Café au lait

Craig Williamson had just moved from his beloved home of New Orleans to the suburban enclave near Columbus, Ohio to be nearer to his girlfriend.  Although he loved the Big Easy, he loved his girlfriend more.  Of course, Craig was a guy with a lot of love in his heart and he also loved his café au lait.  Craig was a staple at the famed Café du Monde coffee shop located in the French Quarter and he knew he was going to miss the ambience of that café.  However, Craig though to himself, I'll just have to find myself a new place where I can enjoy a café au lait.  That day, Craig would realize how difficult it is to find a quality cup of café au lait in Ohio was.  Every coffee shop he went to, they either made him an Italian latte instead thinking it was the same thing or ruined his café au lait by adding a froth of steamed milk to its top.  Now Craig was sad, homesick, and in desperate need of a café au lait.

Can one coffee drink be really this good, you ask?  Yes, yes it can!  This French coffee drink is a uniquely sweet drink that is particularly popular in Louisiana, in particular New Orleans.  It is a Cajun style that is similar to an Italian latte but with some minor differences.  Where an Italian latte is made with an espresso, café au lait uses brewed coffee.  Additionally, a café au lait has an equal ratio of steamed milk to coffee.  Sugar is often added to the coffee drink to sweeten the taste.

To make a Cajun style cup of café au lait, it is highly recommended that the coffee that is used is a dark roast that has to be brewed strong.  Additionally, the coffee has to include chicory, as most of the coffee drunk in Louisiana is of a coffee-and-chicory blend.  To make this delicious drink, take heed, as we have a delicious recipe for a café au lait.

All that you have to do is follow these easy steps:

1. Brew a pot of coffee in a drip coffeemaker and a drip coffee maker only.
2. Bring water to a temperature of 204 to 208 degrees Fahrenheit, where it is almost boiling.
3. Pour a small amount of this water into a drip-style coffeemaker with a filter that contains 6 rounded tablespoons of dark roast coffee.
4. Continue pouring the water over the coffee grounds until the coffee is completely made.
5. Scald 6 cups of milk.  It is important that you do not boil the milk.
6. Pour coffee into warmed café au lait bowls.
7. Add the scalded milk.
8. To add some drama, pour the milk and coffee together from about 2 feet over the serving cup.  However, be careful not to pour it over yourself or anyone around you.
9. Sit back and enjoy this delicious drink.

The café au lait is a favorite drink of many and you can learn more about other popular coffee drinks by looking at the articles under the coffee drinks sections.   For maximum enjoyment, read these articles while sipping on a delicious cup of café au lait!