Cooking with Coffee

This modestly sized book is full of information essential to the coffee novice: the not-so-subtle distinction between the aristocratic Arabia and the lowly Robusta, the secrets of blending and brewing a perfect cup and what to look out for in the average bean. Seventy-five recipes add a jolt of java to every meal, from breakfast to late-night snacks. And while Seattle-based food writer and cooking teacher Foster's coffee-splashed entrees will likely interest only hardened caffeine addicts (roast duck with a coffee cream sauce; ginger java lamb kabobs), her sweets have a nearly universal appeal. The author imaginatively alters the fudgelike penuche by substituting coffee for the usual cream and whips up an ethereal frozen Tia Maria Terrine. Simple recipes for such morning food as Cappucine French Toast and Apricot Bread Arabaic are worth waking up for. And a ``cuppajoe'' is given new meaning by Foster's special drinks. Favorites include a rich Belgian brew flavored with oranges and a decidedly decadent mocha milkshake. (Mar.)