blonde @ home
recipe @ home | blonde flat white coffee | three ingredients
i tasted my very first starbucks blonde flat white in san francisco. i was at a vogue knitting convention when i needed to step out of class to take care of something...something stressful. so i exited the hotel, stopped caring about the class i was in, went to the adjacent starbucks, and decided to stop ordering the safe items.
you know, the safe items — like a caramel macchiato — the item you traditionally always purchase because you know it will taste good, and you won’t encounter disappointment. the caramel macchiato is full of sugar, so it can never taste bad, right? no, it was time to try something different. i was going to exit my comfort zone, and i was going to do it at starbucks.
i was not disappointed. in fact, years later i still attest that the barista in san francisco made the best blonde flat white i have ever tasted.
i simply cannot find a barista that makes it just the way “san francisco” did for me.
add that i started swimming again which required me to adopt my swimmer diet again, and with my two hands, i re-created the san francisco blonde flat white…just the way i like it.
yes folks, that means i added dairy back into my diet to eat enough protein. i cannot complete an athletic swimmer’s workout strictly on a vegan diet, so i will be transitioning this blog into a vegetarian | vegan website.
throughout the bible, God moved israel to different types of food supply. with my inflammation gone, i’m hoping it’s okay to switch to a pescatarian diet (my favorite). really, it’s for the sushi. i eat fish barely in any other format.
recipe
makes 1 serving.
ingredients:
for the coffee, i recommend using the exact beans starbucks uses. it is sold in the stores.
1 1/2 cups 2% fat milk (to make it vegan, use oatmilk)
2-3 ounces filtered water
20 grams starbucks blonde espresso roast beans (grind option = espresso)
instructions:
measure the beans:
using a kitchen scale, measure the ground beans.
scoop the ground beans into the espresso machine’s filter basket cup.
if your machine came with a handy tool that can press the ground beans flat into the basket cup, do so. mine didn’t, so i use a metal 1/4-cup measuring cup to press the beans down.
measure the water and make the espresso:
it is important to make exactly 2 ounces of ristretto shots from your espresso machine. every machine has quirks. i use just under 3 ounces of water to output 2 ounces of ristretto shots from my machine.
following your machine’s directions, make the espresso shots. carefully watch the machine and pull the shot when you reach 2 ounces of espresso (i use a measuring cup to collect the liquid directly from the machine).
pour the shots into the drinking cup.
heat and froth the milk:
using a stainless steel pot, pour the milk in and place it on the burner.
on medium-high heat, cook the milk stirring with a wooden spoon.
remove the pot from the stovetop 30 seconds after steam starts rising and is visible to the eye.
pour the heated milk into a blender. to simulate a milk frother tool without buying one, i use a blender set on the highest numerical value. blend on high for 10 seconds. you should see 1/4” to 1/2” of milk froth at the top.
combine:
pour the heated milk into a 2-cup capacity liquid measuring cup. to make the pretty white dot and replicate the signature look of a blonde flat white, use the measuring cup to pour a thin, steady, vertical stream of milk into the drinking cup.
when almost all of the milk is poured, the remaining milk froth will start to pour out. carefully keep your hand steady to form a perfect dot in the center of your coffee.
tastes just like the blonde flat white sold in starbucks cafes. to get the right flavor, measure the ingredients carefully and pull the shot at the right time.
note:
be sure to weigh the ground espresso beans carefully. this is what makes the blonde flat white taste the way it should. i use a kitchen scale (spring not digital).
also, pull the shot exactly when it needs to be pulled. ristretto shots are intentionally pulled early to yield the correct flavor profile expected. ristretto shots are smooth and more concentrated than regular shots. with the correct starbucks beans, the smokey flavor will come out and this is what we are going for. hold the shot or add too much water and the distinct flavor will be lost.
bonus tip:
some folks prefer digital scales. i used to own one and find that spring scales last longer. it’s just a preference. go with what you’ve got!
smooth, smokey ristretto shots never tasted so good.
daughter of God | sister of Christ
i pursue His voice in real time and do what i have to do, lose what i must lose, to keep it coming.
