Suzi's Blog
Moretto: A Mocha Beverage from Michael Turback
Quick now. What is mocha? Or moka? Or mokka? Or Mocca? Or Mocha?
In a land of coffee shops, no, in a land of Starbucks, we all know that a mocha is coffee plus chocolate.
It was not always so. The word mocha comes to us from the port city of Mocha on the Red Sea on the Western coast of Yemen. In the 15th through the 17th centuries, Arab traders dominated the coffee space and Mocha was the key originating port. The local variety of coffee was named Mocha and, even through modern times, “mocha” has been synonymous for “coffee,” just like the word “java.”
The thought of combining chocolate and coffee began in Turin, Italy where the beverage is still called Bicerin or “little glass.” There, coffee, milk, cream, and chocolate were married in a combination that continues to be served on the sidewalks of that city — and many others. In a classic Bicerin, the chocolate, coffee, and cream are carefully placed into a glass in distinct layers.
There are variations and the Moretto below is one of them. The milk is replaced by water. Chocolate and espresso are mixed instead of layered. The cream is still layered atop. The result? This beverage tastes like … Like nothing I’ve ever had. I’m very used to milk and the texture it creates in your mouth and on your tongue. Here, the chocolate is melted in boiling water so the resulting drink is “thin” at least to my palette. That’s automatically neither good nor bad. It is quite distinctive. I have to say the Moretto tasted like nothing I have ever had before. And, with no milk to add flavor, here you are confronted solely with bittersweet chocolate and espresso. You’ll find a swirl of flavors rocketing around your mouth and you are going to pucker.
This recipe is from Michael Turback’s Mocha. You may recognize the name because I’ve blogged several times about his first book Hot Chocolate. Turns out, Michael — a restaurateur from Ithaca — has crafted both Mocha and Coffee Drinks. These are both excellent books to sample, literally, and you’ll see other ideas from them here from time to time.
Moretto
Yield: serves 1
Ingredients:
- 2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, fine shaved
- 4 tablespoons boiling water
- 3 ounces espresso
- Whipped cream, lightly sweetened with powdered sugar
- Cocoa powder [optional]
Preparation:
In a small bowl, combine the chocolate shavings with the boiling water and stir into a smooth liquid. Pour into a glass or cup. Add the espresso and stir until combined.
If you have not yet whipped your cream, do so, creaming to the point where the cream is thick but not yet holding peaks. Sweetened lightly. Top the beverage with whipped cream by spooning the cream over the top.
If you wish, dust with cocoa powder.
Source: Mocha by Michael Turback [published by Ten Speed Press]
One-Bowl Mocha and White Chocolate Chip Cookies
Simply Sensational Cookies by Nancy Baggett is just chuck full of ideas you have to try. Have to. What kind of dessert person are you? Honor that addiction. Show some pride. And, get some variety in to boot!
Mocha is flavor many of us relish or need. Witness those lines at Starbucks each morning. Mocha and chocolate requires some finesse. It turns out, that it is white chocolate that is best married to mocha.
These cookies are rapidly created in one bowl using the microwave for some initial heating and mixing. It’s the perfect last-minute dessert or a way to fend off the kids in the afternoon. Give them the recipe and let them learn how to use the microwave. The cookies are fool proof, the batter is delicious, and the memories of these gems will linger a long, long time.
One-Bowl Mocha White Chocolate Chip Cookies
Yield: about 30 2 ½-inch cookies
Ingredients:
- ¾ cup [1 ½ sticks] unsalted butter cut into chunks
- 2 ½ ounces unsweetened chocolate, coarsely broken up or chopped
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon instant espresso powder dissolved in 1 tablespoon warm water
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ⅓ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cu unbleached all-purpose white flour, plus more if needed
- 10-11 ounces of white chocolate morsels
Preparation:
Position a rack in the middle of the oven; preheat to 350°F. Grease several baking sheets or coat with nonstick spray; or line them with baking parchment.
In a large microwave-safe bowl with the microwave on 50 percent power, melt the butter and chocolate just until mostly melted, stopping and stirring every 30 seconds. Then vigorously stir until the butter and chocolate completely melt. Thoroughly stir in the sugar and espresso-water mixture. Let cool till warm. Vigorously stir in the egg, vanilla, baking powder, and salt until the mixture is well blended and smooth. Stir in the flour and white chocolate morsels just until evenly incorporated. If the dough is slightly soft, let stand to firm up for 5 to 10 minutes. Stir in 1 tablespoon more flour to stiffen the dough more, if necessary.
Using a 1”-inch-diameter spring-loaded ice cream scoop or heaping soupspoon, drop the dough into mounds about 2 ½inches apart on the baking sheets. Bake (middle rack) one sheet at a time for 9 to 12 minutes, until the cookies are lightly tinged with brown and not quite firm when pressed in the middle.
Let stand until the cookies firm up just slightly, about 2 minutes. Using a wide spatula, transfer the cookies to wire racks. Cool completely. Cool the baking sheets between batches or the cookies may spread too much.
Source: Simply Sensational Cookies by Nancy Baggett
