Not-Quite Pumpkin Spice Cold Brew
Plus, gluten-free fancy cookies + some art you should see in NYC.
Nothing binds us in a collective experience quite like the tug-of-war between the end of summer and the beginning of fall. Yes, after Labor Day, it is technically still summer—a whole month of it, almost. But starting in the latter half of August, Starbucks releases their pumpkin spice beverages and the algorithms start showing me a montage of scenes from Gilmore Girls, piles of leaves, cozy knitwear, and cinnamon rolls.
So even though it was almost 90 degrees today in New York City, I bought a cream-colored sweater dress from the Hill House sample sale (it’s this one, and it is very, very soft) and imagined myself wearing it while drinking some kind of warm, spiced, caffeinated beverage by some fireplace, somewhere. When I got home, I made bruschetta out of a very beautiful heirloom tomato I’d bought at a farm stand earlier in the week because the tomato needed help from vinegar and salt to be truly delicious and not just aesthetically pleasing.
This, for me, marked the “real” end of summer. We’ll ignore the fact that I’m writing this next to a blasting A/C.
Earlier this summer, I started making a slightly sweetened, spice-infused cold brew inspired by this “Magical Coffee” recipe I found on Food52. Below, you’ll find the exact ratios I’ve been using, but you could easily add an inch of ginger, a clove, and some nutmeg to bring it closer to pumpkin spice proper. I make this in a Hario Cold Brew Bottle, which I generally like aside from the fact that a bottle lasts an absolute maximum of two days in my household.
Ingredients
60 grams coarsely-ground coffee
I use the 10 setting on my Fellow grinder, and always grind my beans right before I prepare my cold brew.
The coffee you use here is important! I like Touchy Coffee’s India Ratnagiri, which has notes of candied orange and peanut butter cup. When I can’t get my hands on Touchy, I’ll go with Stumptown’s Holler Mountain blend.
1 whole cinnamon stick, smashed or broken into shards
The seeds from two cardamom pods
2-3 tablespoons of dark brown sugar
If I’ve used a fresh vanilla bean recently, I’ll toss the pod in there, too. It makes this coffee taste extra fancy.
600 ml filtered water.
Process
If you’re using the Hario bottle, simply put everything except for the water into the filter basket, then add water to the fill line of the bottle. I like to let this steep in the fridge for at least 24 hours but ideally 48 hours.
If you’re not using the Hario bottle, I highly recommend getting a set of cheesecloth bags (like these). Pop all of the ingredients in there, and use a large jar. It works pretty much the same way.
Snack on this:
Ladurée has a new gluten-free cookie called Eugénie, and I am obsessed with the contrast of textures. There’s a very crisp biscuit base, a gooey, jammy middle, and delicate, shattering embossed chocolate coating. They’re too pretty to eat, but you should do it anyway.
I had the opportunity to preview the Ed Ruscha exhibit at MoMA, and it was absolutely stunning. Go on a weekday or very early in the morning on a weekend, if you can. This show is pretty damn thought provoking, and you’ll think better with lighter crowds. It’s on view from September 10-January 14.
My very talented friend Sara Lee is showing her art at Takumen, an izakaya in LIC, until November 11. Stop in for a bowl of ramen and some culture.
