Coffee at the restaurant does not come just at the time of dessert but is an ingredient on which research is done. The chef Marcello Trentini, Nespresso coffee sommelier, is a pioneer: he cooks and serves it as a cocktail combined with his tasting menu (and with this contemporary finanziera)
The coffee at the restaurant it is always an unknown quantity, often it does not measure up and literally leaves a bitter taste in the mouth. It is not the fault of the mixture, but of impromptu baristas and old machines, maligned and working too little – which means a bad espresso. And a bad memory of a dinner.
"The importance of coffee in the restaurant has increased exponentially and is a more sophisticated and versatile ingredient than it may seem" – explains "Il Mago ", aka chef Marcello Trentini of the Magorabin restaurant in Turin, a Michelin star – "As with all the other ingredients there has been continuous research and there is much more awareness on both sides, so much so that it is increasingly difficult to find customers who do not understand the difference between a good product and any one".
Nespresso Coffee Sommelier since four years, Trentini has a close relationship with this ingredient, and clear ideas. "Coffee is a pop ingredient in Italy, but it can not be cheap. Now it is clear: rather than eating a poor caviar, a very good onion better. Arabica or Robusta do not mean anything, flavor and aroma depend on the variety, the roasting, if it is in purity or is a blend … a universe of nuances and aromas that enrich your kitchen and your cultural baggage of cook, without prejudices. From Turin I can say that coffee is part of us, we are the inventors of Italian espresso. We have a very Turin-style, canonical approach to coffee, which is why I like to discover new horizons. For years I have dedicated at least one dish to a specific cultivar and I use it together with wine ".
Coffee and fish? It can be done
In the kitchen the coffee is used with meat: "Deer, lamb, chicken .. In Stockholm, at the end of the course to become Nespresso Coffee Sommelier, I used it together with fish. I cooked a fillet of white fish at low temperature in cooking oil with green apple cubes, shitake mushrooms, coffee reduction and coffee powder as pancakes over fish. Over the years I made a cod with coffee and a risotto with coffee: a real caffelatte, rice cooked in buffalo milk and creamed with peel and lemon juice and then served with a truffle of cocoa mass and coffee to be grated over it".
Not just wine: coffee as a pairing
You drink it, but not necessarily at the end of a meal. In a journey combined with the tasting menu, in addition to pairing with wine, other solutions are sought to balance the flavors with care, but also the alcoholic performance of the evening.
One of the historical dishes of the Magorabin card is Agnello / Nocciole, a leg of lamb in Lazio cooked at low temperature, then lightly smoked in a vacuum and burned in the barbecue. "It has a very crispy crust but keeps a pink flesh inside, the contrast is strong, and we serve it with a natural hazelnut cream. Simona (Beltrami, sommelier, partner and wife of the Magician) has studied for this dish two pairings, one alcoholic and one non-alcoholic coffee-based ".
Nicaragua Master Origin, in a drink
On the occasion of the launch of the new Nespresso Master Origin, the Magorabin maître, Alberto Bonanno, has created a cocktail with Nicaragua to combine with Contemporary financier with prawns, cauliflower and almonds of the chef. It is prepared starting from this unique coffee based on Arabica Black Honey, with aromas reminiscent of caramel, linden honey, grilled bread and gianduia chocolate. The coffee is cooled in a mixing glass with ice, stirring with a stirrer, drained, mixed with extra virgin olive oil of Nocellara del Belice 100%, and garnished with an orange twist and a sprig of thyme.
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