A Hint of Spice

According to wikipedia Espresso Coffee is "espresso; is a concentrated coffee beverage brewed by forcing hot water under pressure through finely ground coffee."You get Espresso machines here in US to make espresso styled coffee and they range anywhere from $40 to $ 250 and sometimes even more.

                          My earliest memory of drinking espresso was in India when I was around 8-9 years old.It was the time parents used to ensure kids don't get any caffine(I know my parents and relatives around us were very committed to no caffine rule).So,how did I get to taste the heavenly espresso?Well I was my Dad's Favorite(Yes bhai I finally admitted it) and we had gone to the wedding reception of one of his colleagues.They had so many entrees ...I cannot even list them,but my eyes and nose were all set for taking a sip of the cup in which foam was at the top.I just wanted to see...what was so special about it?Well,my Papa let me try it,and trust me I was hooked.The came the quest of having it at home,which was a difficult task because according to ma "you should drink milk at this age,not coffee or tea".But my gaurdian angel of coffee ha ha ha (what a phrase) was at my side and one of my relatives made this espresso coffee at their place without the big bulky machine.I was entralled.How can just a cup and a spoon make such delicious coffee?Well try the following recipe and believe me you will love it.

 
 
 
 


INGREDIENTS
For 1 cup of Joy!!!
1 Tablespoon Instant Coffee Powder (adjust the quantity according to your taste)
2 Tablespoons Sugar(adjust acc. to taste)
1 Cup Milk(2%) (or 3/4 cup Whole Milk + 1/4 Cup water)

DIRECTIONS
1.In a bowl or cup put the coffee and sugar  and add few drops of water,just to make the combination of coffee and sugar moist and crumbly and not completely drowning in water.
2.Beat  it with a fork or spoon.If you have a hand electric beater ,even better.If not,just use a plain and simple sppon to beat the coffee and sugar combo to incorporate as much air as possible.At one point this combination changes color from Dark brown to a light golden brown.












3.While you are beating the air out of coffee ,boil 1 cup of milk on stove top or heat it very well in microwave.
4.Pour the milk on coffee sugar combination and mix it quickly.
'njoy !!!!

TIP
1.You can experiment with spices in your coffee.Try mixing a pinch of cinnamon and nutmeg to the coffee and sugar before you beat them.
2.You can also try ground cardamom powder(elaichi )powder  in the espresso.
3.Experiment with Vanilla essence(2 drops) to change the flavor.
4.Over christmas I served this espresso with candycane syrup to get into that festive spirit.Remember to reduce the sugar you add to coffee.