[1] Cafe au lait (photo © Krups).

[2] In France, cafe au lait is also served in bowls. This is an older tradition, from days long ago, before potters knew how to add handles to vessels. These bowls are available from La Poterie du Chalet | Etsy (photo © La Poterie du Chalet.

[3] Caffe latte, the Italian version, is the same recipe but served in a kitchen glass (photo © Williams Sonoma).

[4] Look for a milk frother that also steams (photo © Miroco).

February 17th is National Café au Lait Day, a French term for coffee with steamed milk (photo #1).

Brewed French roast or Italian roast coffee is mixed in a 1:1 ratio with steamed milk (frankly, at home we often just heat the milk in the microwave—a “rustic” version).

Café au lait is different from a latte, which is made with espresso and steamed milk.

In cafés, the milk is steamed with the steaming arm of an espresso machine. For less than $50, you can buy a device that both steams and froths milk.

In France, café au lait is served in cups, but also in bowls (photo #2)

> The recipe for café au lait is below.

> Coffee terms and the different types of coffee drinks.

> Espresso terms and the different types of espresso drinks.

> The history of coffee.
 
 
CAFÉ AU LAIT VS. CAFFÈ LATTE

The drinks are the same, but the terms are used to indicate the way coffee is served.

 
 
STEAMED MILK VS. FROTHED MILK

Steamed milk is more widely used to make coffee and espresso drinks because the milk is easily steamed with the steam wand on an espresso machine.

The steam makes the milk very hot and slightly aerated. These very small air bubbles create a finer and more delicate foam called microfoam.

That’s the same foam that’s used to make latte art.

So what separates steamed milk from frothed milk?

Frothed milk is more highly aerated, giving it more volume and significant amounts of foam. Aeration—the addition of air bubbles—is what makes the froth (foam).

Frothed milk lends itself specifically to foam-filled beverages like cappuccino, where it adds a creamy, airy topping.
 

RECIPE: CAFÉ AU LAIT AT HOME

Simply pour half a cup of extra-strong coffee and finish filling the cup with steamed milk.

If you have a frother: Foam isn’t traditionally found atop a café au ait, but no one will report you if you use it.

Ingredients For 2 Cups

 
Preparation

1. HEAT the milk in a saucepan over medium-low heat, whisking until the milk is steaming and slightly foamy.

2. FILL two large coffee cups halfway with the coffee. Divide the milk between them and stir.
 
 
HOW TO STEAM MILK AT HOME

If you don’t have a steaming wand, you can froth the milk instead.

 
Quite frankly, often at home, we cheat by heating milk in the microwave.
 
 
> THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF COFFEE

> THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF ESPRESSO DRINKS

How about those flat plastic closures that close loaves of bread?

People all over the world get with their packaged bread—and they’re so much easier to use than wire twist-ties.

After the bread is gone, we keep them to use as closures for other plastic bags, like the produce bags at the market.

We even know parents who make art projects from them.

Who makes them?

The majority are made by a family-owned company in Yakima, Washington.

Kwik-Lok has been manufacturing the closures since 1954.

Founder Floyd Paxton, an engineer, saw that packaging technologies post-World War II were changing.

At the time, his company made machines to nail-close produce boxes and labeling machines, largely for the Washington State apple industry.

When apple distributors moved from boxes to bagging, they didn’t like the wire and tape closures in use at the time, and asked Floyd for help.

As the story goes, the flat clip came to Paxton in 1952, during a flight.

While he was on the plane, nibbling on a package of complimentary nuts, he realized he didn’t have a way to close them in order to save some for later.

He took out a pen knife and hand-carved the first flat closure from a credit card (in some tellings, it was an expired credit card [source]).

The Kwik-Lok closure prototype was born.

In its first year of production, the flat tab quickly became the preferred method for closing bags of apples.

It was not long before it was adopted by manufacturers who used polyethylene bags, like bread producers.

Today, Kwik-Lok is an international company that closes billions of bags a year [source].

So the next time you’re thinking of cutting up an expired credit card…think of what you can cut from it!
 
 
> THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF BREAD
 
 
> THE HISTORY OF BREAD

[1] Is there anyone not familiar with these (photos #1 and #2 © Kwik-Lok)?

[2] They were invented to close bags of apples.

[3] Most Americans know them first and foremost, from the bread aisle (photo © Squid Ink).

[1] Great fusion food: a chicken parm bake with gnocchi. The recipe is below (photo © DeLallo).

[2] If you want to make gnocchi from scratch, DeLallo sells this kit.

[3] Calabrian chiles (photo © Toldio74 | Dreamstime).

[4] Fresh basil is the best garnish for any pasta dish (photo © Good Eggs).

[5] For President Biden: a pint of one of his favorites, Salted Peanut Butter Ice Cream with Chocolate Flecks from Jeni’s (photos #5 and #6 © Jeni’s Ice Cream).

[6] There are two cups of ice cream in a pint. How many can you eat at once?

What does the president eat on Presidents Day?

 
What about Number 46?

According to President Barack Obama (Number 44), President Biden loves pasta with red sauce, as well as ice cream.

“I don’t drink. I don’t smoke. But I eat a lot of ice cream,” Biden said in 2016 [source].

He is reported to be a fan of Jeni’s, an iconic brand based in Columbus, Ohio (and a former Nibble Top Pick Of The Week going way back to 2009).

Judging by a tweet he posted last fall, he likes Jeni’s Salted Peanut Butter with Chocolate Flecks (photos #5 and #6).

You may not be able to get your hands on a pint of it today, but you can whip up this chicken parm recipe with gnocchi and lots of red sauce. Thanks to DeLallo for the recipe.

And hack the ice cream by mixing peanut butter and chocolate chips into a pint of softened vanilla.
 
 
RECIPE: CHICKEN PARMESAN BAKE WITH GNOCCHI

DeLallo adds chili heat and gnocchi to a traditional Chicken Parmesan.

The heat is in the spicy homemade tomato sauce made with Calabrian chilies (photo #4—you can leave them out and/or use a different red sauce if you don’t like heat).

Just add the chicken to a skillet with gnocchi, sauce and cheese, and you have a memorable comfort food to keep you warm all winter long.

Are you listening, President Biden?
 
Ingredients For 4-6 Servings

For The Chicken

 
For The Gnocchi

 
For The Toppings

 
Preparation

1. PREHEAT the oven 350°F. Line an oven tray with parchment paper.

2. COOK the gnocchi according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

3. START the sauce by heating the olive oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion, garlic and chile peppers, and sauté until the onions become translucent, about 6 minutes.

4. ADD the Passata and bring to a boil. Turn heat to low, add salt and pepper to taste, and simmer for about 30 minutes. Meanwhile…

5. WHISK together the eggs, garlic, parsley, salt, and pepper in a shallow dish. Add the chicken to the egg mixture, rotating to coat each fillet evenly in the mixture. Cover with plastic wrap and marinate for at least 15 minutes or overnight. When chicken is ready for cooking…

6. MIX the breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese and garlic together in a shallow bowl. Dip the chicken into the breadcrumb mixture to coat evenly.

7. HEAT the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until hot and shimmering. Fry chicken until golden and crispy, about 4 to 5 minutes on each side.

8. PLACE the chicken on a prepared baking tray and bake for 15 minutes until the chicken is almost cooked through. Remove from the oven and set aside. Turn oven to broil.

9. COAT the bottom of an oven proof skillet or a cast iron skillet with a layer of the sauce. Add the gnocchi in a single layer. Add another layer of sauce and top with the shredded provolone cheese. Note: Keep the extra sauce to serve on the side for the sauce lovers.

10. NESTLE the chicken on top of the gnocchi and cheese. Add a layer of sauce on each piece of chicken. Top each breast with 2-3 slices of mozzarella cheese and about 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese. Sprinkle with basil.

11. BROIL for 5-8 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbling and melted, and the chicken is completely cooked through. Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes before serving.
 
 
> THE HISTORY OF ICE CREAM
 
> THE DIFFERENT TYPED OF ICE CREAM & FROZEN DESSERTS

Even if you haven’t planned a special Valentine’s Day dessert, there’s still time to make one.
 
 
RECIPE: HEART ICE CREAM SANDWICHES
 
Ingredients

 
Plus

 
Preparation

1. SPREAD the brownie mix on a rectangular sheet pan so thin brownies will result. Line the sheet with parchment paper so you can cut out the hearts without scratching the pan. You’ll need two pieces for each sandwich.

2. COOL and cut the brownies. Remove the hearts and place on a sheet of wax paper on the counter. Place the leftover bits and pieces in a freezer container for later consumption*.

3. SLICE through the container of ice cream with a serrated bread knife. Make the slices the width you want for the sandwich. Working quickly, slice the ice cream into hearts, place them on a wax paper or parchment-lined sheet and place them in the freezer. As with the brownie scraps, place the ice cream scraps into a freezer container for later consumption.

4. ASSEMBLE one or two sandwiches at a time and place them in the freezer, wrapped in plastic.
 
________________

*You can make brownie ice cream by mixing them into a softened container of ice cream.

[1] All you need is a heart-shaped cookie cutter (photo © Alden’s Organic Ice Cream).

[2] If you prefer, you can make cookies instead of brownies (photo courtesy SXC.

[1] Valentine’s Day gift box (all photos © Hotel Chocolat).

[2] We can’t get enough of the Champagne truffles!

[3] Resistance is futile!

Hotel Chocolat shop opened its doors in North London in 2004, with a mission to make exciting luxury chocolate.

Today, with more than 103 shops worldwide, including in the U.S.

It’s a hotel you’ll want to “check in” to.

The company is one of the world’s few chocolate makers to actually grow their own cacao, on Rabot Estate, cacao farm in Saint Lucia.

They also are sure that their cacao farmers get a fair deal.

In a world where this doesn’t happen often enough, it’s a big bonus.

We received a big Valentine heart as a gift, and have been nibbling away with delight.

In the special Valentine’s Day box, many of the pieces are heart-shaped, adding to the fun.

The dark, milk and white chocolate shells are filled with delectable soft, creamy centers:

 
We couldn’t have been happier with each one.

These are high-cacao content chocolates.

 
This gives you more cacao flavor and less sugary sweetness—not that every bite isn’t a sweet treat.

> CHECK OUT THE WEBSITE FOR GIFTS & TREATS.
 
 
> THE HISTORY OF CHOCOLATE

> THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF CHOCOLATE: A GLOSSARY