|
|
Traditional Europian Style Coffee Drinks
ESPRESSO
Creme de Café is the best espresso coffee or the purest essence of coffee using top quality, freshly roasted beans, usually a dark roast. Espresso is brewed by forcing, under heavy pressure, the right combination of steam and hot water from the espresso machine boiler, through lightly packed coffee contained in a stainless steel filter. This produces the purest essence of coffee with a layer of light brown foam or froth, originating the name Creme de Café.
The proper grind of coffee is extremely important to produce good Espresso and Creme de Café. If the grind is too coarse, the Espresso will be watery and contain no Creme de Café. If the grind is too fine, the Espresso will have a fuller body than is necessary, it will increase the extraction time, causing a bitter brew and will reduce the efficiency of both the Espresso machine and its operator. The grind is correct if brewing time is from 10 to 12 seconds and a good Creme de Café is obtained in a pre-warmed, heavy 2-1/2 to 3 oz. porcelain cup.
CAPPUCCINO
A good cup of Italian Cappuccino must be topped with a rich, milk foam, a froth, which slowly dissolves into the Creme de Café. Make 3 ozs. of Espresso in a pre-warmed, heavy 5 oz. porcelain cup. Make a generous portion of frothed milk in a stainless steel frothing pitcher. Remove the froth with a large spoon and place on top of the Espresso. Serve plain or sprinkle with grated chocolate, cinnamon or nutmeg.
Cappuccino is a name which refers to Franciscan monks who wear a long pointed cowl called a "capuche." The name itself is Italian in origin and comes from "cappuccio" which means hood. Some time ago after introducing the first Espresso machines in Italy, the Italians began experimenting with different kinds of coffee drinks by mixing the strong Espresso with other ingredients in order to make it more palatable.
Espresso coffee at that particular time was extremely strong and bitter. This was due to the fact that the beans were roasted very dark because of the poor quality of green coffee they received from their African colonies in Ethiopia. The Italians soon discovered that their Espresso became more palatable by topping it with milk frothed underneath the steamers of their early Espresso machines. They noticed that the white topping on the coffee was somehow like the tonsure of the Capuchin monk, which is a shaven crown of the head. They also noticed that the color of Espresso coffee around the edge of the cup was not black, but dark brownish, just like the color of the monks robes. From then on this comparison gave the name of "Cappuccino" to that particular Italian Espresso served in large cups and topped with milk froth.
These then are the two classic Espresso drinks which are the basis for all other coffee recipes. Master these and you are on your way.
CAFÉ AU LAIT
Café au Lait was originally served in France by brewing strong coffee, usually French Roast, and serving it with a pitcher of steamed milk. The coffee and steamed milk were then poured together in more or less equal amounts in a large bowl shaped cup. The Italian version, called Café Latte, is made from equal amounts of Espresso and steamed milk. Most of the milk should be liquid with froth on the top for appearance only. In Spain ask for Café con Leche.
ESPRESSO ROMANO
Prepare Espresso in a demitasse cup and serve with a twist of lemon peel. Originally served in small Italian Espresso Houses with no means of washing the cups, they would sanitize the cups by rubbing the lemon peel around the rim of the cup before preparing the drink.
RISTRETTO (The Strong One)
One ounce espresso in a demi-tasse, served with sugar to taste, and lemon peel on the side.
DOPPIO (The Double)
Three ounces espresso, double strength, served in full size dup with sugar to taste.
MACCHIATO (With a Tear)
Two ounces espresso in a demi-tasse, with a tear of milk, served with sugar to taste.
CAFÉ CREMA (With a Splash)
Two ounces espresso in a demi-tasse, splash of cream, usually served with a Milk Chocolate miniature.
CAPPUCCINO AMERICAN STYLE (Café Mocha)
Fill your steaming pitcher half full of regular milk. Add 2 or 3 rounded teaspoons of Sweet Ground Chocolate (or Old Dutch Cocoa) and steam the mixture as you would steam milk. Emphasis should be placed not on achieving a thick froth but on thoroughly melting the ground chocolate into the milk. Pour into a cup, equal amounts of steamed chocolate and Espresso. As an option, top with sweetened whipped cream and sprinkle with grated chocolate.
CAFÉ BORGIA
Combine equal amounts of Espresso and hot steamed chocolate. Top with sweetened whipped cream and sprinkle with grated orange peel (zest). For Café Dante (also called Café Fantasia) place a thin slice of orange in the cup before pouring in the Espresso and hot chocolate . You might also sprinkle some cinnamon and grated chocolate on top of the whipped cream and serve with a cinnamon stick.
VIENNESE COFFEE (Café Vienna)
Prepare a double portion of Espresso in an 8 oz. cup. Top with a large dollop of Schlagober (Viennese for real whipped cream).
MOROCCAN MOCHA
Fill steaming pitcher half full of regular milk. Add 2 or 3 rounded teaspoons of Old Dutch Cocoa and steam the mixture. Prepare a double portion of Espresso in a 10 oz. mug and add an ounce of Dark Rum. Fill with the steamed cocoa, stir and top with whipped cream and a pinch of nutmeg.
VENETIAN COFFEE
Pour 2-1/2 ozs. Espresso into a large mug. Add 1 teaspoon of sugar and 1-1/2 ozs. Brandy. Steam under steam jet until sugar is dissolved. Top with large dollop of real whipped cream and drink through the floating whipped cream by using a rolled wafer.
IRISH COFFEE
Sahara Coffee's original recipe. Pour 5 ozs. Espresso into a pre-warmed wine glass. Add 3 lumps of brown sugar cubes, 1 oz. of Irish Whiskey and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Top with a large dollop of real whipped cream.
CAFÉ AZTEC
Combine in steaming pitcher: 5 ozs. Espresso, 2 teaspoons Old Dutch Cocoa, a sprinkle of cinnamon and a sprinkle of nutmeg, 2 ozs. heavy cream. Steam under steaming jet until Cocoa is melted and serve in 10 oz. mug. Top with real whipped cream and sprinkles of Old Dutch Cocoa.
CAFÉ CIOCCOLOCCINO
Prepare straight Italian cappuccino and top with a spoonful of chocolate ice cream.
CAFÉ BRULOT
Place in a chafing dish; 8 cloves, 2 small cinnamon sticks, 10 brown sugar cubes, 2 tablespoons sweet ground chocolate, 2 strips each lemon and orange peel, 4 ozs. cognac. Heat, stirring gently for about two minutes. Ignite the mixture, and when flame burns out pour in 8 ozs. of espresso. Makes 4 demi-tasse servings.
TURKISH (or Greek) COFFEE
Turkish coffee is prepared by the oldest surviving brewing method: the decocting (boiling) of ground roasted coffee. It is made in an Ibrik, a tall, long-handled copper or brass pot which has no cover and tapers toward the top, designed to keep the mixture from boiling over and to keep some of the grounds in the pot when the coffee is served.
Measure three ounces of water for each demitasse cup and warm in the Ibrik. Add one heaping teaspoon of Turkish Blend coffee, ground extremely fine like flour, and a heaping teaspoon of sugar (more or less to taste) for each cup. Custom dictates that the sugar is left out at unhappy occasions such as funerals. Weddings call for extra sugar. Stir. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Pour off half of the coffee into demitasse cups. Cylindrical cups are usually used as they keep the grounds well away from the lips. Boil remaining coffee again, and remove from the heat. Spoon some of the creamy foam of the coffee into each cup. Another way to get foam into the cups - but it takes practice - is to make your hand tremble while pouring. In Arabic, the foam is called "the face of the coffee" - and you lose face if you serve coffee without it. Fill the cups, but do not stir the coffee once it has been poured.
While still on the stove the brew may be spiced with a pinch of crushed cardamom or orange-blossom water. As heavily sugared as it may be, and even when heavily spiced, Turkish coffee is very bitter. To assure that it is not made unpalatably so, never continuously boil the coffee/water mixture, and always make it fresh.
As you can see, the combinations, recipes and variations using Espresso are endless, limited only by your imagination. Don't be afraid to experiment. Who knows? You could come up with another "Café Diablo" or "Flaming Alaska".
|
|
