Over the years as I have travelled to Italy, coffee or Caffe, as the Italians say, becomes the question. Beyond that there is another decision to make - Cappuccino, Espresso, or American Coffee. The Cappuccino above is served at the Palazzo Reale in Piazza Castello in Torino, Italy. Cappuccino is rarely drunk by an Italian after 10 or 11 a.m. If you order American Coffee you generally get a watered down espresso that is not very enjoyable. As a tourist, you can order Cappuccino anytime you want to, but do you really want to do that? As the saying goes, when in Rome…..
One Sunday my husband and I took a drive to the charming town of Neive in the Cuneo Provincia in the Piemonte region. After a delightful tour of the town and an exquisite lunch at La Luna del Pozzo, we had a perfectly prepared espresso (see photo below). The crema on the top of the espresso was perfect and the lace doily added an elegant touch. The check was even presented on a brass plate inside of a leather folder.
Espresso
In the photo above you will notice how an espresso forms layers and just how important a good crema is. Italy has no shortage of “bars” that you can run into for a quick shot of espresso. You walk in, order an espresso, drink it a the “bar” and you are out the door again. When dining out you will often be served water with your espresso. We prefer a sparkling mineral water with ours.
My favorite espresso machine for home use is the Nespresso system. Over the years my mother and I have tried many machines but this one not only makes perfect espresso, it makes perfect cappuccino because of the Aerocino. The Aerocino is a perfectly crafted frothing accessory. You pour a little cold milk into the Aeroccino and in seconds you have hot, frothed milk, not easily obtained with just any machine. It is very important to use the coldest milk possible and skim or 1% seem to work the best. As an American, I like to sit, sip, and savor my coffee in the morning while I pet my cats. My personal recipe for a Nespresso Cappuccino is 1 Arpeggio, 1 Ristretto and 1 serving of frothed 1% milk (Nespresso has a wide variety of flavors available) . It is a pleasant and satisfying way to start the day.
