A scoop of creamy vanilla ice cream, ‘drowned’ on the spot under a hot shot of espresso. The simplest dessert in Italy, and perhaps the most effective: hot against cold, bitter against sweet, ready in a few seconds.
Affogato
Affogato
Method
01
Prepare the ice cream
Scoop the ice cream into small glasses or cups, two scoops per person. Put them back in the freezer in the meantime if you are going to wait before serving.
02
Make the espresso
Make the espresso just before serving; it must be piping hot for the best contrast.
03
Pour over
Pour the hot espresso straight over the ice cream, at the table for the best effect.
04
Finish
If you like, add a splash of amaretto and sprinkle with crushed amaretti biscuits.
05
Serve
Serve immediately, with a spoon, while the ice cream is still just firm and the espresso is still steaming.
Tips & notes
Only pour the espresso over the ice cream at the very last moment; the whole point of affogato is the contrast between hot and cold, and if you wait too long you just have coffee ice-cream soup. Use really good vanilla ice cream with plenty of cream, which holds up better against the hot coffee than cheap ice cream.
Variations
- Replace the vanilla ice cream with hazelnut ice cream for a richer, nutty combination.
- Add a splash of Frangelico or Baileys for a grown-up version.
Contains:
Gluten
Milk
Tree nuts
| Calories | 249 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 4 g |
| Carbohydrates | 29 g |
| Fat | 13 g |
| Fibre | 1 g |
Estimated values, calculated from standard nutritional values per ingredient.
