iced coffee with homemade maple sweetened condensed milk

If you are anywhere near New England you are probably well aware that it is h o t  outside.  Even all the way up here in Vermont it was 97 degrees (36 degrees celsius) yesterday -ugh, so sticky and humid.  When I'm not furiously drinking iced chais,  I'm experimenting with iced coffees to make all this hot weather more bearable.  

And I think I've developed something nearly perfect.  Iced coffee with coffee cubes and homemade sweetened condensed milk using Vermont fresh maple syrup.  This recipe is very similar to traditional Vietnamese iced coffee but instead of pouring the hot coffee condensed milk mixture over ice, I made cold brewed iced coffee.  I love the cold brew taste and this recipe satisfies my unending sweet tooth.

*Also, for everyone who is starting to be confused about whether or not this is a food blog - I'm right there with you. When I started this blog I hoped for it to be a way to keep all my family and friends updated on what I was doing up here in New England.  Since then it's evolveñd from food to travel to homesteading to photography to lifestyle, sometimes fashion, and the list goes.  But recently (as in yesterday) my black sesame macarons were featured on foodgawker.com, and with that bit of encouragement,  I've decided that I'm committing to posting 1-2 recipes a week!  I mean, with school, I'm making new food creations 40 hours a week, plus, I love this stuff. Taking pictures of food is really fun for me.  

We're not making a full ~ food blog~ transition though.  I'm an amalgamation of interests that include things all over the spectrum from food to literature to fashion to politics to art - so the conclusion is that that this is going to be a 'me' blog until further notice - and you can take it or you can leave it.

But you can at least count on 1 recipe a week.

C o l d   B r e w   I c e d   C o f f e e 

4 1/2 ounces coarsely ground coffee

3 1/2 cups cold water

I.  Place the coffee grounds in a 2 quart pitcher, pour the water in, and let steep for 12 hours or up to a day.

II.  Fit a fine mesh strainer lined with a coffee filter over a medium bowl.  In stages, slowly pour the coffee into the filter until all the coffee has been filtered and all you are left with are grounds.  It goes rather slowly, but don't force it!  Discard the grounds  (they're great for compost!).

III.  Pour grounds into cleaned pitcher and refrigerate until chilled!

Use any extra for making coffee cubes!

M a p l e   S w e e t e n e d  C o n d e n s e d  M i l k

1 1/2 cups whole milk

2/3 cups maple syrup

3 tablespoons of butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

I.  Combine the maple syrup and whole milk in a medium saucepan.  Heat until nearly boiling and then reduce to low temperature.  Stir every so often.

II.  After 45 minutes add the vanilla extract and mix.

III.  Continue to cook on low heat for 2 hours until the milk has reduced by half.  

IV.  When fully reduced stir in butter until fully incorporated.

V.  Chill overnight and pour into your coffee until desired sweetness!

have a sweet weekend!