French café frappé recipe

The original frappé as served in brasseries across France

Food blog: what's the best iced coffee?
French cafe frappe
A French café frappé, Paris. Photograph: Daniel Young

This is the original frappé, once a centrepiece of the French brasserie's coffee and dessert repertoires. The name comes from the French verb frapper, which, though it means "to hit" or "to strike" (maybe like a frappé in a blender), indicates "iced" or "cold" in a beverage context.

The classic frappé is in most instances thinner than an American milkshake, which, confusingly, is called a "frappe" (pronounced "frap," not "fra-PAY") in Boston. In Italy a frappè al caffè is a blend of espresso, sugar or syrup, crushed ice, and sometimes vanilla extract. Feel free to add your favourite flavoured syrup or liqueur, as the brasserie mixologist certainly would.

Makes 1 serving

15g ground coffee (fine grind for espresso, medium-coarse grind for cafetiere)
175ml cup water (if using a cafetiere)
125ml sweetened condensed milk
1 small scoop vanilla ice cream
A few drops of vanilla extract, optional
3 ice cubes, crushed

If using espresso, warm up the espresso machine. Put the coffee in the double-sized filter basket of the portafilter, tamp down with a tamper, and secure the portafilter in the brew head. Place a brew pitcher or other receptacle directly under the brew head, turn on the brew switch, and brew for 22 to 28 seconds to yield about 100ml of espresso.

If using a cafetiere, heat water to a boil, let stand for about a minute to let the water cool to 90-95C, pour over the coffee, stir, and cover. Let steep for 4 minutes, then carefully push the plunger down to the bottom of the cylinder, making sure to keep it level.

Combine the condensed milk, ice cream, vanilla and ice in a blender or drink mixer, top with brewed espresso or coffee, and blitz under smooth. Pour immediately into a glass and serve with a straw.

This recipe is taken from Coffee Love, 50 Ways to Drink Your Java by Daniel Young (John Wiley & Sons, £11.99). To order a copy for £9.59 visit the Guardian bookshop