Coffeehouse Cappuccino Food

CAPPUCCINO

Steps:

• Make around 35ml espresso using a coffee machine and pour it into the base of your cup.
• Steam the milk with the steamer attachment so that it has around 4-6cm of foam on top. Hold the jug so that the spout is about 3-4cm above the cup and pour the milk in steadily. As the volume within the cup increases, bring the jug as close to the surface of the drink as possible whilst aiming to pour into the centre. Once the milk jug is almost touching the surface of the coffee, tilt the jug to speed up the rate of pour. As you accelerate, the milk will hit the back of the cup and start naturally folding in on itself to create a pattern on the top. Dust the surface with a little cocoa powder if you like.

THE PERFECT CAPPUCCINO

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Place the water into the boiler of your espresso machine.
• Place the 2 tablespoons (2 shots) of ground coffee into the portafilter.
• Tamp (press) the coffee down using a tamper. Do this 2 to 3 times to make sure the grounds are packed tightly.
• Place the portafilter into your espresso machine's group head and lock it in place by turning it to the right.
• Place a demitasse cup or the glass carafe that came with your espresso machine under the group head and pull the shot for 23 to 30 seconds, or until 2 ounces of espresso is yielded. Typically, there is a lever, switch, or button to start this process.
• Once the shot is pulled, foam the milk.
• Place the milk into either a glass measuring cup or a small metal pitcher.
• Insert the steam wand into the container with the milk, just under the surface of the milk.
• Engage the steam wand on your espresso machine. (You may need to read your espresso machine's manual for this, as each espresso maker is a little different.)
• Make sure to keep the tip of the wand toward the side of the container. This will create a vortex with the milk.
• Move the container higher, lower, closer, then further so that the steam wand can incorporate the air into the milk, making the foam. The bubbles should get smaller and smaller as you do this.
• Once the milk has foamed to double its size, turn the steam wand off.
• Top the espresso with foamed milk right after foaming. When initially poured, cappuccino is only espresso and foam, but the liquid milk quickly settles out of the foam to create the (roughly) equal parts foam, steamed milk, and espresso for which cappuccino is known.