Cafe Bonbon - Espresso with Sweetened Condensed Milk [Zack]

That cheesy Folgers commercial is right.  Whenever I smell coffee in the morning, I am transported back to breakfast/brunch with my parents.  I loved the smell/taste of coffee so much, I remember sitting on the kitchen counter as a child, eating the spent grounds out of the filter. 

I don’t drink coffee regularly, but I sometimes treat myself to a cup on the weekends.  Since it’s a special occasion, I’m forever on the quest to find my favorite cup of coffee.  Lauren and I were visiting Berlin and we stopped in the Impala Café.  Their self-named “Impala Coffee” happened to be my favorite I’ve ever had (I later found out this is called a Cafe Bonbon).  The preparation was simple:  super-strong espresso poured over sweetened condensed milk in a shot glass.  As you sip and stir the coffee, the condensed milk adds a creamy sweet flavor, which perfectly balances the bitter and rich coffee flavors.  I had to remind myself that I couldn’t drink 8 of them, or else I wouldn’t be able to walk out of the shop.

Process:

Brew your favorite brand of super strong coffee/espresso.  If you have an espresso machine, use it.  I just packed a French press with a larger-than-recommended dose of grounds.  Add a small pinch of salt to the coffee grounds to bring out the depth of flavors.

Get a shot glass or other glass vessel and add the sweetened condensed milk to taste.  A large part of the experience is visual, so make sure they can see through the glass to see the beautiful contrast of the deep brown coffee and the white espresso.  My personal ratio is about 2/3 coffee, 1/3 sweetened condensed milk.

Pour your espresso into the glass, and serve with a spoon alongside so you can stir the drink.

Ingredients:

espresso or very strong coffee – brewed with whatever contraption you have
a small pinch of salt

sweetened condensed milk

a clear glass

a spoon

Song:  D’angelo: Spanish Joint  (I can’t get enough of this song)

How to Crack a Coconut Perfectly in Half [Zack]

A cleanly-halved coconut makes a great serving vessel.  You can pour pina coladas, fresh fruit, or even curries into them for a unique presentation.  Below are instructions on how to halve a coconut!

Process:

First, you need to drain the water out of the coconut.  To do this, you need to gouge the eyes you with a screwdriver and a hammer.  Rest the coconut on a cutting board so the eyes are facing up, and gently tap the screwdriver point through one of the eyes.  It should go through without too much fuss.  Repeat the process for the other 2 holes. 

 Now your coconut should look sufficiently worried.  Poor lil guy.  

Turn it upside down and let the water drain into a glass.

Once that’s finished, you’ll need to get crackin.  Take the back of a heavy knife (I used the back of my cleaver) and start tapping firmly along the equator of the coconut.  

Slowly turn the coconut in your hand and continue tapping.  You should see a crack form where you were striking it.

Once it’s broken in half, wash out any chipped shell that may have ended up inside, and use it how you like!  Pro tip:  if you are serving a liquid in the half that has the holes from the eyes, you can put a square of baking parchment paper on the bottom so the liquid doesn’t escape!

Ingredients:
1 coconut
1 hammer
1 screwdriver
1 heavy knife

Song:  Movits - Skjut mig i huvet