I hate summers, yeah literally hate them. I have always felt like my body is allergic to the sun when it’s gloomy and dark and raining all day, I am at my happiest, something which is not normal with the rest of the people I guess. In summers, I want my dose of hard-hitting iced coffees and cold brews just like some hot peppered cup of strong espressos and macchiato in winters. So last night I was reading an article on the origin of coffee, like how actually it came into being. some interesting facts and how the first coffees in the world looked and tasted like! Yeah, you sense it, I am quite addicted to coffee, and cafes are my den, the kind of den I rush to whenever I have time, and whenever I am not in a good mood, though I am always in a stable mood I should say. I just basically need an excuse to rush out and head off to my favorite ones across Mumbai!
Coming back to coffee, I did get my hands on some really interesting stuff and it is indeed amazing to know how a thing like coffee has been able to bring about some significant changes in the world and in the lives of so many people. Like do you know in Italy you would not need to ask for “an espresso to go” because that’s how it is consumed? Yeah, that’s right, people order their espresso and drink it while standing and get going.
Dark roast Kopi beans are roasted with butter and sugar over charcoal in malaysia and then enjoyed by the folks in large. In the cafes around Malaysia, coffee is a must along with breakfast, lunch, and dinner in almost every household. Oh, how do we miss Ethiopia, the hub of coffee? I have been there during my childhood and fell in love with the gorgeous looking people and the charm of that place. The elaborate coffee ceremonies in Ethiopia are famous all around the world. The coffee is roasted, grounded, and brewed in a slow process in front of the guests using a special clay pot called jebena and is then enjoyed by everyone later. With this process three levels of coffee is obtained. The strongest and the first one which takes up most of the condensation is called Abol. The second round os called Tona where the same coffee grounds are brewed again. For the last round, more water is added to the brew and is called the Baraka.
The Turkish of course, love their coffee like their babies. It is rather surprising to know that even to define the color brown, the Turkish say ‘Kavarengi’ meaning brown in color. Sich is the importance of coffee in their hearts.
Want to have free coffee all day? Head off to Brazil. You can literally get free coffee in Brazil everywhere you go. It’s like serving water in some places. If you go to the dentist, you are likely to receive a cup of coffee or if you go to a gas station, you can always have coffee for free. Such is the coffee culture in Brazil, I guess it’s on my bucket list as for the next vacation.
If you are also a coffee lover, you know what this means. Its damn enthralling to know about the rituals and culture of various places and how coffee has a different place for every country in the world.
Now let’s get back to our recipe!
Combination of Dalgona and Rosemary:
Dalgona is probably the single most word I have heard more than anything on the social media the last couple of days! And it’s funny and annoying too, how everyone just gets inspired by what the other person is doing and the starts doing the same thing. There’s no inspiration really, everyone just easily copies the other and feels glad about it, rather funny! It’s like a lakh people were making Dalgona coffee around the world the same day and posting about it on their feed. I knew it then and there, that there will be no Dalgona coffee coming on my account, but I would rather make a new rich dessert inspired by Dalgona, which is nothing but the age-old pheti hui Indian coffee that we whip up for guests when they come over at home.
I wanted to combine Dalgona with herbs to make for a new yet captivating flavor. I had some rosemary lying in the fridge and I knew that combo is provocative and refreshing. Well, we know how chocolate goes so well with Rosemary but I was sure this Dalgona and rosemary combination too will be a winning deal, even though it may sound weird.
Use of Evaporated Milk
I could have used more eggs for this but sometimes that clumsiest side of my being just wins over. I stumbled badly in the kitchen the other day and broke about 4 eggs in the egg tray and yeah I was mad at myself. How the hell did I do that? It’s already so difficult to source stuff during this lockdown and you can’t be going out again and again. Since four of them were in the trash I decided to go for evaporated milk in combination with the remaining two eggs. Don’t start scratching your heads now! Evaporated milk is really easy to make at home.
As for the base of this recipe, I always prefer digestive biscuits but I had a shortage of them so I decided to use our most commonly loved Parle G biscuits along with butter for the same. I wasn’t sure about the taste, but I had an inkling that it would come up well with the coffee flavor.
This week, whenever you are in the mood for coffee, try this Dalgona tart and see the magic unfold. As you combine the Dalgona froth with the mix, you would be too tempted to for it to get baked in a flash and jump on it with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream or a generous heap of cream! Well, don’t blame me, Dalgona leaves you bewildered here, in a good way, of course!
RECIPE:
Coffee embraces a savory enhancement in this decadent dessert. With the infusion of fresh rosemary, taste buds – and hearts – will flutter.
Ingredients:
For the crust:
2 cups Parle G Biscuits
2 tbsp Butter (salted or unsalted)
For the filling:
3/4 cup evaporated milk
2 egg yolks
5-6 tbsp Dalgona coffee froth
4 tbsp roasted gram flour
1 tsp fresh rosemary chopped
Method:
- Place ground cookies in a food processor; process until they are a fine powder. Now put the entire mixture in a bowl and add the butter (it should be at room temperature or melted). Combine well.
- Press onto bottom of an ungreased tart pan with removable bottom.
- Preheat microwave at or oven at 180 C. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden. Cool in pan on wire rack.
- In a bowl, whisk the eggs and combine the evaporated milk, Dalgona coffee, chopped rosemary, and roasted gram flour to it. Mix well.
- Pour the mixture on top of the baked tart and tap it twice for the mixture to settle evenly. Bake for 25 minutes and let it cool down well. Refrigerate for a better taste.
- Serve with some cream or ice cream as per your choice! Enjoy
For Evaporated Milk:
1 cup Powdered Milk
3 tbsp butter
1 1/4 cup water
Method:
Bring 1¼ cup water to a simmer. Add the butter to it. Add 1 cup instant dry milk powder and continue stirring until it has dissolved completely. For a thicker consistency, cook at a simmer for at least 30 minutes, stirring frequently till it has reduced a great deal and you can smell a caramel flavor out of it.
Note: You will be left with some extra evaporated milk after using the desired quantity for this recipe.
For Dalgona Coffee:
Combine 2 tbsp Coffee powder with 2 tbsp granulated sugar and 2 tbsp hot water. Beat these ingredients using a whisk, fork, or a hand beater till stiff peaks form. Using the hand beater is really the easiest, you will have the peaks ready in about 3-4 minutes.
