Say "Ahhhhhhh": Vietnamese Iced Coffee

I don't care what time of day it is, I will want coffee.

Yep. I'm one of those.

So, it seemed that, at the end of a long, warm, summer day, the only thing that could calm my mind and set my soul at ease was a soothing cup of iced coffee. And thanks to this recipe idea from fellow blogger Kitchen Confidante, I had a new iced coffee recipe to slurp in serendipity.

Vietnamese iced coffee (cà phê đá), is a traditional Vietnamese coffee recipe, a relic of French colonialism, that is made by brewing strong, dark coffee and mixing it with about a quarter as much sweetened condensed milk, then adding ice to cool.

Many recipes use coffee with chicory in this recipe--like Cafe du Monde--but I don't know a whole lot of Americans outside of New Orleans who prefer chicory to a good, hearty dark French roast. An old work friend of mine--born in New Orleans--loved Cafe du Monde coffee with chicory. She used to make it in her office quite often. Just the smell of it used to make my eyes water, but I will never cease to think of Ann whenever I see Cafe du Monde. I loved her stories about growing up in the Big Easy; tales of hot, sticky summers without air conditioning, ghost stories from her colonial house, beignets...

Where were we? Oh, yes, Vietnamese coffee.

Admittedly, I did take a few shortcuts that traditional Vietnamese iced coffee recipes do not; I used my trusty Mr. Coffee to brew the deepest, darkest French roast it can muster (hey, it's been a long day and I just want my damn coffee!), and I also used nonfat sweetened condensed milk because after reading the label on the regular stuff, my conscience just couldn't handle it.

So if you're needing a good end to the day or simply want a few minutes to sit back and relax with a wonderfully creamy cup of coffee, make Vietnamese iced coffee. You won't be disappointed.

Vietnamese Iced Coffee

Time from table to tummy: 5 minutes

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

• 2 c. freshly roasted strong, dark French or espresso roast
• 2-4 T. sweetened condensed milk
• Ice cubes made from frozen coffee (this will prevent the coffee from becoming diluted)

Steps:

1. Pour a cup of the coffee into two coffee mugs or glasses.
2. In each mug, stir in 1-2 T. of the condensed milk (depending on how sweet you want it).
3. Plop in the coffee ice cubes and let cool.