Sally's Kitchen · Recipe Club

Somewhere Between Iced Coffee and Cardigans

Four new recipes for the weeks when summer hasn't quite left and fall hasn't quite arrived.

Sally's kitchen this week is having a bit of an identity crisis, and honestly, so is the weather. One day it's still iced-coffee-on-the-porch weather. The next it's suddenly a cardigan-and-something-warm situation. So instead of picking a season, she made both.

This batch has roasted grapes doing their best caramel impression, a plum shakeup that's basically summer's last hurrah with a cinnamon undertone, a tiramisu built entirely around a coffee she can't stop drinking, and a spiced tea latte for the mornings that want to linger a little longer. Grab a mug — or a jar with a lid, for one of these — and let's get into it.

Roasted Grape Latte

Makes 1 latte (syrup makes about ¾ cup — plenty left over)

Roasting grapes sounds fancier than it is. Twenty-five minutes in the oven and they turn into something closer to jam than fruit — caramelized, jammy, a little sticky. Sally built this one around Fig & Honey Coffee, because the honey note already in the coffee and the roasted grape syrup talk to each other in a way a plain medium roast just doesn't. A dusting of cocoa on top and it's basically dessert wearing a coffee costume.

Ingredients

• 1–2 Tbsp. Roasted Grape Syrup (recipe below)
• Espresso, or 4 oz. strong brewed Fig & Honey Coffee
• 6–8 oz. milk of choice
• Cocoa powder, for dusting

Instructions

1. Combine the Roasted Grape Syrup with the brewed coffee.
2. Warm and froth the milk to your desired consistency. Pour over the coffee mixture.
3. Top with a dusting of cocoa powder.

For the Roasted Grape Syrup

Ingredients

• 2 cups red or black grapes (Concord or seedless red both work)
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• ½ cup water
• 1–2 sprigs rosemary, optional (adds a woodsy, earthy note)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Spread grapes on a baking sheet. Roast 25–35 minutes, until the skins burst and the juices turn syrupy and caramelized.
2. Transfer the roasted grapes and all their juices to a small saucepan. Add the sugar and water.
3. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat, stirring and lightly crushing the grapes with a spoon to release their flavor.
4. Add rosemary, if using, and simmer 5–8 minutes, until the sugar dissolves and the liquid thickens slightly.
5. Remove from heat and cool. Strain through a fine mesh strainer, pressing on the solids to get every drop. Refrigerate up to 2 weeks.

Cinnamon Plum Shakeup

Makes 1 drink

This one is for the days you still want an iced coffee, but you also want cinnamon in it, because apparently that's where we are right now. It starts with cold brewed Plum Crumble — one of this month's Momma's Picks flavors — shaken with plum jam and cinnamon syrup until it's cold and a little foamy, then finished with a plum cold foam that's basically the fanciest layer of the whole drink.

Ingredients

• 6 oz. cold brewed Plum Crumble coffee
• 1 Tbsp. plum jam
• ½ Tbsp. Cinnamon Dolce Syrup (it's a five-minute, one-pot syrup — full recipe linked, or use your favorite)
• Crushed ice
• Plum Cold Foam (recipe below)
• Ground cinnamon, for garnish

Instructions

1. Add the cold brew, plum jam, cinnamon syrup, and a handful of ice to a cocktail shaker or tightly sealed mason jar.
2. Shake vigorously for 20–30 seconds, until ice-cold with a light, frothy foam on top.
3. Fill a tall glass with fresh ice and strain the shaken mixture over the top.
4. Top with Plum Cold Foam and a dusting of cinnamon.

Plum Cold Foam

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. plum jam
• 1 Tbsp. warm water
• 2 Tbsp. heavy cream
• 2 Tbsp. milk
• ½ tsp. vanilla, optional

Instructions

1. Whisk the plum jam and warm water together in a small bowl. Strain into an empty jar.
2. Add the remaining ingredients and froth until slightly thickened and creamy. Pour over the shakeup.

Pumpkin Tiramisu

Makes one dessert loaf, plenty to share

This one got big enough to earn its own post. A baked pumpkin spice cake stands in for the ladyfingers, soaked in strong-brewed Pumpkin Spice Latte Coffee and layered with mascarpone cream — no raw egg, no ladyfingers, and it slices like tiramisu is actually supposed to. Full recipe, step-by-step photos, and make-ahead notes are over at Pumpkin Tiramisu.

Vietnamese Spiced Tea Latte

Serves 1–2

Vietnamese iced coffee popularized the sweetened condensed milk plus strong brew plus ice combination, and it turns out that trick works just as well with tea. Sally used Sweet Spice Market Morning Blend here, but Masala Chai or Pumpkin Spice Tea works too. Steep it strong, layer it over sweetened condensed milk and ice, top with a simple spiced cold foam, and you've got a latte that's somehow bold and creamy at the same time.

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. Sweet Spice Market Morning Blend, Masala Chai, or pumpkin spice tea
• 12 oz. boiling water
• ¼ cup sweetened condensed milk
• ¼ cup heavy cream
• ¼ cup milk
• 1 tsp. vanilla or cinnamon syrup

Instructions

1. Brew the tea in the hot water for 5–7 minutes. Strain.
2. Pour the sweetened condensed milk into a liquid measuring cup. Add 1 oz. of the brewed tea and mix. Set aside.
3. Make the cold foam by frothing the heavy cream, milk, and vanilla or cinnamon syrup until creamy.
4. Fill a shaker with ice and pour the brewed tea over it. Secure the lid and shake until chilled and frosty.
5. Fill a tumbler with crushed ice, then add the sweetened condensed milk mixture and the shaken tea. Top with the cold foam.

That's the batch for this edition — something roasted, something shaken, something baked, and something layered. Try one this week, or all four if the mood strikes. More recipes (and more coffee excuses) are always waiting at The Menu.