A Nice Cuppa

Sounds awful, doesn’t it? Curry and coffee are not two flavors that I’d ever pair. But, when I read the award winning Insieme (Italian for Together) recipe for this funky mocha in Imbibe magazine, I thought I’d give it a try with my morning cup. Using a deep dark roasted Brazilian bean, I whipped up this odd combination of curry, dark chocolate, sugar and milk. The original recipe actually called for egg and cream, which would certainly infuse even more luxury into this drink. But even my poor-man’s version was surprisingly tasty. The curry, just a pinch, imparts a warm, buttery undertone… and if I hadn’t know it was curry, I might not have guessed. The flavor creeps into the tiny gaps of the stronger, bittersweet chocolate to smooth out any rough edges… although it does obscure the flavor of the coffee. Which means, this won’t make it into my morning coffee ritual… but it may make a reappearance as an after dinner dessert.

Insieme
Makes one drink
1 shot of espresso
1/2 cup milk
1 t sugar
1/2 t dark or bittersweet cocoa
a dash of curry powder

Whisk together the milk, sugar, cocoa and curry into a bowl, and pour it into a steaming pitcher. Steam as normal to get microfoam, and pour the milk mixture onto the espresso shot.