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February 1, 2008

I've discovered the most delicious breakfast ever... if only I could find somewhere in NYC to serve it.

The Drink - Cortado
I've been making these for years at home, a recent trip to a local coffeehouse gave me the name. A Cortado is halfway between a macchiato ( espresso with a splash of steamed milk ) and a latte ( espresso in 2-4 times the volume of steamed milk - it's somewhere between a 1:1 and 1:5 ratio of espresso to steamed milk. At home, I usually make it with 2 double ristrettos ( ~3oz of espresso ) and 3oz of milk; the *wonderful* Oslo Coffee shops in williamsburg make it with 1 ristretto in a half-size latte cup. It's not on the official menu, but all the baristas know how to make it.

From wikipedia:

A cortado is an espresso "cut" (from the Spanish and Portuguese cortar) with a small amount of warm milk to reduce the acidity. The ratio of milk is between 1:1 - 1:2, and the milk is added after the espresso. The steamed milk hasn't much foam, but many baristas make some micro foam to make latte art. It is popular in both Spain and Portugal, as well as throughout Latin America, where it is drunk in the afternoon.

The Pastry - Pastéis de Nata

These are like little cupcakes from heaven. My mother was born in the Azores, so I unfortunately grew up around the less-than-pleasant cuisines of Portugal. I often say that Portugal is responsible for some of the worst looking, smelling, and tasting foods in all of the world... and that is all forgiven by the invention of these little treasures. Pastéis de Nata are little egg-custard tarts that are baked in a puff-pastry shell. Imagine a créme brulée in an tasty & edible dish. Now imagine a plate of them sitting on your table.

I only know of a single restaurant in all of New York City that makes Pasteis de Nata. They always sell out. Take home? Not an option.

Posted by Jonathan at February 1, 2008 12:28 PM

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