CAFÉ AU LAIT I

“The delicious New Orleans way of preparing coffee with milk.”—Winifred Green Cheney, The Southern Hospitality Cookbook (1976)

Makes about 2 C

1 C fresh boiling water
1 heaping Tbsp drip or finely ground coffee (either pure or with chicory)
1 C milk
Sugar to taste (optional)

“Use a French drip pot if possible.” Pour boiling water a few spoonfuls at a time over coffee. Heat milk to boiling point and add hot coffee. Add sugar if desired, and serve at once.

CAFÉ AU LAIT III

From the French Market Café, New Orleans, La., Bayou Cuisine: Its Tradition and Transition (1970)

“Make coffee double strength. Heat some milk to th scalding point; pour coffee and milk at the same time into the serving cups, in proportions to suit individual tastes. About equal amounts of each are the usual French proportions. Top with unsweetened whipped cream if desired.”

CAFÉ BRÛLOT CREOLE MANNER

The Café Brûlot ceremony can be made as fascinating to your guests as an exhibition of black magic. But as any magician, you must perform the tricks with a deft, sure grace. Perform your coffee trick on a fireside table with tray and brûlot-bowl at hand. These bowls, a sheer luxury, resemble a baptismal font in silver or in copper; an alcohol flame burns below. Lacking a real brûlot bowl, the chafing dish will do as a brûlot beautifully.

—Master Chef Louis P. De Gouy, The Gold Cook Book (1947)

Serves 6

Outer rind of ½ orange, cut into 5 or 6 pieces
Thin peel of ¼ lemon
2 broken sticks cinnamon
10 whole cloves, heads removed
8 sugar cubes
2 demi-tasse glasses cognac
5 demi-tasse glasses freshly made double-strength black coffee

Place orange rind, lemon rind, cinnamon sticks, cloves, sugar cubes, and cognac in brûlot-bowl or chafing dish, light burner under bowl or dish, and stir constantly with a punch ladle or gravy ladle until contents are warm. Ignite. “A spectral flame in the darkened room ensues.” Burn about “a long minute,” then slowly pour coffee into the blaze. Ladle at once into demi-tasse cups and serve.

CAFÉ DIABOLIQUE CREOLE MANNER

“Café Diabolique, also called Café Diable, is a Creole ceremonial brew slightly more elaborate than the brûlot but similar in taste.”—Master Chef Louis P. De Gouy, The Gold Cook Book (1947)

“Deviled Coffee”

Serves 6

1 broken stick cinnamon
1 Tbsp whole cloves, heads removed
2 tsp coriander seeds
1 Tbsp whole roasted coffee beans
Grated rind of 1 orange
12 sugar cubes
1/3 C cognac, plus an additional 1/3 C
1 quart hot, strong coffee

“Now the host is ready for the dinner’s epilogue. It’s a better show if you lower the lights or stage the act by candle power.” Light the flame beneath chafing dish and let bowl warm slightly before dropping in cinnamon stick, cloves, coriander seeds, whole coffee beans, orange rind, and sugar cubes. “Let all warm together cosily for a minute or so,” then stir in 1/3 C cognac, get cognac hot, and ignite with a match. “The ice-blue flames have greedy little tongues that lick around the bowl while the guests admire.” Ladle the fire gently to mix well, then add coffee. “Wait, it’s not ready yet.” Next pour some of the remaining 1/3 C cognac into the ladle, ignite, let it burn a moment, then dip ladle up and down in the coffee until flames are extinguished. Repeat with small amounts of remaining cognac until the additional 1/3 C has been added in this fashion and blended well through the deviled coffee. Serve hot in demi-tasse cups “if you don’t possess the very sophisticated diable (devil) cups designed for this purpose.”

LOUISIANA PETIT BRÛLOT

Tom runs from his wife to get rid of his troubles—
He drinks and he drinks, till he sees all things double;
But when he has ceased wine and brandy to mingle,
Oh! What would he give to see himself single!

–From an Old Joke Booklet; Quoted by Master Chef Louis P. De Gouy, The Gold Cook Book (1947)

“Select thin-skinned oranges, one for each guest. Cut round the oranges, then with a spoon- handle loosen the peel from the oranges almost to the end and turn it inside out, making a cup. Now cut the orange from the cup, leaving half the fruit, with the cup on top. Then place the orange in a plate or saucer. Into the cup put 1 whole clove, a tiny bit of bay leaf, a tiny bit of cinnamon bark and 1 lump of sugar, pouring over all 2 tablespoons of the best cognac. The oranges are now brought to the table, the brandy is ignited, the lights are extinguished, and the spirit is left burning away. To serve, the contents are poured into demi-tasse coffee cups not quite filled. The burning of the cognac in the orange peels gives a most delicious flavor.”