Sidewalk cafes serve not only chic foods and beverages, but pure relaxation as well. Lounging is as much the attraction of ordering a latte as is the caffeine buzz. What if we could replicate at home not just pastries or paninis, but the lazing factor, too?

Part of why we line up for chic chow like this is because it seems to be creations we can’t copy. How could we ever cozy up and enjoy it when we’re slaving in the kitchen concocting it?

I bought into this myth as much as the next cafe customer until a luscious ice-blended latte recipe caught my eye. Sure, I knew I could dump a few ingredients into a blender and end up with something slightly resembling the drinks for which I drove miles, but there always had been an adjective missing from the end result: “delicious.”

The first word that got my attention in the recipe title was “almond.” The next was “mocha.” Already, I was hooked. In seconds, I tasted the best iced-blended latte ever. It was exceptionally creamy and filled a large glass. I could sip and savor it for much longer than the seconds it had taken me to prepare, often while reading a magazine before leaving for work.

Soon, I was on a mission to create even more of the calm of sidewalk cafes at home with surprisingly equally easy recipes. Here are some tips:

— Find cookbooks by acclaimed restaurant chefs adept at making just the kind of food for which you usually venture out. A great example is Rick Tramonto’s “Fantastico!: Little Italian Plates and Antipasti from Rick Tramonto’s Kitchen” (Broadway, $35). Among other major awards, Tramonto won the James Beard Foundation best Midwestern chef for his many Chicago restaurants, like the four-star Tru and Brasserie T.

The book is packed with outstanding recipes and shows that preparing cafe treats, like bruschetta, crostini and panini — even with tempting toppings such as roasted minted zucchini, grilled black mission figs and orange mascarpone or pistachio pesto — is just slightly more ambitious than making toast.

— Don’t be afraid to follow your own instincts to customize a recipe so that it’s got over-the-top flavor. The aforementioned latte recipe called for almond butter and 1 percent milk. I knew sliced almonds, almond extract and creamy soy milk would taste better.

— Supplement with the best brands of cafe-inspired products. California Pizza Kitchen pizzas, Wolfgang Puck soups and pizzas and Mrs. Field’s cookies are just a few of the options in supermarkets. Serve with your own simple homemade accompaniments, like salads and condiments.

ALMOND MOCHA BLENDED LATTE

1/4 cup soymilk

1/4 cup water

1 teaspoon instant coffee

2 teaspoons No-Sugar-Added Nestle Quik or unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 cup sliced almonds

1 teaspoon almond extract

2 1/2 tablespoons pure whey protein powder, chocolate flavor

5 packets no-calorie sweetener, such as Sweet‘N Low or Splenda

1 cup ice cubes

Yields 1 serving.

Place all ingredients, except ice, in blender container and blend for 10 seconds. Add ice and blend until smooth.

—Adapted from “The Formula” by Gene Daoust and Joyce Daoust (Ballantine, $14.95).

ROASTED MINTED ZUCCHINI BRUSCHETTA

Bruschetta:

4 (1/2-inch thick slices) sourdough or any Italian country-style bread

1/4 cup olive oil

Kosher salt, to taste

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1 garlic clove

1 tablespoon freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Topping:

2 zucchini

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus additional for drizzling

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 shallot, minced

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1 bay leaf

1 sprig fresh rosemary

Juice of 1/2 lemon

1 cup grated (preferably Fontina Val d’Aosta) cheese

1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint

Yields 4 appetizer servings.

To prepare bruschetta: Prepare a gas or charcoal grill or preheat the broiler or a panini press. The heating elements or coals should be medium-hot.

Cut the slices of bread in half and brush both sides with a generous amount of olive oil. Season both sides with salt and pepper.

Grill or broil bread, turning once, until lightly browned on both sides. Gently rub 1 side of toast with garlic and sprinkle with cheese.

To prepare topping: Preheat oven to 400 F.

With a sharp knife or mandoline, cut zucchini lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Transfer to a bowl and add extra-virgin olive oil, garlic, shallot, red pepper, bay leaf and rosemary; toss to mix.

Spread zucchini mixture in a small baking pan and roast for 20 to 25 minutes, until crisp and golden brown. Stir occasionally.

Carefully remove from oven, but do not turn off heat. With a utensil, carefully discard bay leaf and rosemary, and add lemon juice to mixture. Stir well.

Arrange bruschetta on baking sheet and mound some of zucchini on top of each one. Top with cheese and warm in oven, just until cheese melts. Sprinkle with mint, drizzle with olive oil and serve.

—“Fantastico!: Little Italian Plates from Rick Tramonto’s Kitchen” by Rick Tramonto (Broadway, $35).

Lisa Messinger is a first-place winner in food writing from the Association of Food Journalists and the author of seven food books, including “Mrs. Cubbison's Best Stuffing Cookbook” and “The Sourdough Bread Bowl Cookbook.” She also writes the Creators News Service “Cooks’ Books” column. To find out more about Lisa Messinger and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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