“I was wondering if I might trouble you for a cup of strong black coffee, and in the process engage you with an anecdote of no small amusement.” – Gordon Cole
It’s happening again.
Twin Peaks returns today. We expect many of you will spend the evening like us: camped before your preferred screens, hungrily anticipating the next bite of David Lynch’s epic series.
We’re not sure exactly what to expect from the new season (it just wouldn’t be Twin Peaks if we did), but we do know one thing. We’ll need snacks. And coffee. Damn fine coffee.
With help from some local culinary experts we’ve pieced together some tips for creating a Twin Peaks-themed menu worthy of the Double R.
“I have no idea where this will lead us, but I have a definite feeling it will be a place both wonderful and strange.” – Agent Dale Cooper
Drip Coffee
“You know, this is, excuse me, a damn fine cup of coffee.” – Agent Dale Cooper
“For American coffee it has to be drip,” says Monastery Coffee’s Adam Marley. He means what some might mistake for “pour-over” (the made-to-order, manually brewed equivalent), but stresses it isn’t that. It’s simpler. “No honed skills or interesting tattoos required.”
Marley recommends an automatic drip brewer (like this one) and “good coffee, but not fancy coffee”. “Use a blend, not a single origin,” he says. Better still, use David Lynch’s own.
Start with a brew ratio of around 60 to 70 grams of coffee per litre and tweak it to taste. You’re aiming for “warm and sweet and clean, but not delicate or excessively bright or overly complex.”
To serve, he says: “Don’t over-think it. Just refill and contemplate something other than the coffee.”
If you don’t have an electric brewer, use a Clever Coffee Dripper, which is semi-automated and a lot cheaper. A solid recipe is 18 grams of coffee to 250 millilitres of water, set for two minutes, then drain.
Cherry Pie
“This cherry pie is a miracle.” – Log Lady
This take on an all-American classic comes courtesy of Sugar Man’s Alex Crawford. “I’ve tweaked it by adding a little coffee, just to make it more Twin Peaks,” he says.
Pastry
150g butter, softened
Pinch of salt
100g caster sugar
300g all-purpose plain flour
3 egg yolks
Crawford’s guide is to rub the butter, salt, caster sugar and flour between your fingers until it resembles breadcrumbs. Then, add the egg and mix with your hands until it becomes dough.
“Depending on the flour you use, it may need a splash of water to bring the dough together,” he advises. “Knead gently but don't overwork the dough.” Then, wrap it in cling film (Laura Palmer style) and pop it in the refrigerator for an hour to rest.
Remove the dough from the fridge and roll it out to 3mm thick. Gently ease it into a greased 25cm by 4cm tart tin. Place it in the freezer for another hour.
“The next step is to ‘blind bake’ the pastry,” he says. “Preheat your oven to 180 degrees. Line the pastry case with scrunched greaseproof paper and fill it with uncooked rice (or lentils or baking beans) to weigh it down.”
Bake for 30 minutes then remove the filled paper from the tart and return to the oven to colour for another 15 minutes. Let it cool before adding the filling.
Filling
350g unsalted butter, softened
12g salt
350g icing sugar
1 vanilla bean (or 1 tbsp vanilla bean paste)
4 eggs
350g almond meal
185g all-purpose plain flour
8g freshly ground coffee
400g–500g cherries, pitted (depending on size and variety)
150g almond flakes
In a stand mixer, combine the butter, salt, icing sugar and vanilla bean seeds on a low speed until fluffy. “You want to scrape down the bowl once in a while to make sure it’s evenly mixed.”
Add the eggs one at a time, allowing each to incorporate before adding the next. Mix in the almond meal, flour and coffee grounds until well combined.
Pour mixture into the tart base and lightly push in the cherries. “Cherries are actually out of season in Australia and might be hard to come by,” Crawford adds. “But you can substitute blackberries or raspberries. Even figs or stewed apples.”
Cover the tart with flaked almonds and bake for 40 minutes at 170 degrees, or until the filling is cooked and golden.
“For that true home-baked experience, pop it on the window sill to cool and serve with creme fraiche or whipped cream,” Crawford says.
Doughnuts
“Harry, are there any more doughnuts?” – Agent Dale Cooper
Few among us have an affinity with doughnuts at the level of Quang Nguyen (Devour, Third Time Lucky). Here’s his recipe for perfectly puffy, glazed dough balls, complete with red velvet glaze.
Dough
500g milk
100g butter
1kg bakers flour
15g salt
15g yeast
100g sugar
25g baking powder
5 eggs
Red velvet glaze
150g icing sugar
10g cocoa powder
10g red food colouring
2 tbsp milk
2 tsp vanilla extract
Chocolate glaze
150g icing sugar
27g cocoa powder
2 tbsp milk
2 tsp vanilla extract
To make the dough, warm the butter and milk, then add to a mixer with all other ingredients and combine for 10 minutes on low speed. Cover and rest until the mixture has doubled in size.
Roll out to dough to 1cm thickness and cut into rings. Rest again, allowing the dough to prove and double in size.
When ready, fry it in clean oil at 160 degrees, until golden brown. Allow to cool before glazing.
To make the glaze of your choice, mix all respective ingredients until smooth and well combined. Layer onto the doughnuts and serve.
