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Temperance, or the virtue of restraint, is all well and good – provided the context is right.
Minimal intervention is certainly having a moment not only on menus and wine lists across the country, and with good reason. And while less is often more in execution, the same can also be said when it comes to the design used to achieve a sense of effortlessness – or, at least, the appearance of it. The Nespresso Essenza Mini is a prime example of as much, its design distilled down to the bare essentials that makes it Nespresso’s smallest and slimmest machines to date without sacrificing any element of an exceptional experience. Never before has so much been possible with so little.
Chefs Gemma Whiteman and Mike Eggert also know a thing or two about enjoying the benefits of the bare essentials. At Good Luck Pinbone, what was once a suburban Japanese restaurant has been stripped back – a lick of red paint and some lucky tchotchkes as the only decorative elements – to allow their beautiful produce cooked with a playful twist in “a melting pot of Asian styles” free reign to shine.
Few things in life will make a grown adult melt at the prospect of a dessert like one of their signature pops will. Case in point: a Nespresso Mocha Pop rolled in Milo. The dark, bittersweet tannin notes from the Nespresso Dharkan Grand Cru sound off in perfect harmony with the sweet touch provided by the Milo. The finished dish itself enjoys a similar duality: it’s at once incredibly evocative of a childhood classic, and yet totally contemporary. It’s the perfection of simplicity handed to you on a stick.
For this recipe you will need ice block moulds, which are available at most homeware and kitchen stores. This recipe makes 12 pops.
Nespresso Mocha Pops
Ice coffee mix
4 X 40ML NESPRESSO DHARKAN COFFEE CAPSULES
300g Milo
150g caster sugar
250ml water
600ml full cream milk
pinch of salt
coffee syrup
3 x 40ml nespresso Dharkan coffee capsules
100g caster sugar
60g milo
To make the pops, pour the water and sugar into a medium saucepan and bring to the boil. Turn it off and leave to cool for five minutes. Whisk in the Milo to dissolve. In a separate bowl, mix together the milk and coffee then slowly pour in the Milo mix, whisking well to ensure there are no lumps. Season with a small pinch salt. Pour into the ice pop moulds and leave to freeze overnight.
Make the coffee syrup by reducing the sugar and coffee together by half. Chill completely before using.
The best way to release the pops from the moulds is to fill your sink with enough hot water to submerge the bottom of the ice pop mould with out getting any water in the top. Very quickly, dunk the mould into the water for no longer than five seconds. The pops should just slide straight out. Return to the freezer on a tray lined with baking paper for five minutes to make sure they don’t melt.
To serve the pops, roll firstly in the coffee syrup then roll in Milo.
Credit: Kimberley Low
Nespresso Essenza Mini, $249. Shop now
CREDITS
Motion: E Michael Wolf
Stills: Kimberley Low
Location: Good Luck Pinbone
Special thanks to: Gemma Whiteman, Mike Eggert and Berri Eggert
