When I lived in New York, this was the time of year when a massive iced coffee from Dunkin’ Donuts became part of my wardrobe.

Sob.

Alas, here I waste away in LA, where this warm, breezy, sunshine-y weather just BEGS for a DD V-IC with H&H and 2 S’s (Dunkin Donuts Vanilla Iced Coffee with half and half and 2 splendas). But there are no DDs to be found here.

Yeah, I know I can make my own. But when it isn’t handed to me grumpily by an Indian lady who is a bit heavy-handed with the cream, it’s just not the same.

However, I’m wicked excited to try making some after listening to my favorite food-related radio show, The Splendid Table. The velvet-toned Lynne Rossetto Kasper talked about her fail-safe technique for making coffee essence, a magical elixir that can be transformed into iced coffee, hot coffee or even a cafe au lait!

It couldn’t be much easier:

• Take a pound of coffee (ground, I assume), and cover it with 11 cups of water.
• Let it sit overnight or 11 hours, then in the morning, strain.
• Throw it in the fridge, where it’ll keep for two weeks. Bob’s your uncle.
  

UPDATE: Official recipe is up here.

The cold, slow-motion brew apparently makes for a cuppa joe with only traces of acidity, which is great because I hate getting heartburn. The only thing I’m wondering is whether I’ll be able to finish 11 cups in two weeks. Oh well. I suppose for YOUR SAKES, dear readers, I shall suffer the luxury of having as much iced coffee as I please.

Hahahahaha!

I’ll let you know how it turns out.

-x-
aarti