Pumpkin Spice Latte with Real Squash
Inspired by techniques from Serious Eats.
A café latte made the cosy autumn way: instead of plain steamed milk, real butternut squash is simmered in milk with maple and warm spices, blended to a velvety foam and poured over espresso.
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Method
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Equipment
- medium heavy saucepan
- tea infuser ball or a small square of muslin and string
- stick blender or jug blender
- espresso machine, moka pot or cafetière
- 4 mugs
Nutrition per serving (estimated values)
| Per serving | Amount |
|---|---|
| Energy | 173 kcal |
| Protein | 5.7 g |
| Carbohydrate | 27.3 g |
| of which sugars | 18.6 g |
| of which free sugars | 9.1 g |
| Fat | 5.2 g |
| of which saturates | 3 g |
| Fibre | 1.8 g |
| Salt | 0.37 g |
Protein per 100 kcal
3.3 g High Protein needs ≥ 10 g
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient values
Metric · 4 servings
Spiced squash milk
- 300 g butternut squash, peeled and cut into 2 cm cubes
- 600 ml whole milk
- 3 tbsp maple syrup
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- ¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
- 1 g fine sea salt or table salt a pinch
Whole spices
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 star anise
- 4 whole cloves
- 2 green cardamom pods, lightly crushed
To serve
- 120 ml freshly made espresso (4 single shots) or very strong coffee
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon, to dust
- 1
Spice bundle. Pack the cinnamon stick, star anise, cloves and cardamom into an infuser ball, or knot them in a square of muslin. Whole spices give a clean flavour, and the bundle saves you sieving later.
- 2
Cook the squash. Put the squash, milk, maple syrup, ginger, nutmeg and salt in a heavy pan with the spice bundle and bring it just to a simmer over medium heat. Lower the heat until the surface barely trembles and cook for 25-30 minutes, scraping the base every few minutes, until a cube collapses when pressed. Low heat matters: boiling milk scorches and can split.
- 3
Blend. Lift out the spice bundle. Blitz with a stick blender for about a minute, or in a jug blender with the lid vented and a tea towel on top, until silky and foamy; the squash starch is what gives the drink its body.
- 4
Coffee. Pull four single shots of espresso, or brew very strong coffee, and pour 30 ml into each mug.
- 5
Pour. Top each mug with 150-180 ml of the hot squash milk, give one stir and finish with a dusting of cinnamon.
Storage
Make the spiced squash milk up to 3 days ahead and keep it covered in the fridge. Reheat gently, stirring, until steaming, and blend again for foam. Cool leftovers in a shallow container and refrigerate within 2 hours (within 1 hour on a day above 32°C).
