Coffee extract

Extrait de café

What it is

The pastry standard in France is a roasted-coffee extract of water and sugar reduced to around 28 percent coffee solids, from a Paris house trading since 1845. A crème or a buttercream flavoured with brewed coffee splits or slackens because what you added was water; the extract carries the same flavour in a few grams.

In the kitchen

Count 8 to 12 g per litre of crème anglaise or per 500 g of buttercream, stirred in off the heat at the end — cooked, it goes flat and ashy. If a mousse tastes weak, add extract, never more brewed coffee.

Goes with

Butter Dark chocolate Cream Mascarpone Egg Hazelnut Dark rum

Same species

Cascara Coffee Green coffee beans

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