Daring and innovative chefs such as Mitsunobu Nagae, owner and Executive Chef of Tribeca’s warm, sophisticated, and elegant French restaurant in New York City, l’abeille, have found new and artistic ways to use coffee in savory and fine dining applications. That’s right — there could be coffee in your meal when dining out at a signature restaurant. To learn more about why coffee and tea are becoming more popular on fine dining menus, I asked Chef Nagae to share his thoughts on why this trend has taken off. Here’s what he shared.
How Chef Nagae uses coffee in his dishes
When I heard Chef Nagae used coffee in savory dishes, my mind immediately wandered, wondering what method of coffee he used in his dishes. I asked him to describe how he uses coffee in savory meals, such as ground coffee, liquid coffee, coffee beans, or other coffee beans.
“I don’t have a particular brand [of coffee] I use [when cooking], but I usually prefer dark roast coffee when I create dishes. The beans infuse flavors in the sauces, so they’re present yet subtle. When I want stronger flavors, I would add ground powdered coffee directly. When I use coffee in savory ice cream, we normally infuse the mixture with coffee beans; otherwise, it becomes too overpowering,” he shares.
“We use coffee as an additional flavor component in our dishes to add complexity. Coffee works well in dishes with a dairy component (e.g., we use ground coffee in our potato purée, which has butter) or red meat. When grilled, the caramelized flavors we get in red meat work very well with coffee as they echo each other and work in tandem to provide layers of depth.”
“For example, at my restaurant, l’abeille, we’ve offered a Roasted Venison dish that uses coffee cream infused truffle and Madeira sauce to bring out deep earthy flavors, with additional ground coffee in the hazelnut crust that enhances the nutty aroma. For a sweet and savory coffee crossover, we’ve even served a Pea Velouté with Coffee ice cream, providing adventurous guests with a fresh flavor combination using sweet green peas combined with complex coffee ice cream that also plays with temperature difference.”
Savory coffee items on fine dining menus
“I think chefs are starting to realize the versatility of coffee and tea in savory dishes as they work very well and can complement a variety of ingredients yet retain their distinctive flavors,” he shares. Especially as a welcome item or canapé, this trend offers chefs and guests a new and exciting experience.”
Guests are also very accepting of these flavors as they’re familiar to them, but they can still be pleasantly surprised when these flavors come up in savory dishes, as coffee and tea are normally associated with desserts,” he adds.
The future of coffee in savory dishes
Chef Nagae said diners may get a very small bit of caffeine from eating dishes with coffee in them, but the amount is so minimal that it’s unlikely to produce any effects. To conclude our conversation, I asked him how he sees the future of cooking with coffee in savory and fine dining applications.
He shared, “It will definitely become more common as more chefs experiment with flavors and combinations.” In the meanwhile, home cooks can experiment with adding coffee into their savory dishes with deep and strong flavors. Chef Nagae recommends looking for something with a nutty or caramelized flavor profile. For example, “Try adding some coffee beans to your braised beef. Or try adding a sprinkle of ground coffee powder to mashed potatoes. You’ll be surprised how much depth coffee adds to your dish!”
