CARTE NOIRE ESPRESSO CAPSULES AND TWO COFFEE RECIPES FOR DESSERT!

Ecstatic is not too strong a word to describe how I felt when I was told that I had the opportunity to taste and review the new Carte Noire Espresso Collection for Nespresso* machines. And the feeling only intensified over the following days when I received the exciting collection and started to sample the coffee (although the vast quantities of caffeine surging through my veins may have had something to do with this). As well as the four boxes of espresso capsules, the beautiful black box also contained glossy tasting notes and two Bodum espresso glasses (seen in the photos), cleverly designed to insulate the coffee, keeping it hot.

The number one French coffee brand Carte Noire has always been firmly positioned at the luxury end of the market and its latest foray into espresso capsules for Nespresso machines can only consolidate its place. The new range features four distinct flavours, each with its own special character and intensity; the higher the number, the higher the intensity. They are available to buy in supermarkets with an RRP of £2.79 for a box of ten. 

I am an unashamed coffee drinker and espresso is always my coffee of choice so I thoroughly enjoyed my tasting session. GL, another espresso lover, tasted with me and I also involved my parents, as they have been Nespresso users for a number of years now. We did not do a blind tasting as we wanted to make sure that we started with the most delicate and ended with the most intense. Once the espresso was made, we sniffed, to detect the aroma, then we slurped and savoured. All the coffee was drunk unadulterated, without any sugar or milk so as not to affect the flavours.

Below are my tasting notes and comments about each espresso, followed by the official descriptions from Carte Noire, in italics. We decided not to read their notes until after we had done our tasting. At the end, you can also find two recipes I developed using this range. The first is a coffee and dark chocolate semi-freddo and the second, an iced tiramisu that can be served either as a dessert or as a refreshing summer drink. 

Carte Noire Espresso Tasting

The first thing I noticed is that each capsule is individually wrapped. The reason for this becomes clear as soon as you open the packet and you get a hit of intense ground coffee aromas. With other capsules, this does not happen and I think it makes a huge difference to the whole experience. The aromas set your taste buds tingling and fill the kitchen with that unmistakable just-ground coffee smell. 

The second thing to note is how easy it is to use the capsules. Just pop one in the machine, press the button and voila, a perfect espresso every time. The entire range uses only pure Arabica coffee and all flavours produced espresso with good body and substance and an excellent thick crema which can be seen in the photos.

• N°3 Élégant: Smooth and mellow, but nicely full-bodied, we all agreed that this would be an ideal early morning coffee. My dad in particular really enjoyed this one.                                               "... is a delicate, light and velvety coffee, with a warm touch of biscuity notes. With an enticing aroma of ripening corn, this full-bodied coffee is smooth, balanced and satisfying. A no nonsense 'easy to drink' coffee"   

                

•  N°5 Délicat: This one had a wonderful aroma, rich and slightly fruity. The taste was quite unusual  with a slight acidity that we all enjoyed. My dad also detected a hint of smokiness in the taste. This coffee could easily be drunk throughout the day. This is the coffee I used in the iced tiramisu as the delicate flavour doesn't overpower the creamy vanilla taste.                                                                 "Lively, zesty and tangy, this coffee has a delicate wine like acidity that seduces and delights the palate. Enjoy a refreshing, mild and delicate espresso with a seamless blend of mellow lemon acidity"

• N°7 Aromatique: This smelt rich and enticing and had a slightly darker colour than the first two. My mum used the adjective 'nutty' to describe the taste and was very pleased to see it described as such in the official tasting notes! I thought there was a hint of chocolate in it too. This was GL's favourite and came a close second for me. It's perfect after lunch or as a mid-afternoon pick-me-up. I also chose this one to use in my semi-freddo.                                                                                           "This blend has true character; rich, complex and earthy, with delicate nutty and caramel undertones. With a deep flavour delivery, this is a pleasurable and pleasing strong full bodied espresso"

•   N°9 Intense: A rich, intense aroma could be detected as soon as this espresso had been made. This was full-flavoured and strong but without any bitterness. It was also the coffee that elicited the most description from everyone, with words like woody (mum), smoky (me) and tobacco (GL), all flavours mentioned in the Carte Noire notes. Dad decided on 'strong but smooth'. This was the favourite for both mum and I and is ideal as an after-dinner coffee although personally, I've been enjoying it throughout the day since I got it.                                                                                             "Flamboyant, with an abundance of strong, full flavours, this is an opulent coffee. Rich in 'cigar box' flavours such as smoke, wood and tobacco, this coffee is bold, stimulating and aromatic." 

Overall rating

I was extremely impressed with all the varieties in this collection and I will certainly purchase them in the future as I thought that the coffee flavours and aromas were superior to the capsules I usually use in my Nespresso machine. So watch out George, you've got competition.

RECIPE - Semifreddo al Caffé/Coffee Semi-freddo with Dark Chocolate Chunks

I decided to use N°7 Aromatique for this recipe as the chocolate/cocoa tones of the coffee work perfectly with the dark chocolate. It's a wonderful dessert, creamy and rich but surprisingly light at the same time. The chocolate adds another dimension, providing a welcome crunch to the smooth iced cream. It is ideal to make when you've got people for dinner as it can be completely made in advance, then just left in the freezer until you want to serve it. It's also really easy to make, you just need a lot of bowls! I actually like it really frozen but most people suggest leaving a semi-freddo out for about 10 minutes before eating so that it softens slightly. 

2 eggs
40g caster sugar
1 Carte Noire espresso (40ml), cooled
250ml double cream
pinch of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
170g dark chocolate, roughly chopped

Serves about 5 -6 people.

Separate the eggs and beat the yolks and half the sugar using an electric whisk until thick and pale yellow (about 5 mins). Gently fold in the espresso and vanilla extract.

In another bowl, whip the cream until it forms soft peaks.

In yet another bowl, whisk the egg whites with a pinch of salt until the soft peak stage, then add the rest of the caster sugar gradually, still whisking (like a meringue) until it is stiff and glossy.

Fold the whipped cream into the yolk mixture and then add the chopped chocolate. Finally, fold in the egg whites very gently.

Pour the mixture into a serving dish. You can use whatever you want really but I like to use a loaf tin, lined with clingfilm as you can then remove it easily from the tin when frozen and serve it in slices. 

Freeze overnight. To serve, remove from the tin, allow to thaw slightly (although see note above) and slice. I love it as it is but you could serve it with some thin, crisp biscuits and even a chocolate sauce if you wish.

RECIPE - Iced Tiramisu

This is incredibly simple, the work of minutes, and yet it works perfectly and does have the taste of a tiramisu (with far less effort). You really do need great coffee to start with though - I used  Carte Noire N°5 Délicat which was perfect. 

Serves 1-2

1 generous scoop of good quality vanilla or stracciatella (vanilla with chocolate chips) ice-cream

1 Carte Noire espresso, cooled

1 teaspoon brandy (optional)

Savoiardi (ladyfinger) biscuits to serve

Grated chocolate (optional)

Pour the espresso and brandy (if using) over the ice-cream and blend until smooth. Pour into pretty glasses, scatter with the grated chocolate (I didn't for the ones in the photo as I had used stracciatella ice-cream which includes the chocolate element already) and serve with the biscuit for dipping. 

This is a sponsored post - Leeks and Limoni was sent the espresso capsules free of charge to sample and review. All views and opinions are my own.

This post is an entry in the Foodies100 Espresso Collective Challenge, sponsored by Carte Noire. Each box of Carte Noire Espresso capsules contain 10 single servings and are available in supermarkets at an RRP of £2.79 and are available in four intensities. To find out more about the new Carte Noire Collection Espresso click here 

*Nespresso® is a registered trademark of a third party without any link with Mondelez International group. Compatible with all Nespresso®* machines bought before July 1, 2013. After that date, compatible with most Nespresso®* machines bought. For additional information regarding compatibility, please see UK: www.CARTENOIRE.co.uk/compatibility

'Caffe Shakerato' - Iced Italian Coffee

Apart from the more obvious benefits of this beautiful summer weather, it's also given me the opportunity to dust off some all-but-forgotten favourites we used to enjoy in Italy. One of these is the 'Caffe Shakerato', pronounced as you would expect. It seems incredible that simply shaking strong sweet espresso with ice can produce such a dense, creamy foam but it does. Just look at the photo - there is no milk or cream there, only espresso, sugar and ice.

Normally, I loathe coffee with sugar in, to my mind it's like drinking hot, liquid coffee cake. My usual espresso is strictly unadulterated - no milk, no sugar and certainly no flavoured syrups. However, I make an exception in this case - you really do need a touch of sweetness when drinking coffee at these icy temperatures.

It goes without saying really that the quality of your caffe shakerato depends on the quality of your espresso.

RECIPE - enough for 2

3 small cups of freshly made espresso
2-4 teaspoons of sugar (depending on taste)
ice

Add the sugar to the espresso while it's still hot so it dissolves completely. 

Half fill a cocktail shaker with ice, pour in the sweetened espresso and shake vigorously for a minute or two until you have a rich, creamy foam. Serve in chilled martini glasses or champagne flutes.

A perfect ending to an al fresco lunch or dinner.

Coffee and walnut cupcakes

The atmosphere in our house has been somewhat subdued lately. It started with Italy's humiliating defeat in Euro 2012 and the constantly leaden skies and autumnal climate are certainly not helping to lift our spirits. GL, who finds it hard to believe that it is actually summertime, is suffering from a lack of warmth and sunshine. Phone calls to Italy don't really help matters as everyone there complains about how unbearably hot it is and how they simply have to go to the lake or seaside in order to cool off a little in the water. When we mention the rain and the temperatures we've been getting here, they say they envy us and how they would do anything to have some cooler conditions. They don't fool us though, we know they don't really mean it...

 I made these toothsome little cupcakes in a bid to cheer GL up, coffee and walnuts being two of his favourite flavours. I initially thought of doing a classic iced coffee layer cake but that has become one of my mum's staples so I came up with these, a slightly more subtle and dare I say it, elegant take on the aforementioned classic (a perfect example of which can be found here http://bakinginfranglais.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/camp-coffee_08.html on the great Baking in Franglais blog and which is, incidentally, almost identical to the one my mum makes).



Anyway, I digress. The coffee flavour in the cupcakes comes from fiendishly strong espresso (a perfect excuse to include a photo of my beloved Gaggia, without which GL and I, coffee addicts that we are, would probably not be able to live in the UK) and a sprinkling of real fresh ground coffee, an idea that I picked up from Dan Lepard in the Guardian a few years ago. The two elements combine to give a distinctive, mellow coffee flavour without it being too overpowering. 

As GL prefers these without icing, I left half the batch as they are and I iced the other half with a coffee water icing. You could also top them with a traditional coffee buttercream.

 





As this month's letter is 'W' in the brilliant Alphabakes challenge by Ros from TheMoreThanOccasionalBaker and Caroline (this month's host) at Caroline Makes, I'm sending this as my entry. I'm also entering it into the Tea Time Treats Challenge, with the theme of Cake Stall Cakes, run by Karen of Lavender and Lovage (this month's host) and What Kate Baked.

RECIPE - makes 12 cupcakes

120g softened butter

120g caster sugar

120g self raising flour

half a teaspoon baking powder

2 large eggs

one very strong espresso, about half a standard espresso cup

half a teaspoon fresh ground coffee (dry)

50 g chopped walnuts

12-bun muffin tin lined with 12 cupcake or muffin papers

 Pre-heat the oven to 190°C

Cream the butter and sugar together. Add the eggs one at a time, whisking well after each addition. Mix in the espresso and the ground coffee. Sieve the flour and baking powder and fold in. Lastly, fold in the chopped walnuts.

Spoon the mixture in to the cases, filling each case as equally as possible.

Put in the oven and bake for about 15-20 mins or until the cakes are cooked and golden brown on top.

Remove from the oven. Take the cakes out of the tin as soon as you can and leave to cool on a wire rack.

When completely cold, ice with water icing or buttercream (see note above) or just serve dusted with icing sugar.