Once Upon a Grind (40 page)

Turkish coffee is one of the oldest of all brewing methods. Coffee is so significant in Turkish culture that their word for
breakfast
(
kahvaltı
), literally means “before coffee.” The ritual of coffee drinking is endowed with friendship, affection, and sharing—an idea beautifully illustrated in the meaning of their famous proverb: “A single cup of coffee can create a friendship that lasts forty years.”

Because Turkish coffee refers to the
process
of coffee making, almost any good-quality beans can be used to make it. What's tricky to get right is the grind. Turkish coffee must be made with coffee that is very finely ground, so fine that it's close to a powder. When you press your finger into it, you should be able leave a fingerprint mark. (Clare's friends from the Sixth Precinct are especially fond of that description.)

Traditionally, coffee beans were pounded down in a mortar. In our modern kitchens, home “burr grinders” are the best choice for properly grinding our daily coffee; but most electric grinders cannot grind coffee fine enough to be called Turkish; and (unfortunately) the friction and heat produced by the blade of a typical spice grinder will burn the coffee before the proper texture is achieved. The best remedy is to either purchase a Turkish hand grinder or buy coffee that is preground for the Turkish method. (See suggestions at the end of this section.)

Once you have the proper grind of coffee, you can move to the stage of making it. Turkish coffee is boiled in a long-handled pot (
cezve
) made specifically for coffee brewing. The pot is traditionally made of copper or brass. Its narrow neck and wide bottom are designed to hold back most of the grounds when the coffee is poured. Sizes of these Turkish coffeepots range from extra-small (6-ounce capacity) for making 1 to 2 servings to larger sizes: 7-, 10-, 12-, 14-, 16-, and even 24-ounce capacities.

Madame Tesla's instructions for brewing coffee in the Turkish manner are outlined in the following steps:

Step 1
—
Prep the pot.
Into your
cezve
, measure about 1 heaping teaspoon of Turkish coffee per serving (5 to 7 grams). Add 1 teaspoon of sugar per serving—this is considered “medium sweet,” but you can adjust to taste or leave out entirely. Add the water, roughly 3 ounces (about 6 tablespoons) of water per demitasse serving. Stir well to dissolve the coffee and sugar—a fork works well for this; just pretend you're beating an egg. Place the pot over
low
heat. The low heat is important to infuse the water slowly.

Step 2
—
Simmer, stir, repeat
. This step must be monitored closely to prevent the coffee from fully boiling or boiling over your pot. When you see the coffee thicken and froth up, remove it from the heat, allowing the simmering coffee to settle back down. Do not stir. Return the pot to the heat and repeat the simmering and cooling process. Repeat this process once more, for a total of three simmers. The reason for this repeated cooking and cooling is to infuse the water fully with the beautiful coffee flavor—but without prolonged boiling, which would impart a burnt taste. For the third and final simmer, you are watching for the coffee froth to rise up to the very top of the pot. Remove the pot from the heat and pour, offering it to guests with a glass of water, which is traditional for service. Before drinking, wait a few moments to allow the grinds to settle in the cup.

A frothy tip:
Serving the coffee with a thick foam or froth (
köpük
) is an important part of the art of Turkish coffee making. You can spoon a bit of froth from the pot into each demitasse as it forms during the infusion process. Or you can pour the coffee very slowly from the pot and lift the pot higher and higher as you pour, which helps to produce more froth. The cup with the most froth is considered the best, but if you are a lover of coffee, every cup of properly made Turkish coffee will smell amazing and taste divine.

A note on buying Turkish coffee:
When you buy “Turkish coffee” in a can or a pouch, this is coffee that has been preground extremely fine for the purposes of brewing coffee the Turkish way. You can even purchase Turkish coffee from Turkish roasters. Two of the biggest and oldest brands to look for are
Kurukahveci Mehmet Efendi
and
Kurukahveci Nuri Toplar
.

In Bosnia, coffee drinking is a daily tradition, and Bosnian coffee plays an important social and cultural role. Clare discovered this for herself when she rudely attempted to question Eldar at the Queen Catherine Café. In response, she received a polite but firm lesson in Eastern European etiquette. Happily, Eldar invited Clare to join him over a hot
džezva
of Bosnian coffee, and they quickly became friends.

The coffee-brewing process in Bosnia and Herzegovina is close to that of Turkish coffee, but there are differences. Bosnian coffee is brewed from a number of Bosnian coffee brands—
Sabah
,
Zlatna Džezva
, and
Saraj Kafa
,
to name a few. These brands are roasted and ground specifically for this type of preparation.

Unlike Turkish coffee's triple boiling, Bosnian coffee has only one boil, and the coffee is not sweetened in the pot. Bosnians serve it black with sugar cubes provided in a separate bowl. (Usually cream is offered only to children.) The coffeepot's shape is similar to the Turkish
cezve
, but in Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as Serbia and Croatia, it is known as a
džezva
.

Method

Step 1
—
Boil water.
Boil water in a saucepan. While the water is reaching its boiling point, warm the empty
džezva
over another heat source. Remove it and measure in the (very finely ground) Bosnian coffee, about 2 heaping teaspoons per demitasse.

Step 2
—
Pour and boil again.
When the water is at a rolling boil, remove it from the heat source. To prevent the coffee from burning, allow the roiling to calm down before pouring the very hot water over your coffee grinds, filling the pot about halfway (or a little more). Stir the coffee in the
džezva
, and then immediately transfer the pot back to a heat source that is set to low. Stop stirring and watch carefully. Within a minute or so the coffee will begin to rise, crowned with a thick, foamy head that looks like molten chocolate. Do not allow the coffee to boil over the pot. Remove it quickly from the heat, and allow the risen coffee to sink down again. Finally, add a little more hot water and let the pot rest a minute to allow the grinds to settle before serving. Bosnian coffee is usually enjoyed black. Serve on a tray with sugar cubes in a separate bowl and small spoons for stirring.

Life is a combination of magic and pasta.

—FEDERICO FELLINI

Snow White Chocolate Mocha

This marvelous mocha tastes like a warm, sweet, coffee-infused milkshake. The shop's coffee truck menu renamed this popular Village Blend drink in honor of the New York Fairy Tale Festival. And if your name's Snow White, you can rest easy—there are no apples in the ingredient list.

Makes 2 servings

1 cup milk

¹
⁄
₂
cup white chocolate, chopped, or white chocolate chips

¹
⁄
₂
teaspoon pure vanilla extract

4 shots (about 12 tablespoons) hot espresso or double-strength coffee*

whipped cream to finish

white chocolate curls for garnish
^†

Step 1
. Combine the milk and white chocolate in a heatproof bowl and place the bowl over a saucepan that's about one-third full of boiling water. (You are creating a double boiler.) Stir constantly until the chocolate is melted.

Step 2
. Whip in the vanilla using a whisk, hand blender, or electric mixer. Continue to whip about a minute until the warm mixture is loosely frothy.

Step 3
. Divide the espresso (or strong coffee) between two large mugs. Add the steamed white chocolate milk and stir to blend the flavors. You can top with whipped cream and white chocolate shavings, but it's just as delicious without.

*Double-strength coffee:
For double-strength coffee, simply make a strong version of your regular cup. For instance, in a drip coffeemaker, instead of using 1
¹
⁄
₂
to 2 tablespoons of ground coffee for every 6 ounces of water, use 3 to 4 tablespoons.

†Chocolate curls:
To create chocolate curls, start with a block of room temperature chocolate (white, milk, bittersweet, or dark). Using a vegetable peeler, scrape the block and you'll see curls of chocolate peel away.

“The Great Pumpkin” Spice Latte

Another fall favorite, this home version of the popular Village Blend latte brings the harvest season to your taste buds. As fans of the beloved Charlie Brown “Peanuts” gang, the Village Blend crew got a kick out of renaming their drink in honor of Charlie's friend, Linus, a sweet boy who never stopped believing that one day the Great Pumpkin would come. Until he does, however, this tasty pumpkin spice latte will have to do.

Makes 1 serving

2 teaspoons pumpkin purée (canned is fine)

¹
⁄
₄
teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
*

¹
⁄
₄
teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1
¹
⁄
₂
teaspoons granulated sugar

1 shot (3 tablespoons) hot espresso or double-strength coffee
^†

²
⁄
₃
cup cold milk

cinnamon stick

whipped cream

Step 1
. In an 8-ounce mug, combine the pumpkin purée, pumpkin pie spice, vanilla extract, and sugar. Pour the hot espresso (or double-strength coffee†) into the mug. Stir well to blend the flavors.

Step 2
. Froth up the milk using an espresso machine steam wand,
or
simply warm the milk in a saucepan over very low heat (do not allow the milk to boil or you'll get a scorched taste), and then froth with a whisk, hand blender, or electric mixer.

Step 3
. Using a spoon, hold back the foam in your pitcher or saucepan as you pour the steamed milk into the hot espresso. Add a cinnamon stick and stir to mix the flavors. Top with foamed milk and whipped cream. Finish with a light sprinkling of pumpkin pie spice.

*Homemade pumpkin pie spice:
To make 1 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice, mix together
¹
⁄
₂
teaspoon cinnamon,
¹
⁄
₄
teaspoon ginger,
¹
⁄
₈
teaspoon ground allspice or ground cloves, and
¹
⁄
₈
teaspoon ground nutmeg.

†Double-strength coffee:
To make double-strength coffee in an automatic drip coffeemaker, French press, or pour-over cone, double the amount of ground coffee that you would normally use. For example, instead of 2 tablespoons of ground coffee per 6 ounces of water, use 4 tablespoons and . . . drink with joy!