BEETROOT, GINGER AND ROSE LATTE

Sometimes I don’t crave a flavour—I crave a colour. Pink it usually is. The colour of a Valentine candy. Springtime in Paris. My favourite hair colour. Its effect is more than the sensation of taste. It is nostalgia—my girlhood, my daughters’, a weekend alongside the Seine. It is romance in its most clichéd iteration. And also its sweetest.

So I make a pink latte to imbibe all these things. It just happens to be delicious, too.

Beetroot is one of my beloved pantry hoards, and hardly ever for anything savoury. Beetroot powder is especially magic; a pigment to play with, and an earthy sweetness to swirl into baked goods…and lattes. Obviously.

For this Beetroot, Ginger & Rose latte, I use either edible rose petals or rose water, although I find the latter a little less faff if you don’t have a loose leaf tea strainer to capture the petals. But, even if you opt for the rose water, a strainer is still a good idea to retain the gritty beetroot and ginger powder bits. (You could use coffee filter paper, too.)

The secret ingredient in this latte is coconut oil. It’s totally optional, but makes this latte sooo dreamy creamy. So just give a whirl, k?

One other key piece of kitchen equipment you’ll need for this latte is a frother. Here is my preferred one; it’s inexpensive, and is the gadget you never knew you needed in your #lattelife.

How do I use a Milk Frother?

You’ll need to heat up the milk before you get started. If you don’t, the bubbles will quickly dissipate and your froth will last about zero seconds. Heat gently on the stovetop until just hot to the touch, or in the microwave for around two minutes. Pour into a medium-large jug. Tilt the jug towards you, while angling the frother away from you, but keeping submerged in the mixture. Switch on. If you get sprayed, know that this is a very common part of the frother initiation period. Practice makes perfect lattes.

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