][1]The 5pm Dining Blog was at the launch party for Scotland’s first Nespresso boutique last night. Part of Multrees Walk, the boutique is a swish temple to coffee which looks thoroughly at home among the surrounding Mulberry, Louis Vuitton and Hugo Boss outlets.
As well as hundreds of different coffee capsules (all set out like jewels), they have a huge range of space age coffee makers which can produce espressos, lattes and cappuccinos which taste so good that they are probably still illegal in several American states.
As well as selling capsules, the Boutique offers customers the opportunity to explore the full range of 21 Nespresso Grand Cru coffees at the Tasting Bar.
Nespresso dress
The party was livened up by a model wearing a Judy R Clark dress made from a thousand recycled Nespresso capsules. The dress looked stunning although it’s surely only a matter of time before the Game of Thrones makers ask for it back.
One of the highlights of the evening was the appearance of Edinburgh chef Tom Kitchin. In between cooking at his Michelin-starred restaurant in Leith and shining on the telly, Chef Kitchin has been busy cooking with Nespresso. At the launch, samples of several dishes which he had made with Nespresso circulated among the guests.
Cooking with coffee
‘When it comes to cooking with coffee, often people assume it only works well in sweet dishes, but in fact the bold flavour goes well in both sweet and savoury recipes,’ said Tom. ‘As an ingredient it can work well in sauces, marinades, stocks and soups. I’ve relished creating a menu focusing on this fantastic ingredient, and the Nespresso Boutique is a great addition to Edinburgh’s city centre’.
Below there is a recipe for making canapés of roe deer carpaccio with Rosabaya de Colombia coffee. It’s one of the simpler dishes so a competent home cook should be fine with it.
Breakfast of champions
The Amicus Apple mixologists had also been busy with the Nespresso machines and come up with some gorgeous cocktails.
It would be an exaggeration to say that the Negroni’s Kick, made with Nespresso Vivalto Lungo, Ocho Tequila and Aperol was a life-changing experience but it wasn’t far off.
Tasting like coffee, orange juice and marmalade with a bit of oomph, it is an all-in-one breakfast of champions for those weekends when you don’t need your wits about you.
Tom Kitchin’s roe deer carpaccio with Rosabaya De Colombia coffee and orange dressing
Serves 10 spoons
Ingredients
150g roe deer fillet
2 oranges – juice of
200g sugar
1 orange – dice
1 orange – confit
1 celeriac – dice
1 carrot – dice
1 shot of Rosabaya De Colombia
1 tbsp chopped chives
Olive oil
Venison
Roll the fillet in cling film tightly and freeze one day in advance
Then thinly slice on the meat slicer or chop finely from fresh
Orange confit
Julienne the skin of one orange
Blanch three times in cold and boiling water
Place the skin in the juice of two oranges and add the sugar
Cook on a low heat for 1 ½ hours until confit
Set aside, keeping the orange in the syrup
Diced vegetables
Boil a pan of salted water and blanch the dice celeriac and carrot until just cooked
Refresh in cold water and set aside
Dressing
Place one shot of Rosabaya De Colombia in a bowl
Add two tablespoons of orange syrup from the confit, whisk in a little olive oil and taste
To Dress
Place the venison on the spoon and season lightly with salt, pepper and the dressing
Garnish with the vegetable, orange confit and chive