Coconut Cappuccino and Hazelnut Hot Chocolate

Coffee is a necessity for anyone working in the catering industry, it is a staple, it is fuel. An added bonus to working in a restaurant is that you have easy access to the coffee machine.

Our coffee supplier is the coffee circle based in Stockport, James roasts the coffee beans in his back garden. Not only does the coffee circle provide us with fresh, delicious coffee (my favourite is the Rwandan “Chateau ‘76”) but it also provides us with an enthusiastic mentor. James is immensely passionate about coffee and he has trained us to make marvellous micro-foam and excellently extracted espressos.

This week I decided to become vegan, the first thing that I needed to replace was my daily cappuccino.

I conferred with the chefs at work and we decided to do some experimenting. Oat milk was the first test and it seemed to be going well, the foam looked good! I had a sip…it was watery and bitter, a very strange concoction.

My lunch break was spent searching for milk substitutes and there are a lot out there.
Back at the lab, I chose hazelnut milk for the next experiment. Micro-foam seemed like a distant memory, there was a pathetic froth atop the coffee but It’s not all about appearances. The hazelnut milk cappuccino was deliciously different and, needless to say, nutty.

There was one more trial left to do, coconut milk and I’m not talking abut the tinned stuff. As I began to steam the milk a delicate coconut aroma eminated from the jug. I poured the coconut milk over my espresso trying to jiggle the small amount of foam that I managed to create onto the top of it. It made a good cappuccino, there was a slight background flavour of coconut but the wonderful coffee managed to over-ride it .

This experiment made me wonder what more I could do with these delicious milks. Hazelnut milk is high in calcium, B2 and energy enhancing B12, it’s also very tasty. This next recipe is a comforting treat that I think I am going to be addicted to.

Dairy-free Praline Hot Chocolate

You will need; 2 teaspoons of cocoa powder per person, preferably the good stuff (I use green and blacks), one cup of hazelnut milk, 5 or 6 pieces of 70% or more dark chocolate, half a teaspoon of vanilla essence and one teaspoon of sugar. Put all the ingredients in a saucepan on medium heat and whisk until the chocolate has melted. Finally add a glug of oat cream to create a luxuriously smooth praline hot chocolate.