Saturday, October 31, 2015

Crazy for Cappuccino

Weekends are for cappuccino - without a doubt. It's my little treat to myself on Saturday and Sunday mornings. And vacation days. Basically any morning I don't have to jump out of bed and run to the office. 

My sister came for a visit recently and I made her a cappuccino and she looked around my kitchen in confusion, wondering how I made it.....without an expensive cappuccino machine. 

So...I thought I'd share my little secret with you, my blogland friends!


I start with my Moka pot. Don't look too closely at it - I don't follow the instructions NOT to put it in the dishwasher and the metal has discolored. Oh well! If the discoloration bothers you, make sure you don't put your Moka pot in the dishwasher. If you are like me and don't like to hand wash dishes unless you absolutely have to.....go ahead and pop it in the dishwasher. It doesn't change the flavor or performance one bit.


Note: The 6 cup Moka pot is a big fat lie - this makes 2 cappuccinos total! If I'm alone, one of them goes into a mason jar for an iced cappuccino treat midweek. 

I also use a can of Illy Moka,  my milk warmer, and my fast froth. All total I spent about $55 for my equipment, as opposed to anywhere from $250+ for a cappuccino machine. The coffee is about $15 per can on Amazon, but a little cheaper if you buy 2 cans at a time. And since I only make this on the weekends, one can lasts me about a month. 

Ok, here we go. 


Unscrew the top of the Moka pot from the bottom and remove the coffee filter. 



Fill with cold water up to the level of the valve, shown on the front of the bottom of the Moka pot. 


Set the filter back into the base of the Moka Pot and loosely fill with coffee, Don't pack it in, but fill it to the rim, clean off any  mess around the rim and screw the top portion back on. 


Put your Moka pot on the burner with the flames reaching to the edge of the bottom of the pot, not coming up around the sides. 

At this point I usually feed the birds.....because it takes a few minutes to start brewing. 


The coffee will start bubbling up through the middle of the Moka Pot, and pooling in the upper portion of the pot. 

Now it's time to start warming the milk. I use organic fat free milk and it works perfectly for this. 


Fill the milk warmer about 1/3 full of cold milk and put on a low-med flame. Keep it stirred - nobody likes scorched milk! You want the milk hot but not boiling. 


Take your handy-dandy Fast Froth and place the whisk part into the hot milk. Turn it on and move it up and down in the hot milk to aerate the milk and produce a beautiful froth. I keep the pot tipped slightly to the side while doing this, which seems to help aerate the milk. 

Keep an eye on the Moka Pot - when the coffee stops bubbling up through the middle turn it off. 


I drink my coffee black during the week but my cappuccino? I like one teaspoon of organic raw cane sugar. I put the sugar in the bottom of the cup first, and then pour in hot milk from the milk warmer. Stir to dissolve the sugar. 


Now add half the coffee from the Moka pot. Stir again. 


Top off with foam from the milk warmer, spooned off the top of the hot milk. 


Add a sprinkle of cinnamon and tell everyone to leave you alone for a little while. 

Sit in  your favorite chair next to the fire, grab a magazine or your iPad or whatever makes you happy, and start your day off right. 

What's your weekend treat to yourself? 




10 comments:

  1. Well, I don't have a stove, so guess I can't do this. Do you know I've NEVER had a cappuccino?
    Brenda

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    Replies
    1. Brenda, since you are such a coffee lover you would probably really enjoy a cappuccino!! Perhaps some day when you are out and about you will treat yourself to one. You can even shave some of your dark chocolate over the froth for a real treat!

      Delete
  2. Replies
    1. Oh it truly is, Deb!! It's worth the wait on a weekend morning!

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  3. Hey...looks good! When I lived in southern France the capuchino cups were these little bitty cups...just a couple of ounces. Same with Italian capichino cups. So maybe your coffee maker is referring to the little capuchino cups. I like frothed coffee and hot chocolate! Mmm.
    Thanks for visiting me. Sheila

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hey...looks good! When I lived in southern France the capuchino cups were these little bitty cups...just a couple of ounces. Same with Italian capichino cups. So maybe your coffee maker is referring to the little capuchino cups. I like frothed coffee and hot chocolate! Mmm.
    Thanks for visiting me. Sheila

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I am wrong...the little cups are espresso cups. Oops. My theory was wrong. Ha! Sheila

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    2. And that's probably why they say "6 cup" - the base of a cappuccino is a "shot" of espresso - but for me, it's a two-cupper!! I've never been a huge espresso fan, it's just a little too strong for me....but once you mix it with the steamed milk - yummmmmm!! Thanks for your visit, Sheila - and happy Halloween!

      Delete
  5. I'm a hot chocolate girl and lately I have been enjoying it with fresh whipped cream. Oh boy, delish! I think it's becoming a bit of a habit! ;)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Everyone has to have their little treat, Kim - if that's your worst "vice" I think you're doing ok!!!

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