Bread is Pain

One of my tentative new year’s resolutions for 2010 is to learn how to make cappuccino art. You know, the fancy hearts, leaves and beautiful spirals found in in the foam of some coffee shop beverages. I’m not anticipating this to be all that difficult (you can see in the recipe picture that I nearly made a heart by accident), but I thought I would share how I make cappuccinos in my home, in case you want to beat me in my quest before the year is over. Granted, my method might need to be refined a touch if I am to produce anything particularly elegant, but so far this technique has been more than passable for a quick cappuccino.

Shannon bought me an espresso machine for Christmas last year. Naturally, it came equipped with a steamer wand, ready to make cappuccinos, lattes and steamers. I did go out and buy myself a stainless steel steaming pitcher, but I think I did so mostly because I like the looks of it hanging out in the coffee corner of my kitchen. I’ve never used it and here’s why.

It is true that steaming milk with a nozzle is a bit of an art. It takes practice to maintain proper temperatures and produce the right amount of aeration to make a high quality foam. It also requires a volume of milk far larger than required for a single cappuccino. Watch the barista behind the counter the next time you order a cappuccino and see how much milk doesn’t make it into your cup. This is fine procedure for large scale operations, but for the barista at home, making a cappuccino in this way is tedious and wasteful.

Most people will have you believe that frothing milk is hard; that without the proper tools, an extremely accurate thermometer and watchful eye, your cappuccino will result in a horrible and undrinkable mess. Since that is more or less what the chain cafes will sell you for several dollars, I would like to try and dispel that myth. All it will take is a microwave and a jar.

When making frothed milk in this manner, the idea is to create enough tiny air bubbles in the milk while it is still cold, so that when you heat it in the microwave, it will increase in volume, producing a light foam on top of richly frothed milk. In a jar, this is as simple as filling it half full with milk, putting on the lid and shaking for 30 seconds. An empty Bonne Maman jam jar is perfect for this.

While this method is acceptable, I prefer to use my French press. This simply requires a few ounces of milk quickly plunged several times to create a rich foam. Either method works, but because the French press forces the milk through the plunger rather than just agitating it, I find it produces a richer froth faster. But it also dirties more dishes.

To heat the milk, place the jar, or fill a microwavable cup half full with the frothed milk from the French press, in to the microwave and heat it on high until you see the foam fill it to the top. This takes roughly 45 seconds to a minute in my microwave. That’s it – frothed milk! Relatively painless, and pretty much foolproof.

A large part of what I loathe about the corporate cappuccino is that it is flavorless. There is a very simple reason for this, their cappuccinos are made with skim milk. Skim milk is the dairy of choice for people who think that fat is evil and milk should taste like water. Of course, I’ve met a great many people that prefer their coffee to taste like this too. I assume if you are still reading this that you are neither of those types of people.

The reason for this choice is that skim milk produces and holds a foam better than its whole milk counterparts. But what good is a foam that tastes of nothing but hot, fluffy air? Full fat foams have a more complete texture and flavor and, as an added bonus, help to tamper the bitterness that you find in some espressos, making their cappuccinos more pleasantly drinkable. Please, use whole milk when making your cappuccinos – you will thank me for the difference it will make.

I like my cappuccino ‘wet’, that is, with more milk than foam, but a cappuccino is traditionally served as 1/3 espresso, 1/3 milk and 1/3 milk foam. A six ounce cappuccino cup is ideal for this, because you can pour two shots (two ounces) of espresso in to the cup, mix it with two ounces of milk and top it with two ounces of foam. If you don’t have an espresso maker, you can get away with two ounces of strong coffee. How to pour a proper shot of espresso? Well, that’s a separate matter entirely.

• 4 ounces milk
• 2 ounces brewed espresso

1. Plunge the milk in a French press for 15-30 seconds. It should increase in volume slightly and produce a foam. Alternatively, put the milk in a sealed jar and shake for 30 seconds to achieve similar results.
2. Fill a microwave safe container capable of holding at least 8 ounces of liquid with the milk. Heat this in the microwave on high until the container is filled and the foam rises to the surface. This will take approximately a minute, depending on the microwave. If you are brewing fresh espresso, do this now, while the milk is heating.
3. Pour the 2 ounces of espresso in to a 6 ounce cappuccino cup. Using a spoon to prevent the foam from entering the cup, pour 2 ounces of the milk on top of the espresso. Finish by filling the cup with the remaining foam and dust with cinnamon or cocoa powder, if desired.

The size of your French press is going to affect how well it can froth a small quantity of milk. If you have a 10 to 14 cup French press, 4 ounces of milk will hardly even cover the plunger. A smaller (4-6 cup) French press or press pot “milk frother” is ideal. If neither of these are accessible, there’s always an empty jar!