The celebrated South African born chef and patron of JAN Restaurant in Nice, France, was in Cape Town recently to cook a meal in collaboration with the global coffee brand, Nespresso.
“I recently had the privilege of welcoming Nespresso South Africa to JAN Innovation Studio in Cape Town, which resulted in a very interesting menu. The trick, of course, is not to send your guests home twitching from a caffeine high, but rather to instil an awareness of coffee as a culinary ingredient,” says Jan on his blog.
We caught up with the chef to quiz him on a few of his own coffee quirks…
What’s your earliest memory of coffee?
When I was a child I used to dip farm bread with lots of butter on it into a cup of coffee. The fattiness of the butter would float on the surface of the coffee.
TRY: Jan Hendrik’s coffee butter recipe
Do you have any special coffee-drinking rituals?
I do. It’s a little corny, but I’ve got two pigeons that come to my kitchen window and every morning I make a cup of coffee for myself and give them some pine nuts to nibble on. They’re probably the only birds in the world that get a handful of pine nuts (always slightly toasted)! I enjoy either a vanilla or caramel coffee. That’s what usually gets me going. I have about three or four throughout the day.
What model of Nespresso machine do you have?
We’d love to know. I used to have a very little one and then they gave me a really nice one with a proper frothing function and everything, but I drink my coffee black with no sugar.
Aside from the new barista range, do you have any other favourite Nespresso varieties?
I just love the vanilla or caramel flavours – it’s like having dessert before your day even starts. I also love an affogato dessert, or just two espresso shots in a little Tupperware: frozen, and then you just keep flaking it like you would a granita and serve it with plain Greek yoghurt. It’s delicious!
Food24 is giving away a Nespresso Barista Creations coffee hamper worth R2940. Enter before the end of October 2019 to stand a chance of winning!