Tuesday, July 21, 2015

Affogato alla Donna

Why yes, that is a purple coffeemaker.
Some recipes seem so simple, they shouldn't even be recipes. That's how I felt when I heard about affogato. It's a classic Italian dessert that's pretty much just ice cream with a shot of espresso poured over it.

I was skeptical, but I figured I'd give it a try. I went with strong brewed coffee rather than espresso, because I have a coffeemaker and not an espresso maker, and I used more than just a shot or two since coffee is weaker than espresso.

I have to say that although affogato sounds insanely simple, it's also insanely good. The hot coffee cools to a lovely warm temperature as the ice cream melts and forms a decadent creamy coffee-flavored moat around the still-cold but softened ice cream.

It's not just coffee and ice cream any more than pastry is just flour and butter. It's a whole other thing. It's decadent.

If you haven't tried it yet, I suggest you do.

But of course, I had to guild the lily a little and take it to a whole different level of yum. Because that's what I do.

Affogato alla Donna

2 medium scoops butterscotch ice cream*
4 ounces strong brewed coffee (I used Green Mountain Coffee Dark Magic)
Chocolate syrup, as needed

Put the ice cream in a bowl or other serving vessel. I used heat-proof mugs.

Pour coffee over the top. Add a drizzle of chocolate sauce.

Serve, quickly. You can't let this sit around too long after making it, or the ice cream will melt too much and you'll have a drink instead of a dessert.

If you're serving to more than one or two people, I suggest serving the ice cream (topped with chocolate sauce) separate from the coffee, then pour the coffee at the table for each guest.

Or, let your guests pour the coffee onto the ice cream themselves if you have small pitchers that would hold the individual servings of coffee.

Coffee, ice cream, and a little chocolate syrup sounds insanely simple, I know. But it's crazy good.

If you want to gild the lily even further, you could top this with a dollop of whipped cream and maybe a sprinkle of cocoa or chocolate shavings on the whipped cream.

But really, it doesn't need any extra flourishes. It's perfect without any garnish at all.

*Needless to say, you can use vanilla ice cream, or chocolate, or caramel, or pretty much any ice cream flavor you have that you think will pair well with the coffee.

Keurig has provided me with supplies for coffee making at no cost to me.
Affogato is a classic Italian dessert. This one has a few twists.
Yum