Rüdesheimer Coffee – A German Classic to Warm Your Winter

As a caffeine-addicted coffee aficionado who’s spent countless hours glued to German television, I’ve stumbled across some fascinating foods. Currywurst—chopped sausage drowned in red curry sauce at street-side Wurstbraterei left me skeptical. It just didn’t scream “appetizing.” But then I discovered Rüdesheimer Coffee, and my coffee-loving heart skipped a beat. This isn’t just a drink; it’s a ritual, served in special cups and saucers, blending strong coffee, authentic Asbach brandy, sweetened whipped cream, and a sprinkle of chocolate shavings.

 

Come winter (if it ever arrives), this is certainly to become my go-to afternoon indulgence. Here’s how to bring this German gem to life at home, with a nod to authenticity that makes all the difference.

Authentic Rüdesheimer Coffee Recipe
Serves 1

 Use a dedicated Rüdesheimer coffee cup or a heatproof mug for the full experience.

3 Demerara sugar cubes (or 3 t. sugar)
1 shot (1.5 oz) authentic Asbach brandy (or another high-quality dry brandy)
4 oz. strong brewed coffee
2 T. whipped cream, sweetened with a pinch of vanilla sugar
½ t. chocolate shavings or cocoa power

Place sugar cubes in a heatproof mug or Rüdesheimer coffee cup.

Warm the Asbach brandy in the microwave for about 30 seconds, then pour over the sugar cubes.

Carefully light the brandy with a long match. Stir with a long spoon until the sugar dissolves completely. (If the flame persists beyond a minute, cover the mug with a plate to extinguish.)

Pour the hot, strong coffee into the mug with the brandy-sugar mixture.

Top with sweetened whipped cream and sprinkle with chocolate shavings.

Serve immediately and savor the warmth!

Authenticity matters! Use Asbach brandy, a German staple, for the true Rüdesheimer experience. Substitutes work, but they lack the same depth and tradition.

This drink is more than coffee—it’s a cozy, boozy hug from Germany’s Rhine Valley. Perfect for chilly afternoons or impressing guests with a touch of European flair. Have you tried Rüdesheimer Coffee, or do you have another coffee cocktail up your sleeve? Give me the skinny.

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Holiday Tip

Have I got a holiday tip for you!  It is one that is so easy that you'll kick yourself for not coming up with this on your own because it is a great time saver. Line a small baking sheet with parchment paper. In a small mixing bowl, whip up a cup of heavy cream along with a tablespoon or two of granulated sugar, until stiff peaks form. With a soup spoon, scoop out portions of the whipped cream and drop it in mounds onto the parchment.  If you want to get all fancy schmancy you can fill a pastry bag and pipe it into decorative mounds, but I prefer the natural look. Then pop the sheet into the freezer and keep it there until the mounds freeze solid. Once they do, place them into a lidded container and keep them in the freezer.

These are wonderful to have on hand at all times, but particularly for the holidays to use to top Irish coffee, hot cocoa, or eggnog. Customize dollops, if you like, by adding cinnamon or oil of peppermint to some for hot cocoa, nutmeg or rum to others for eggnog. Pop them into the fridge to soften for a minute or two and place them on slices of pie, dishes of custard, or alongside a piece of cake. Dust with confectioners' sugar, ground cinnamon, or espresso powder, as appropriate. Try this once and you'll wonder how you ever did without them.

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Pain & Suffering Chocolate Cream Pie

Those of you who read my blog with any regularity know that we had a little setback in the form of a tornado plowing its way through our back yard on the evening of Good Friday.  While we suffered "massive damage" according to the insurance company, many people were far worse off than we, some having to leave their homes as the damage rendered them structurally unsound.  A couple of people, however, sustained little or no damage, one of whom has taken it upon himself to file public complaints with the City over the "mess" in the backyards of people whose houses he can see from his pristine-condition back porch.  

Imagine the horror of being him!  Having to look, day after day, at the pain and suffering of others as they toll, physically exhausted and emotionally drained, trying to recover their belongings, arrange for tree removal, carpentry work, demolition and removal of damaged property, and home and roof repair.  How awful to have to witness this day in and day out, interrupting your cocktail hour as you dangle your toes in your pool.  

For this poor soul, who shall remain nameless (though everyone in the neighborhood knows who he is), I created a special pie full of comfort and calories and chocolaty goodness in the hopes that his pain soon subsides and his meaningless suffering comes to an end.

Pain & Suffering Chocolate Cream Pie
 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
3/4 cup heavy cream, plus 2 cups
3/4 cup sour milk*
3 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
Pinch salt
4 egg yolks
3/4 c. Ghirardelli 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate Chips, roughly chopped to facilitate melting
1 tablespoon butter
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons confectioners' sugar

Crust:
25 Oreo cookies (with filling, this adds "tooth")
6 T. melted butter

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Put Oreos into the work bowl of a food processor and process until fine.  Slowly pour melted butter into the feed tube with the processor running and process 30-45 seconds until well combined.  Press into a 9-inch deep dish pie pan.  Bake for 10 minutes.  Remove from oven and allow to cool.

In a medium saucepan combine sugar, 3/4 cup heavy cream, sour milk, cornstarch and pinch of salt, and whisk until smooth. Place over medium-high heat, and bring to a boil, whisking occasionally until the mixture begins to thicken, 3-5 minutes. Continue cooking at a low boil for an additional 5 minutes, whisking constantly.

In a mixing bowl, beat the egg yolks lightly. Pour 1/2 cup of the hot mixture into the egg yolks and whisk thoroughly. Pour the egg yolk mixture into the saucepan and whisk over the heat until thoroughly combined and very thick, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in the chocolate, butter and vanilla. Continue whisking until thoroughly combined and mixture becomes very thick. Cover the mixture with plastic wrap placed directly on the surface and refrigerate 30 minutes.

Place 2 cups heavy cream in a chilled mixing bowl and whip until soft peaks form.  Add the confectioners' sugar; beat until stiff peaks form. Gently fold about 1/2 cup of the whipped cream into the cooled chocolate mixture.  When thoroughly combined, spoon into chocolate crust.  Refrigerate until firm and cool, at least 4 hours (if you're in a rush, place in freezer for an hour). Refrigerate the remaining whipped cream until you are ready to serve the pie.

When ready to serve, top with whipped cream and serve immediately.

*To sour milk, add 1 T. white vinegar to a cup of milk.  Allow to set on the counter at room temperature for 10 minutes before using.

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IRISH COFFEE and a Good Book

The above collage features books from a list of St. Patrick's Day mysteries (complete list shown below) created by Janet Rudolph from her wonderful Mystery Fanfare blog.  I like seasonal reading and this group of St. Patty's murders certainly fills the bill.  What to imbibe while reading a St. Pat's mystery?  An Irish coffee, of course!

I always thought the making of an Irish Coffee to be pretty basic, so was rather stunned when I ordered one at a local pub and was delivered some horrid concoction of whiskey, Bailey's Irish Cream, with a stir-in of instant coffee.  I still shudder when I think of it, and have to shake my head at that waitress/bartender who delivered it with such aplomb, and then, upon seeing my rather horrified look, pulled it back and asked, "What's in an Irish coffee?" Well, coffee for one, Irish, for another, i.e. Irish whiskey, either Jameson or Old  Bushmill's if you want to be authentic (It's permissible to drop a sugar cube in first if you like your coffee sweet, but I'm a purist so omit it.), and, in the name of all things holy...whipped cream!!

 

I have a set of glassware that makes it easy, pour the whiskey to the first line, the coffee to the second, and top with real whipped cream (REAL WHIPPED CREAM - do NOT use Redi-Whip or heaven forbid, something non-dairy like Cool Whip.  Cows, people!  Cream comes from cows, not chemists!). (This set of Irish coffee mugs has similar markings, but run a bit on the pricey side.) Warming and wonderful, I guarantee no matter how bad your day started or may have become, Irish Coffee will make it all better.Here is a recipe for those of you without the appropriate glassware:

 

Traditional Irish Coffee

 1 c freshly brewed hot coffee

1 raw sugar cube

1 jigger Irish whiskey (1½ oz.)

Heavy cream, whipped to soft peaks

 Fill a footed mug with hot water to warm; empty. Place sugar cube into the bottom of the glass. Pour in whiskey. Pour in hot coffee into warmed glass until it is about ¾ full. Top with a dollop of the whipped heavy cream. Serve hot.Now...back to my book!

St. Patrick's Day Mysteries:

 Nelson Demille: Cathedral 

Andrew Greeley: Irish Gold 

Jane Haddam: A Great Day for the Deadly

Lyn Hamilton: The Celtic Riddle

Lee Harris: The St. Patrick's Day Murder  

Jonathan Harrington: A Great Day for Dying

Wendi Lee: The Good Daughter

Dan Mahoney: Once in, Never Out  

Leslie Meier: St. Patrick's Day Murder 

Sister Carol Anne O'Marie: Death Takes Up A Collection  

Ralph M. McInerny: Lack of the Irish

Janet Elaine Smith: In St. Patrick's Custody  

Kathy Hogan Trochek: Irish Eyes  

Noreen Wald: Death Never Takes a Holiday

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Malted Pecan Waffles

Heart-shaped malted pecan waffles and café au lait.

With St. Valentine's Day just a few days ahead, it's time to start thinking about a loving way in which to start your day.   Nothing says romance first thing in the morning, like a delicious hot breakfast. (Okay, nothing REALLY says romance like an extra few hours of sleep, but I digress... )   In this case, thanks to my heart-shaped waffle iron (a gift from the mister before we were married, how's that for romantic!), a plate of malted pecan waffles.

Now I realize that not everyone (few in fact) have heart-shaped waffle irons, so consider making square waffles and cutting them out with a large (3" to 4") heart-shaped cookie cutter.  That failing, make the square waffles and top them with heart-shaped butter pats, that are actually purchasable (much to my surprise) at some food markets.  That failing, if you plan ahead you can make your own heart-shaped butter pats using candy molds available at hobby and craft stores (e.g. Michael's - take your coupon!) by simply allowing butter to soften, pressing it into the molds (a rubber spatula works well for this), and chilling in the fridge until you need them.

Equally romantic are waffles topped with whipped cream and strawberries, or if you really want to go for broke, sprinkle a few mini chocolate chips on top of the strawberries and whipped cream.  You're limited only by your imagination.

Here is a waffle recipe I particularly enjoy, but if you're under a time constraint use the recipe on the Bisquick box, adding a teaspoon of vanilla, a tablespoon of sugar and gratings of  either nutmeg or lemon zest.  It gives the waffles a taste that doesn't scream "out of the box," and will leave your diner with the special impression that you spent more time on them than you did.

Malted Pecan Waffles

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla malted milk powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 eggs, separated
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla
A few gratings of fresh nutmeg
2 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons butter, melted
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup finely chopped pecans

Preheat waffle iron. In a medium mixing bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, sugar, malted milk powder and baking soda. In a separate bowl, beat together egg yolks and milk. Add milk mixture, butter, oil, and pecans to flour; stirring gently to combine. Beat egg whites until stiff peaks have formed; fold into batter.  Spray preheated waffle iron with non-stick cooking spray. Pour mix onto hot waffle iron and cook until golden brown. Keep warm in oven while remaining waffles cook.

Have a romantic day!


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Pattie's Desperation Trifle

When Jim mentioned, rather forlornly this morning, as he was walking out the door that he didn't get his usual trifle for his birthday this year (and I knew that due to unforeseen circumstances he didn't get one last year), I kicked into high gear and put this together while he was gone. I had to remove shelves in order to get it into the fridge!

Trifle is his favorite dessert, bar none, and he has a number of recipes for them, but I had no time to dig for recipes, just gathered things up like a squirrel preparing for winter and started assembling.  The bowl isn't even a trifle bowl.  It's a lidded glass candy dish that I bought in December at Crate & Barrel to use as part of the centerpiece on my Boxing Day table.  It worked out just perfectly! (Which pretty much goes to show you can make a trifle in any size.)

The process is shown below, the result was delicious!  Instead of vanilla pudding I made an orange custard that was just heaven (recipe below).  I'm going to keep it in mind for the summer as it would go extremely well on strawberry shortcake, or simply to top a bowl of fresh berries of any kind.  I can hardly wait until spring!

Slice Sara Lee pound cake into 3/4" slices.

Spread each slice with a thick coating of raspberry jam.

Fit pieces into the bottom of trifle dish as though you're putting a puzzle together, and drizzle generously, and I'm talking GENEROUSLY with cream sherry.  (You might just give it a taste, you know, to make sure it's still good.)

Top cake layer with fresh raspberries that have been thoroughly rinsed and inverted on paper towels to completely dry.

Pour a third of the custard over raspberries and spread to cover.

Repeat with another layer of cake, this time coating it with blueberry jam.  Again GENEROUSLY drizzle with sherry, and top with fresh blueberries and strawberries.  Is this a work of art, or what?  I seriously hated to cover it up with another layer of custard cream and cake, but I did.  The final layer of cake I coated with raspberry jam, once again, and placed it jam-side down on top of the berries -- more sherry --and then topped it all with whipped cream and strawberry garnish.

Look at those luscious layers.

I love this spoon that hangs from the side of the bowl (another Crate & Barrel purchase).

Beautiful!

Needless to say, he was surprised, and very pleased.  Here's the recipe for the custard that I used, but Instant French Vanilla pudding would work just fine.

Orange Custard Cream
1 1/2 cups milk

1 tablespoon grated orange zest 

5 extra-large egg yolks

1/2 cup sugar

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 teaspoon Triple Sec

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon heavy cream

Combine the milk and orange zest in a medium stainless steel saucepan over medium heat and bring to a low simmer. Remove from the heat.

Beat the yolks and sugar on medium-high speed in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment for 5 minutes. Turn the mixer to low and slowly add cornstarch. Beat on medium-low speed until combined, scraping down the bowl with a rubber spatula. Turn the mixer to low and pour the hot milk mixture into the egg mixture. Pour the mixture back into the pan. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens, about 5 to 7 minutes. Watch very carefully as it tends to thicken very fast.  Once thickened, remove from heat and add the vanilla, Triple Sec, butter and cream.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until cold.

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