- Coffee
- 18 g
A latte sweetened with a homemade syrup of real toasted hazelnuts, not flavouring. The kitchen smells of nougat from the moment the nuts hit the pan. Serves four, with syrup left over for a couple more.
By Equipo Cocinoa
What you need
Tap each piece to see its catalogue entry.
- EssentialEspresso coffee makerWater to 9 bars of pressure through fine and pressed coffee. Here are the machine types, from the lever to the double boiler.€150–3500approx.View on Amazon
- RecommendedEspresso grinderElectric grinder with very fine adjustment, designed for espresso. It matters more than the machine itself.€150–700approx.View on Amazon
- RecommendedMilk jarThe steel pitcher with peak to vaporize and texturize the milk. It helps you get microfoam and draw in the cup.€10–30approx.View on Amazon
- RecommendedCazoThe oldest and most simple method: coffee and water in a bowl, rest and decantation. It serves for the puchero coffee, the cowboy coffee and even the Turkish.€10–30approx.View on Amazon
- RecommendedPoultryA fine mesh strainer to separate the pores, strain the cold brew or filter cocktails. Cheap and indispensable.€3–15approx.View on Amazon
- OptionalGlass jarA glass jar with a lid serves the cold brew, to shake drinks and to save coffee. The cheapest accessory.€2–10approx.View on Amazon
- OptionalThermometerTo know what temperature the water, milk or grain are at. Useful if your kettle does not regulate and almost compulsory to toast.€8–30approx.View on Amazon
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No Espresso coffee maker? This works too
- Italian coffee maker (moka)€20–60The life-long stove coffee maker: the steam pushes the water through the coffee. Intense, with body and very cheap.
- AeroPress€35–55A plastic cylinder with plunger: immersion and a soft pressure. Versatile, resistant and almost unbreakable. Ideal for travel.
- Portable espresso€130–350Hand and compact equipment, type Picopresso or Flair, that reach the pressure of the espresso without electricity. To travel or to begin.
Method
Toast the hazelnuts in a frying pan over a medium-low heat, tossing them often, until golden and smelling of nougat: about 8–10 minutes. You can also do it in the oven, 10–12 minutes at 170 °C.
10 min
If they have skins, wrap them while still warm in a clean tea towel and rub off as much as you can. Chop them roughly with a knife.
Put 250 ml of water, both sugars and the chopped hazelnuts in a saucepan. Bring to the boil, stirring, and let it simmer gently for 5 minutes.
5 min
Turn off the heat, cover and leave to infuse for at least 30 minutes. Left overnight in the fridge, it will taste even more of hazelnut.
30 min
Strain the syrup through a fine sieve into a clean jar, pressing the hazelnuts with a spoon. You will get about 200 ml.
Put 30 ml of syrup (2 tablespoons) in each warmed mug, make a 36–40 ml double espresso on top (see the ‘Espresso’ recipe) and stir.
Steam the milk in two batches, 200 ml per mug, to 60–65 °C, with a fine, glossy foam. Pour it over the coffee and serve straight away.
Tips and warnings
Hazelnut and coffee have long been friends: Piedmont gave the world gianduja, chocolate with hazelnut, and in the bars of Naples the ‘caffè alla nocciola’ is a true speciality. In Spain, the Camp de Tarragona has its own protected hazelnut, the Reus hazelnut. The hazelnut syrup latte became popular in American coffee shops in the nineties, nearly always made with flavoured syrups; this one tastes of hazelnut because it is made with hazelnuts.
- Toasting is what brings out the flavour: raw, they give a rather bland syrup. Keep an eye on them, as they go from golden to burnt in a minute.
- In a clean, sealed jar it keeps for about 2 weeks in the fridge, a little less than a plain syrup because of the hazelnut oil. If it turns cloudy or smells rancid, throw it away.
- Don't throw away the strained hazelnuts: dry them in the oven for 10 minutes and use them on yoghurt or in biscuits.
- With a teaspoon of cocoa in each mug, it ends up halfway to a ‘Mocha’.
- Iced, like the ‘Iced latte’: 20–30 ml of syrup, ice, cold milk and the espresso on top.
- Contains tree nuts (hazelnut). It is also very good with oat milk, but check the label for coeliac needs.
One last thing
Toast, simmer, strain and wait: the syrup asks for patience. A ko‑fi only takes a click.