What Makes a Good....Cappuccino?
"The thick, foaming milk isn't just poured into cups of waiting espresso, it's dolloped and swooshed and scooped with spoons and spatulas, as a painter uses different brushes." (Jan Angilella. 'The Art of Cappuccino in Bologna')
Possibly one of my earliest memories of drinking coffee actually doesn't involve coffee at all. I have several memories of being in various coffee-shops with my parents, who had both ordered cappuccinos. Once the frothy, cloud-like drinks had arrive, I would pick up my spoon and scoop out both helpings of chocolate dusted foam. My parents would essentially have espresso left over, while I undoubtedly got the better half of the deal.
Although a basic cappuccino is one of the most popular coffee drinks around, the ability to create weightless, snow-white foam is a skill which baffles baristas worldwide. It does not, however, have to be as difficult as you may think it is. So whether or not you take your cappuccino with a flavoured syrup, decaffeinated coffee or with chocolate or cinnamon powder on top, follow the step-by-step guide below and with a lot of patience and a huge amount of practise, you'll soon be making your very own cappuccinos at home.
Creating Cappuccinos with an Espresso Machine:
While the espresso is being brewed in the machine, fill a stainless steel jug half-full with milk (either whole, semi-skimmed or skimmed, it's your choice!) and position the tip of the steam-wand just beneath the surface of the milk. Open the steam-valve fully. Keep an eye out for small bubbles - if they get any bigger, move the wand deeper into the milk. The milk should be increasing in volume and and making a low rumbling noise. Keep heating the milk until it doubles in volume and the jug is hot to touch (the ideal temperature for the milk would be approximately sixty degrees. Close the steam-valve. Knock the jug against a surface to separate the steamed (heated) milk from the froth. Using a spoon to block the froth, pour the steamed milk from the side of the jug, then spoon the froth on-top of the steamed milk and espresso.
Except that's wrong.
ReplyDeleteYou shouldn't have to use a spoon to make any coffee, it's about the position of the wand when you're steaming the milk. You should simply be able to give the milk a good swirl in the jug, and pour. There should be no liquid left at the bottom of the jug, if you judge the amount of milk correctly, it will be correctly steamed before it reaches the point of burning.