Nespresso’s newest arrivals – cooking up a coffee storm!

If you’re a fan of Nespresso’s coffee machines, then you’re in for a treat – Nespresso is launching its newest product, The U Machine ($1,688) today! This latest machine is streamlined and minimalistic, with a clever design that changes its shape (with a moveable water tank and drip tray) to fit even the trickiest of spaces – so fear no more about bulky jutting out appliances. The U comes in four colours, including a very eye-catching orange and has a tactile interface that even memorises your preferred cup length!

I was lucky to be invited by Nespresso for a special lunch at Cépage to celebrate the launch of The U as well as Nespresso’s Coffee Cuisine Recipe Book (available to Club Members on a first-come first-served basis at Nespresso boutiques). The Hong Kong My Nespresso Coffee Cuisine Recipe Book is a result of a collaboration between Nespresso and eight of HK’s top chefs including Sebastian Lepinoy of Cépage, William Girard of Whisk and Harlan Goldstein, who worked on demonstrating that coffee can not only be drunk but also appreciated as an integral ingredient in meals.

Sebastian Lepinoy treated us to a delectable five-course meal (with all the recipes in the book!), starting with the foie gras prepared with the Fortissio Lungo, a coffee with hints of ginger caramel that gave the foie gras a sweet and aromatic taste. I particularly enjoyed the next course, the Indriya black cod. I was told the cod had been marinated in the strong spicy coffee for forty-eight hours, but despite that, the coffee taste was quite subtle.

Next, the medium fruity coffee Rosabaya was used to prepare the glaze for some quail, which was beautifully tender; the coffee notes gave the quail an added depth of flavour and it’s definitely something I’d try in the kitchen, though I doubt I’d be able to reproduce the dish with quite the same flair!

The desserts were to die for. A classic tiramisu and some donuts were prepared with the Ristretto coffee… and I was almost in tears when I finished my tiramisu, that’s how much I loved it! Most of my fellow diners were also girls, so there were many sighs and closed eyes as we all took our sweet time over our desserts.

Chef Lepinoy successfully showed us that coffee can be used very cleverly to whip up a storm in the kitchen and we were all pleasantly surprised that it turned out to be such a subtle ingredient in the dishes… So get yourself along to one of the Nespresso outlets and see if you can nab yourself a copy of the recipe book and get experimenting! You might also be interested in trying to whip something up using their Limited Edition Crealto Coffee ($63 for a sleeve of ten capsules), a long-roasted Arabica coffee with a rich full-bodied taste and a lingering finish. Good luck in the kitchen and get your grind on!

Nespresso Boutique Shop 1021, Podium 1, IFC Mall, 1 Harbour View Street, Central
www.nespresso.com/hk/hk

Nespresso Boutique Shop 1093, Elements, 1 Austin Road West, Kowloon
www.nespresso.com/hk/hk

Nespresso Club Members can request a complimentary copy of the My Nespresso Coffee Cuisine Recipe book by visiting either branch.

www.nespresso.com

Check out more food-related writings from Michelle on her blog, Chopstixfix!