Espresso Powder?
May's Pearls of Wisdom
The is a brand of instant espresso coffee called 'Madaglia D'Oro (sp) think
it means Medal of Gold in Italian.
May
Karen Wheless wrote:
> I have several recipes that call for "instant espresso powder". When I
> was with a friend, she bought it in a can labeled for use in baking, but
> I've been to every grocery and health food store in this area and
> haven't found it. Is this the same as "espresso coffee" you can buy
> ground in vacuum packs? Is there any way you can substitute? This may
> seem like a dumb question for all of the coffee drinkers reading this,
> but I don't drink coffee and have no idea what all of the different
> beans are like, I just want to make some coffee-flavored ice cream.
> (Would someplace like Starbucks have this?)
>
> Thanks very much,
>
> Karen Wheless
>
> --
> __________________________________
> Karen Wheless kwhe...@rockland.net
> When you have only two pennies left in the world,
> buy a loaf of bread with one, and a lily with the other
Nexis Robinson
Karen Wheless wrote in message <1998060622...@nyack-170.qed.net>...
>I have several recipes that call for "instant espresso powder". When >I
was with a friend, she bought it in a can labeled for use in baking, >but
I've been to every grocery and health food store in this area and
>haven't found it. Is this the same as "espresso coffee" you can buy
>ground in vacuum packs? Is there any way you can substitute?
There is a brand named Medaglia D'Oro and it's found in with the instant
coffees in the grocery store here at least. It is not the same as ground
espresso and not interchangeable. However, I have boughten roasted espresso
beans and used them to infuse the milk/cream when making ice cream. The
flavor is more subtle, but delicious.
> This may
>seem like a dumb question for all of the coffee drinkers reading this,
>but I don't drink coffee and have no idea what all of the different
>beans are like, I just want to make some coffee-flavored ice cream.
>(Would someplace like Starbucks have this?)
None of the Starbuck's 'round here do, so I doubt it. Sorry :/
Jen
Hi Karen,
I see you have several responses mentioning the brand
Medaglia D'Oro instant espresso powder, and there is
also one called Ferrara. I have used them both and
can't tell a difference between the two. As far as
buying it, if you have an Italian Market or
perhaps even a Cost Plus Imports nearby, you might
have some luck. I usually buy mine at an Italian Market
or Pavillions, which is a big fancy branch
of Vons/Safeway (here in L.A.)
I wouldn't try substituting on this one, as the
instant powder has such an intense taste, you really
can tell a difference in recipes. Believe me, I've tried.
I never liked the idea of using any instant coffee or
the like, but Tiramisu just isn't as rich without it!
Good luck,
Jen
--
What WAS the best thing before sliced bread?
Karen Wheless
I have several recipes that call for "instant espresso powder". When I
was with a friend, she bought it in a can labeled for use in baking, but
I've been to every grocery and health food store in this area and
haven't found it. Is this the same as "espresso coffee" you can buy
seem like a dumb question for all of the coffee drinkers reading this,
but I don't drink coffee and have no idea what all of the different
beans are like, I just want to make some coffee-flavored ice cream.
(Would someplace like Starbucks have this?)
Thanks very much,
Roberto Celi
Karen Wheless wrote:
>
> I have several recipes that call for "instant espresso powder". When I
I have never used instant espresso. I checked on some italian cookbooks
that I have, and they never mention it. Depending on the recipe, they
call for ground espresso, crushed espresso beans or, more frequently,
actual espresso coffee. After all: instant espresso + water = regular
espresso, except that it tastes much worse than espresso made from
scratch. Instant espresso is what you get on Italian trains or on
Alitalia flights... sigh...
As to the Medaglia d'Oro coffee mentioned by some posters, this reminds
me of the usual routine that my fellow Italian students would go through
a few years ago (early 80s) when they came to the US, and there was no
Starbucks or Nordstrom in Los Angeles. Step 1: realize that there were
essentially no coffee bars that would make espresso (2-3 days). Step 2:
rush to Safeway or Vons or Trader Joe's to look for espresso to make at
home, and buy Medaglia d'Oro which was the only brand available (1-2
days). Step 3: thoroughly disgusted by the experience, try regular
coffee in the espresso maker (20 minutes). Step 4: thoroughly depressed
by the experience, call home and have mom send coffee.
Oh, how things change! Starbuck's espresso is quite decent, so whatever
they use is going to be OK. Any Italian grocery store will sell good
brands, such as Lavazza, Kimbo, Illy, etc. I would still stay away from
instant coffee.
If you have an ice cream maker, try "granita di caffe'". Heat 2 cups of
water on the stove, and mix in it a couple of tablespoons of sugar until
it is dissolved. While you do this, make 4-5 cups of espresso, and pour
it in the water. Let it cool down, and put everything in the ice cream
maker. Let it go for about 15-20 minutes. It will *not* take the
consistency of regular ice cream, it's not meant to. Top it with
whipped cream, add a couple of cookies, and enjoy. You can pretend you
are sitting at a caffe' in Rome or Naples--summer *is* sitting outside
with a granita di caffe'...
R.
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Curly Sue
I think you're forgetting that the original question came from someone
who doesn't drink, or make, coffee :> As someone with the same
"problem" I can empathize with her. I know nothing about coffee
including how to brew it or tell if it's good coffee, which is why I
prefer my granite as limone.
So, given that problem, and not living near to a Starbucks where I can
dash out and buy a cup of espresso, I am left with having to use
instant for recipes that call for espresso (or coffee).
Roberto Celi <cel...@eng.umd.edu> wrote:
>Karen Wheless wrote:
>>
>> I have several recipes that call for "instant espresso powder". When I
>> [...etc...]
>I have never used instant espresso. I checked on some italian cookbooks
>that I have, and they never mention it. Depending on the recipe, they
>call for ground espresso, crushed espresso beans or, more frequently,
>actual espresso coffee. After all: instant espresso + water = regular
>espresso, except that it tastes much worse than espresso made from
>scratch. Instant espresso is what you get on Italian trains or on
>Alitalia flights... sigh...
>Oh, how things change! Starbuck's espresso is quite decent, so whatever
>they use is going to be OK. Any Italian grocery store will sell good
>brands, such as Lavazza, Kimbo, Illy, etc. I would still stay away from
>instant coffee.
Sue(tm)
Lead me not into temptation... I can find it myself!
sue at interport net
May's Pearls of Wisdom
Boy are you lucky....so many espresso bars much better than Starbucks. If you
aren't a coffee drinker haveing a little jar of espresso powder makes more
sense than a pound of beans or ground espresso.
vincent
What I find incredible about this response is that an Italian, who
claims to understand coffee, could find a favorable comparison between
the swill they sell as espresso at Starbucks and the real thing as
it's made in Italy. All I can assume is our poster is Milanese where
the quality of coffee is generally comparable to that found at
Starbucks.
Nearly every American coffee roaster, Starbucks most of all, confuses
an extremely dark roasted coffee with Italian espresso. Buy some
espresso from Starbucks and buy some Illy, simply compare the color.
Then, American coffeeshops put about twice as much water in a cup of
espresso as they should. Serve an American a real espresso and he/she
is going to complain that there is only half a cup. That's the way
it's supposed to be. But then again, what do you expect from a
coffee-drinker for whom a decaf frappacino with nutraboost qualifies
as an espresso drink?
If you're ever in SanFrancisco, you could try Caffe Greco, Illy
coffee, made correctly, or as least as close to correctly as is
possible for an American clientele.
Roberto Celi <cel...@eng.umd.edu> wrote:
>Karen Wheless wrote:
>>
>> I have several recipes that call for "instant espresso powder". When I
>> [...etc...]
>
>I have never used instant espresso. I checked on some italian cookbooks
>that I have, and they never mention it. Depending on the recipe, they
>call for ground espresso, crushed espresso beans or, more frequently,
>actual espresso coffee. After all: instant espresso + water = regular
>espresso, except that it tastes much worse than espresso made from
>scratch. Instant espresso is what you get on Italian trains or on
>Alitalia flights... sigh...
>
>As to the Medaglia d'Oro coffee mentioned by some posters, this reminds
>me of the usual routine that my fellow Italian students would go through
>a few years ago (early 80s) when they came to the US, and there was no
>Starbucks or Nordstrom in Los Angeles. Step 1: realize that there were
>essentially no coffee bars that would make espresso (2-3 days). Step 2:
>rush to Safeway or Vons or Trader Joe's to look for espresso to make at
>home, and buy Medaglia d'Oro which was the only brand available (1-2
>days). Step 3: thoroughly disgusted by the experience, try regular
>coffee in the espresso maker (20 minutes). Step 4: thoroughly depressed
>by the experience, call home and have mom send coffee.
>
>Oh, how things change! Starbuck's espresso is quite decent, so whatever
>they use is going to be OK. Any Italian grocery store will sell good
>brands, such as Lavazza, Kimbo, Illy, etc. I would still stay away from
>instant coffee.
>
Curt Sampson
In article <357c129d....@news.ucdavis.edu>,
vincent <Ema...@vinATrocketmailDOTcom.end> wrote:
>Then, American coffeeshops put about twice as much water in a cup of
>espresso as they should.
Sorry? How on earth do they do this? Are their Italian espresso
machines specially modified to double the water volume they put
through the strainer? I've watched them, and they're certainly not
using a single-shot filter and pushing the double-shot button. And
you can always ask for a ristretto (sp?); they know what that is
at Starbucks (at least around here in Vancouver).
We have a large Italian contingent on Commercial Drive in Vancouver,
including Italian immigrants who roast it in their own shops, and
I've not noticed any large difference between their coffee and
Starbucks (aside from it usually being fresher). Nor did I notice
either being terribly different from what I got in Milan, Venice,
Florence, Verona and Rome.
This post sounds like a typical case of snobbishness to me.
cjs
--
Curt Sampson c...@portal.ca Info at http://www.portal.ca/
Internet Portal Services, Inc. Through infinite mist, software reverberates
Vancouver, BC (604) 257-9400 In code possess'd of invisible folly.
Roberto Celi
Oh no, this has all the makings of an espresso jihad, but I'll reply
anyway...
vincent wrote:
>
> What I find incredible about this response is that an Italian, who
> claims to understand coffee, could find a favorable comparison between
> the swill they sell as espresso at Starbucks and the real thing as
> it's made in Italy. All I can assume is our poster is Milanese where
> the quality of coffee is generally comparable to that found at
> Starbucks.
I didn't claim to understand coffee, but espresso and granita di caffe'
belong to the comfort food category for me, so they have to bear a
reasonable resemblance to the originals (at least as they are served in
Rome). I will say again that Starbucks's coffee is quite reasonable. I
certainly agree with you that most American espresso bars will put *at
least* twice the required water. However, Starbucks in general does not
do that. I suspect that they have some sort of uniform guidelines that
all the stores are supposed to follow.
Of course, I have Italian friends (both in the US and in Italy) for whom
espresso is not acceptable unless they can stick the spoon in the coffee
and the spoon stays up! They would have to *ask* for that kind of
density, i.e., ask for a "caffe' ristretto" in Italy too.
Now I have to go make myself a cup of espresso (sorry to disappoint you,
but it's late and so it's going to be decaf, more precisely decaf
espresso from the Coffee Beanery)
Roberto