Simple Affogato
Affogato is an Italian classic dessert/drink made by combining espresso and vanilla ice-cream. The word affogato means ‘smothered’ or ‘drowned’ in Italian, which best describes how the ice-cream submerges (as it melts) into the espresso. Although an Italian classic, I tried it for the first time during one of my trips to the Philippines. I am not surprised that its allure reached Asia and everywhere else in the world. The wonderful union of the strong and intense to the sweet and creamy makes it a truly delightful culinary concoction and it is quite easy to make at home.
My choice of ice-cream was from an Italian brand called GROM. This tub cost £6.99 for 325 grams. Although a bit on the pricey side the flavour and texture of this vanilla ice-cream were clean, smooth with minimal sweetness perfect for the affogato I made here.
I used coffee beans from our local roaster, Finca. Their Aprosanlor MCE30 (Colombian beans) was the perfect match for the ice-cream I had chosen. To note, my initial attempt was with one of their Ethiopian beans but that did not mix well with the milkiness of the ice-cream. Perhaps because of the blueberry and lime profiles of the beans; it had a sour-y hint to the taste which did not blend well. The Aprosanlor, however, complemented the creaminess and texture of the gelato. I am not quite sure how and why, but I guess the flavour notes and strength of this coffee combined with the quality of the ice-cream balanced the contrasting elements well. The two paired together make for a very good affogato to my taste.
Ingredients:
Vanilla Ice-cream - 50 grams
Espresso - single shot or double if you prefer it stronger
The process was simple! I scooped out about 50 grams of ice-cream into a glass and made a single shot of espresso. I would recommend going for medium or dark roast beans to get that desirable contrast against the mild creamy flavour of the ice-cream. Next, I let the espresso pour straight over the ice-cream. And to top it all off, I added some amaretti biscuits on the side.
This is such a perfect after dinner or lunch treat and a great way to enhance your average ice-cream, giving it a caffeinated twist. I am pleased that this attempt turned out very well.
