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Turkish Latte

(recipe, Carrie Floyd)


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Introduction

There used to be a cafe in Portland I loved that served Turkish lattes: sweet, strong coffee flavored with cardamom, topped with foamy milk. The version I make at home is really more like coffee with milk, sweetened and spiced. Because I take liberties with the coffee — Turkish coffee traditionalists, close your eyes! — sometimes I even skip the ibrik (the traditional brewing vessel) and simply add infused warm milk to brewed coffee (see Note, below). This is also — cover your ears! — delicious iced.

Ingredients

  1. ¼ cup finely ground coffee
  2. 1 Tbsp. brown or white sugar
  3. 3 whole green cardamom pods, crushed
  4. 1½ cups milk

Steps

  1. Measure the coffee and sugar into an ibrik. Add enough cold water to fill the pot or to the bottom of the neck (the part of the ibrik just before it narrows). Stir the coffee, sugar, and water into a slurry, then add the cardamom pods.
  2. Over low heat, heat the coffee until it starts to foam up, then remove from the heat before it boils over! Let rest off the heat until coffee settles down, then repeat the process. Turn off the heat.
  3. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, heat the milk over medium high-heat. Do not boil or scald. Whisk until foamy.
  4. Although traditional Turkish coffee is served in demitasse cups with its grounds (which settle to the bottom), Turkish lattes are served in mugs with strained coffee. Divide the coffee between two mugs, either pouring very carefully (leaving the sludge in the ibrik) or simply pouring through a strainer. Top with the steamed milk and serve.

Note

To infuse milk to add to a cup of brewed coffee: Add the crushed cardamom pods to the milk in a saucepan, warm over medium-heat, then turn the heat off and let sit for 10 minutes. When ready to serve, reheat the milk, add the sugar, and whisk until the sugar is dissolved and the milk is foamy. If you don't have an ibrik, you can make the coffee in a small saucepan, following the above instructions, then straining the coffee into mugs.