Cappuccino By the Spoonful

Good morning and welcome once again to National Cappuccino Day. I say this as I sip a pint of New Orleans Chicory Coffee, and not a Cappuccino. Have you tried Chicory Coffee? It’s not really coffee, but it sure taste good. Those in the know say to brew 2/3 part coffee with 1/3 part Chicory. Mine comes already mixed as the perfect blend.

What does this have to do with Cappuccino you ask. Well, if you were to visit a New Orleans staple, Café du Monde, you could enjoy Chicory Coffee served with steamed milk and accompanied by fried Beignets. Sounds very similar to a Cappuccino, minus the Beignets. Cappuccino is made with steamed milk foam, and the cup offered at Café du Monde contains the actual steamed milk. If you order Chicory Coffee from Café du Monde, you’ll even find a recipe on the back of the can for their famous coffee. After all, we can’t all get to New Orleans.

But enough about Chicory Coffee – we’re here to celebrate Cappuccino. And while Cappuccino is an espresso-based coffee drink that originated in Italy, Cappuccino inspired dishes are popping up all over. Most are desserts – cheesecakes, cookies, cakes and my personal favorite, Crème Brûlée.

Okay, you got me – I love Crème Brulee. When we visited Bora Bora, I ate best Crème Brûlée every day of our visit. My mid-day treat was a double shot of Espresso and Crème Brûlée. So naturally for this year’s Cappuccino Day, I had to go in search of a recipe that combined the two into a lovely, creamy and oh so perfect dessert.

Happy Cappuccino Day everyone!

Cappuccino Crème Brûlée
6 large Egg Yolks
1/3 cup Brown Sugar, firmly packed
1/4 teaspoon Cinnamon
3 tablespoons Kahlúa
1 tablespoon Vanilla Extract
3-1/2 teaspoons Instant Espresso Powder
2 cups Heavy Cream
Ultra Fine Sugar as needed
Whipped Cream
Chocolate Covered Coffee Beans

Heat oven to 300-degrees.

Separate egg yolks from whites. Reserve whites for another use such as egg-white Omelettes. Briskly whisk egg yolks in a medium bowl until pale in color, about 2 minutes. All brown sugar and cinnamon, whisk until sugar dissolves, another 2 minutes. Set egg yolk mixture aside.

In a medium-size bowl, mix Kahlúa and vanilla into a small to medium sized bowl. Add espresso powder and whisk until dissolved. Stir in heavy cream.

Gently whisk the cream mixture into the egg yolk mixture, just until combined.

Place 6 small ramekins or oven-safe coffee cups into a baking pan. Divide the cappuccino custard mixture evenly between the cups, allowing at least 1/4-inch of head space for the sugar topping.

Heat water in a kettle. Pour warm water into the baking pan to create a bath that comes halfway up the sides of the cups.

Carefully place the baking pan into the slow oven. Bake for about 45 minutes or until center of each custard still jiggles just slightly. Remove from the oven and lift the cups from the hot water. Let cool for about 20 minutes on the counter, then refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 2 days.

Once well chilled, place the cups on a baking sheet. Evenly sprinkle about 1 teaspoon or so of fine sugar over each custard. With a hand-held torch, caramelize the sugar until it is browned evenly.

Chill for about 30 minutes. Place a small dollop of whipped cream in the center of the custard cup. Garnish with a chocolate covered coffee bean, serve and enjoy.