Breakfast special

I am 99.9% done moving – hoorah! What a trip, both figuratively and literally.

I’ve got to be honest, I have been drinking a lot more coffee than usual because I’ve just been exhausted. The cooking has taken a bit of a backseat this week but I wanted to use this chance to share this fun coffee recipe with you. It comes from Ida Bailey Allen’s – one of the pioneers of American home-cooking – early 1900s book on cooking [my edition is the 1935 one]. I’ll admit I initially picked it up because of the ‘He’ll fall for coconut!’ baker’s coconut ad in the back which basically promised PG-rated seduction in the form of coconut pie.

I found the chapter on beverages quite intriguing – it seems boiled coffee used to be cleared with egg white in a similar way to consomme, and that today’s ‘trendy’ ways of drop coffee/filter coffee was not at all trendy in the twenties and thirties because the percolator was taking over:

‘Start the coffee “perking” while preparing the table or tea cart for breakfast, and by the time the cereal is eaten the coffee will be ready – clear and piping hot, without the necessity for rising from the table. A quiet breakfast without having to jump up and down should be enough reason for using it.’

Here is a recipe for Cafe a l’Italienne

(not one I’ve ever encountered, anyone?)

Beat an egg yolk in the coffee cup then pour in the hot milk and coffee. This is served in Italy with rolls and considered truly a balanced breakfast.

Eggs and coffee in one!

Our earlier posts on coffee:

• Coffee cake
• What’s in my cup of coffee?