OFFICIAL RULES.
Chef Robb Wyss, the executive chef at Illini Country Club in Springfield, Illinois, is no stranger to cooking with coffee or drinking coffee. In fact, Chef Wyss identifies himself as a coffee lover. He drinks a lot of coffee, but he says it is hard not to when you are in the culinary industry. Chef Wyss grew up in Peoria, Illinois where his curiosity for a culinary career was sparked. He graduated from Napa Valley Culinary Academy in St. Helena, California. He worked as Chef de Cuisine while in wine country, followed by working as an executive sous chef in Chicago, and today his career has continued as the executive chef at Illini Country Club.
When we talked with Chef Wyss he was eager to offer recipes and tips for those thinking of cooking with coffee. The biggest tip Chef Wyss offers to people who are new to cooking with coffee, cook with the coffee you drink, cook with the coffee you like. He loves to cook with dark roast coffees, which happens to mimic his personal taste preference of darker, bolder roast coffees.
Chef Wyss says there are a wide variety of ways to incorporate coffee into cooking. You can’t go wrong combining coffee and chocolate. Also coffee can be used to create delicious desserts like espresso gelato. If you want to use coffee for a savory dish, create coffee crusts for game meats, as the bitter flavor of coffee helps balance out the gamey flavor in these types of meats. He has even incorporated coffee into vinaigrette. He combines vanilla bean, coco bean and coffee bean into a three bean vinaigrette. It is best served over a spring salad with fresh cherries.
However, Chef Wyss’s favorite recipe that utilizes coffee is red-eye gravy. This is a southern Creole recipe that he has served with grits and pork roast. To try Chef Wyss’s red eye gravy see the recipe below.
Enjoy!
Red Eye Gravy Recipe
- 1lb Berkshire Farms Applewood Smoked Bacon (cut into lardoons)
- 8 Yellow Onions
- 7 Jalapeños (seeded & chopped)
- 15 Garlic Cloves
- 4 Bay Leaves
- 14 cups Coffee (reduce by half)
- 1 ½ gallons Chicken Stock
- 4 ea Red Peppers
- 1 #10can Crushed Tomatoes (about 70oz drained)
- 7lbs Fresh Roma Tomatoes
Render the bacon and as it is getting brown add the chopped onions and jalapeños. Just before they brown add the garlic and let it soften. Add the bay leaves and all the tomatoes. Simmer until the romas break down. Allow a fond to build a little, be careful to not over do it. Deglaze with the coffee, add the stock and simmer for about an hour to an hour and a half. Puree and adjust salt if needed, likewise with a touch of vinegar. Sauce should have body but still flow onto the plate.
QUESTION: CHEF WYSS SAYS TO COOK WITH THE COFFEE YOU LIKE AND WOULD NORMALLY DRINK. SO WHAT COFFEE ROAST WILL YOU TRY COOKING WITH?
CLICK HERE TO LEAVE A COMMENT ON THE BUNN AT HOME DISCUSSION FORUM TO TO BE ENTERED TO WIN AN ADVENTURES IN COFFEE COOKBOOK. (COMMENTS MUST BE RECEIVED BY NOVEMBER 1, 2011 AT 11:59:59PM CST.)