by Carolyn McBride
“Assume Nothing!” A mantra for The Crown as we worked towards opening our doors in March of 2019, the phrase became a Menu section, encouraging our visitors to drop their preconceptions and be open to new and delicious experiences. And now it’s the title of a recipe series, for you to recreate at home. Here’s to a year of assuming nothing!
The Classic: Vanilla Latte
Calling all lovers of things sweet and creamy! The Classic is The Crown’s delicious take on a vanilla latte! And who doesn’t love vanilla? It adds a special floral sweetness that you could never get from sugar alone. We use a mixture of brown sugar and granulated sugar together in our syrup to give a deep, caramel-y quality. For the vanilla, we use Mexican vanilla extract and vanilla bean powder, as we’ve found the combination of the two results in a very clear and unmistakable vanilla ice cream quality when added to a latte.
Add this syrup to anything you like! Our vanilla latte consists of a double shot of espresso, 12 ounces of steamed milk, and 25 grams of vanilla syrup. But this syrup would also be good on ice cream, on a cake, over a bowl of oatmeal, in sparkling water, or in a cocktail… the possibilities are endless!
Vanilla Syrup Recipe
Small batch, 700g:
- 2 cups of hot water
- 1 ½ cup of dark brown sugar
- ½ cup of granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla bean powder
- 2 teaspoons of Mexican vanilla extract
Directions:
- Put water over medium-high heat in a saucepot (we like to use hot water so it takes less time to boil!).
- One steamy and hot, slowly stir in dark brown sugar and granulated sugar until dissolved in water.
- Gently whisk in vanilla bean powder.
- Bring to a gentle boil (it’s okay if it foams up a bit).
- Once boiling, remove from heat completely, and stir in the Mexican vanilla extract.
- Let cool and store in the fridge!
Want to make more fun drinks at home?
Check out the Assume Nothing series, and if you are in the Bay Area, stop by The Crown to taste the seasonal signature beverage.
