anything "mocha"

[TurtleMeng]

I took my tricolor mousse to work. It was so rich I was cutting small pieces to give the nurses. Then I started my usual survey.(I always wonder how accurate it is when you interrogate your staff about your baking quality). Everyone likes the top (even me), the white chocolate, so I'll keep that. The bottom is too rich, dense, ok I can deal with that, next time will whip some more cream into it (it had only butter/eggs/choco). The middle layer is the MOCHA. I think it's crazy sweet. How can I fix it? Perhaps the coffee powder sucked so all I tasted was the milk chocolate. So, what instant coffee powder (regular and espresso) is a good brand to use in baking?

I am staring @ my can which is completley in...Portugese? God forbid. It's this instant coffee from Brazil. ("Cafe Iguacu"). Someone gave it to me. At least it doesn't look like freeze-dried stuff. Hmmm, there is Englsih. "pure instant coffee".

Recommendations?

[culinary bear]

Have you considered making your own coffee extract? It's easier than you might think and the flavour is far better than any commercial powder.

[TurtleMeng]

Have you considered making your own coffee extract?  It's easier than you might think and the flavour is far better than any commercial powder.

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Well, if I know how to do it...

[JeanneCake]

My favorite coffee extract is from Albert Uster, but it has peanut oil in it. So when someone orders a mocha or coffee flavored cake, buttercream, cheesecake etc, I always ask about allergies. If there are none, I use the AU product (and I always write it clearly on the box for desserts that contain it); if there are, I use the powdered espresso from Medaglia D'Oro. It is a small jar and I dissolve a TBL in a tiny bit of water.

Have you thought about flavoring the milk chocolate part of that triple layer mousse with orange instead of coffee? I've always thought a touch of orange brought a lot out of milk chocolate. (and I do not particularly care for orange or milk chocolate!)

[chezcherie]

i use an italian espresso powder called megalio de oro (sp) that is available at most grocery stores, and a french coffee extract called trabilt that i get from a baking specialty place.

[Patrick S]

I usually use Medaglia D'oro espresso powder, and I think that works alright. But I think the best coffee flavor by far comes from strong fresh coffee made from freshly-ground coffee beans, though you cant always use coffee in a mousse recipe. In the Herme simple chocolate mousse recipe, you could steep a bag of ground coffee in the boiled milk like a tea-bag. Of course, you'd want to increase the amount of milk in the recipe because some of it will be retained by the tea bag. So, for instance, though the Herme recipe calls for 1/3C milk, you could take 2/3C milk, and steep a filter-bag with about 4 tablespoons of ground beans as you bring hte milk to a boil. Then pour out 1/3C of the coffee milk to use in the mousse. In my humble opinion, the best coffee flavor comes from kenyan and indonesian beans. If you dont already have coffee and a bean grinder at home, its hard to justify getting those things just for desserts. But if you do have them already, you should use that for coffee flavor.

[culinary bear]

Have you considered making your own coffee extract?  It's easier than you might think and the flavour is far better than any commercial powder.

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Well, if I know how to do it...

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I didn't wish to appear arrogant and presume you wanted to know...

Arrogant? a chef? never.

Use 100g (a shade under four ounces) of espresso grind coffee, and pour on 300g of boiling water. Stir to combine, leave for five minutes, and strain our the solids carefully; use muslin, cheesecloth or a fine sieve.

Place the liquid in a saucepan over a medium heat and let it reduce to about 50ml. Bottle this; you can keep it in the fridge quite happily.

[TurtleMeng]

Have you considered making your own coffee extract?  It's easier than you might think and the flavour is far better than any commercial powder.

←

Well, if I know how to do it...

←

Use 100g (a shade under four ounces) of espresso grind coffee, and pour on 300g of boiling water. Stir to combine, leave for five minutes, and strain our the solids carefully; use muslin, cheesecloth or a fine sieve.

Place the liquid in a saucepan over a medium heat and let it reduce to about 50ml. Bottle this; you can keep it in the fridge quite happily.

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That sounds manageable. If the recipe calls for a tsp of espresso powder (which is dissolved in a tsp water), can I use about 1 tsp of this extract?

[culinary bear]

I'd probably veer towards a 2:1 ratio of extract v espresso powder, but taste after the first tsp.

[chiantiglace]

Coffee is just like chocolate to me, so many varieties. I like to get turkish grade ground beans of whatever kind of flavor i find more suitable for the dessert im preparing. I'm just picky.

[nightscotsman]

i use an italian espresso powder called megalio de oro (sp) that is available at most grocery stores, and a french coffee extract called trabilt that i get from a baking specialty place.

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We use both of these products at work as well. The Trablit is an especially nice extract.

[culinary bear]

Neil, any idea if Trabilt's available in the UK?

Edited January 29, 2005 by culinary bear (log)

[Wendy DeBord]

i use an italian espresso powder called megalio de oro (sp) that is available at most grocery stores, and a french coffee extract called trabilt that i get from a baking specialty place.

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We use both of these products at work as well. The Trablit is an especially nice extract.

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I also use both.

[chezcherie]

in case you are trying to source it, i spelled it wrong--it's trablit. it's french.

Edited January 29, 2005 by chezcherie (log)

[nightscotsman]

Neil, any idea if Trabilt's available in the UK?

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Try here. I'm sure they can ship to the UK.

[JFLinLA]

If the mocha part is too sweet with milk chocolate, could you try using a semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate instead. That way you get more chocolate flavor than the sweet.

[TurtleMeng]

If the mocha part is too sweet with milk chocolate, could you try using a semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate instead.  That way you get more chocolate flavor than the sweet.

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well, I've been thinking. The problem is the middle layer is lighter in color, to look different from the bottom. So I would not use bittersweet, which is used in the bottom layer and darker. semi...perhaps, and just using less chocolate may help...

[Moopheus]

i use an italian espresso powder called megalio de oro

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Medaglia D'Oro is actually roasted in Florida. In fact, it's made in the same plant as Cafe Bustelo and Pilon. Though I have to say, I've used both Medaglia D'Oro and the Bustelo powder, and the D'Oro is much better for baking. The Bustelo is more bitter, the Medaglia D'oro has a better coffee flavor.

[kitwilliams]

We use both of these products at work as well. The Trablit is an especially nice extract.

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Don't get hooked on the expensive habit which I now have. I desperately needed coffee one day so made myself a cafe au lait with milk, a dash of cream for richness and about a tablespoon of Trablit -- the only form of coffee I had in the kitchen at the time. It makes a very rich, smooth cafe au lait. I don't know about the caffeine content but the taste was spectacular!

And I concur. Trablit is great. A coffee panna cotta would taste lovely and soothing after the evening of drinking last night.