I recently had the pleasure of being a guest at an exquisite L’OR coffee inspired lunch hosted by the delightful Clodagh McKenna.  The lunch was held in the beautiful surrounds of the Behan Lodge in Residence. A group of about 25 of us were treated to a gorgeous three course lunch with matching coffees from the L’OR aluminum capsules range (compatible with Nespresso machines). To tie in with the event Clodagh McKenna has developed three coffee infused recipes using the L’OR coffee.  She also happened to take along some of her super sized biscotti for us to try.  The recipes were too good not to share so I have included them below for you.

ALMOND CHOCOLATE COFFEE BISCOTTI (Makes 24)

INGREDIENTS

115g butter, softened

150g caster sugar

2 large eggs

80ml L’OR ristretto espresso

zest of 1 orange

1 tsp vanilla extract

220g plain flour

1 tsp baking powder

180g ground almonds

200g dark chocolate

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C / Gas 4.
2. In a mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
   Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then add in the espresso, orange zest and vanilla extract. Lastly sift in the flour and baking powder, and tip in the ground almonds. Mix until a dough forms.
3. With floury hands, divide the dough in half and shape each half into a log 7.5cm in diameter. Place the logs on to a baking trays and bake in the pre-heated oven for 30 minutes or until firm to the touch.
   Leaving the oven on, transfer the loaves to a cutting board. Using a knife, cut each loaf into 1cm slices. Arrange the slices in one layer on a baking tray and return to the oven & bake for ten minutes. Turn the biscotti over and bake for a further ten minutes on the other side.
   Transfer the biscotti to wire racks to cool.
4. Place a glass bowl suspended over a pan of simmering water, and melt the dark chocolate in the bowl. Once melted remove the bowl from the pan.
5. Dip the biscotti into the chocolate, leaving half of the biscotti without chocolate. Leave to cool.

CHOCOLATE COFFEE BROWNIES WITH BLUEBERRY FROSTING

INGREDIENTS:

250g dark chocolate, broken into chunks

250g unsalted butter

4 free-range eggs

100ml L’OR espresso profundo

250g muscovado sugar

80g plain flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

60g cocoa powder

For The Blueberry Frosting

300g

400g cream cheese

300g icing sugar

For Decorating

Fresh blueberries

METHOD:

1. Preheat the oven to 180oC/350oF/Gas Mark 4 and grease a 30x20cm/12x8in tin.
2. Melt the chocolate and butter in a bowl over a pan of simmering water. Stir gently until smooth then set aside to cool slightly.
3. In a mixing bowl, beat together the eggs and sugar until pale and fluffy. Thn pour in the melted chocolate and butter, and espresso. Next tip in the flour, cocoa powder and baking powder. Mix until the mixture has a silky sheen.
4. Pour the chocolate brownie mixture into the prepared tin, smooth the surface then bake in the oven for 30 minutes, until the sheet of brownies are firm in the rim but a bit soft in the middle. Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then remove from the tin and place on a wire rack until cooled completely.
5. While the brownies are cooling make the blueberry frosting. Beat the cream cheese and icing together in a bowl until well combined. Blitz the fresh blueberries until smooth, then fold them into the icing mixture , until you get a lovely liac coloured frosting. Using a palette knife, spread the icing over the cooled chocolate brownies, dipping the knife into a bowl of hot water if the icing is hard to spread out.
6. Cut the brownies into squares and decorate with blueberries.

STICKY COFFEE PORK RIBS (Serves 6)

INGREDIENTS:

150ml cold L’OR forza espresso

150ml sweet soy sauce

150ml Madeira

2kg pork belly rib rack

METHOD:

1. Mix together the espresso, soy sauce and Madeira. Put the rib rack in a dish and pour on the mixture, turning to coat it all over. Cover loosely with cling film and put in the fridge for 4 hours (or leave overnight).
2. Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 1.
3. Lift the ribs out of the marinade and put them into a roasting tin. Baste with some of the marinade (reserving the rest), then cover the roasting tin with foil and cook for 4 hours, or until the meat is falling off the bone, basting every so often with more marinade.
4. Take the tray out of the oven and cut between the bones to make individual ribs. Turn the oven up to 220oC/gas mark 7.
5. Pour the remaining marinade into a pan, bring to the boil, then turn down and simmer for about 15 minutes until it’s syrupy. Paint the ribs with marinade and return them to the hot oven.
6. Cook the ribs for about 10 minutes, then take them out, turn them over, paint with the rest of the marinade and return to the oven for a final 5-7 minutes.
7. When ready to eat they should be sticky and dark.