Personally I feel that people like to put cream in coffee for the creamy richness it provides. Butter would multiply that effect in a big way. Next time I do a Brikka I will try it.
"Coffee leads men to trifle away their time, scald their chops, and spend their money, all for a little base, black, thick, nasty, bitter, stinking nauseous puddle water." ~The Women's Petition Against Coffee, 1674
The_Mighty_Bean Senior Member Joined: 24 Feb 2006 Posts: 465 Location: Bowie, MD Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: "Beauty" (the gentle and... Grinder: Gi-normous Rossi RR45; 100... Vac Pot: Have my eye on a Yama Drip: French press purist, have a... Roaster: Hairdryer and a wire whisk....
Posted Mon Oct 1, 2007, 6:15am Subject: Re: Espresso and butter?
Well in today's episode of Bean's Experimental Kitchen....
Took a generous 1/2 tsp of Plugra brand unsalted eurpoean butter, and dropped it into a demi.
Added cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, a broken-up star of dried anise, and a clove.
Popped it in an oven at about 200 degrees and let it sit roughly 15 minutes, so that any fat-solubles would dissolve out into the butter.
Prepped the shot of Mayorga Espresso Suave, a medium-roast "milk chocolate bomb" type of blend.
Retrieved the demi, stirred vigorously, removed the clove and chunks of anise.
Added a heaping demi-spoon of brown sugar, and stirred it with the melted spiced butter to form a warm syrup.
Pulled the shot on top. ----
So what does butter do for espresso? It adds a certain softness and richness to the texture. It's actually quite nice. The spiced syrup was a nice enhancement to the flavor.
I think if I were to do this again, or if you were to try, reduce the butter slightly- this was a little -too- rich for me; a little bit of overkill. Maybe using just a pinch less would have created a shot just rich enough to be yummy without the negative points.
Sadly, the shot itself was not a fantastic, it blonded at 23 seconds and I stopped the pour early. The spicing and sugars saved it.
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RyanPalmer Senior Member Joined: 16 Apr 2006 Posts: 14 Location: Los Angeles Expertise: Pro Barista
Posted Mon Oct 1, 2007, 9:18am Subject: Re: Espresso and butter?
Maybe next time you should try clarified butter, and maybe trying some atomized cocoa. I am thinking of using some cocoa butter, thats my type of butter. You can find some real nice ingredients here:
The_Mighty_Bean Senior Member Joined: 24 Feb 2006 Posts: 465 Location: Bowie, MD Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: "Beauty" (the gentle and... Grinder: Gi-normous Rossi RR45; 100... Vac Pot: Have my eye on a Yama Drip: French press purist, have a... Roaster: Hairdryer and a wire whisk....
Posted Mon Oct 1, 2007, 9:56am Subject: Re: Espresso and butter?
Oh man, that's the kind of website that could drain my lottery winnings, If I ever did win.
Atomized cocoa. What an excellent idea!
And yeah, maybe next time we eat our delicious local Maryland Blue Crabs, I'll clarify some butter and reserve a bit for espresso play. But it's a bit much to try to clarify half a teaspoon of stuff for one shot in the morning. :) Good suggestion, though.
Ryan, as to indian spices, I looked around for my cardamom pods to throw in the brew but it seems I've used them up. In the past, I have pulled shots on top of the seeds (wasn't thrilled with the flavor blending) and infused lightly sweetened macchiato milk with their flavor (in my opinion, a much more elegant combination).
Posted Mon Oct 1, 2007, 2:08pm Subject: Re: Espresso and butter?
Clarified butter (AKA Ghee) will keep for months in your fridge. A month with no refrigeration is no sweat. I used to use it for long backpacking trips. It's tasty and takes high frying temps well. Got to get all the foam and white bits out though, so I clarified it multiple times. Make yourself a batch
BTW, The commercial products available in indian food stores smelled like blue cheese so I skipped them.
Cardamom and coffee is a common combination in many cultures. Cardamom has a mood elevating effect, (hence its use in danish pastries) but watch out if you have anxiety problems.
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