Italian Affogato is known to many coffee lovers. It is unknown who the author of this culinary work is, but he was definitely born in Italy. This is a dessert that is consumed after lunch, when the body is exhausted and the level of activity decreases. The combination of sweets and coffee helps to increase energy levels.
Dessert history
There is no confirmed information about who and when first came up with the idea of combining ice cream and strong espresso in one container. But absolutely everyone agrees that this dessert first saw the light of day in sunny Italy. The fact is that the afternoon heat of southern countries and the frequent drop in blood sugar levels by the middle of the day become an undeniable reason to consume something sweet and invigorating at the same time. It is Affrogato that copes with this task perfectly, replenishing the body’s energy.
In Italy, it is customary to enjoy a fragrant and invigorating dessert after dinner or instead of it.
The Italian word Affogato translated means “to drown” or “drowned”. And no matter how unpleasant it may sound, a ball of ice cream, immersed in a noble drink, really sinks, dissolving in a delicious sauce. Some connoisseurs additionally add liqueur to this delicious combination.
Origin of the drink
The birthplace of affogato with coffee is Italy, the recipe was invented as a dessert, not as a drink, what is it in translation: affogato translates as drowned. This means ice cream in coffee.
Dessert is consumed in the afternoon, as it is very high in calories and eliminates the need for lunch.
Affogato coffee is revered in America - it came there with a stream of immigrants, and the word itself appeared in the dictionary in the early 90s of the 20th century. There is no exact date for the invention of the dessert.
This dessert drink is prepared in various fast food establishments. For example, McDonald's offers a double shot espresso option—this affogato recipe tops the restaurant's list.
Selection of components
One of the main components of affogato is strong espresso, which must be prepared in one or two servings. Double dosage is used to create Macaffogato. If you prepare dessert at home, any type of natural aromatic drink brewed in a geyser coffee maker, French press or pour over will do.
It is necessary to strictly ensure that even grains of ground product do not get into the liquid part of the dessert, so it is better to further purify the Turkish composition by filtration.
You should not select single-origin coffee for preparation, the cost of which is often unreasonably high, since toppings and ice cream will hide all their flavor nuances. But an affogato made from 100% Arabica coffee will turn out extremely tender and soft. For lovers of strength, it is recommended to use mixtures containing the addition of Robusta varieties (not higher than 50%).
The degree of grinding of the raw materials is adjusted depending on the preparation method, but you should not bring the coffee beans to dust.
When creating this amazing dessert, you should give preference to coffee beans with a light (medium) degree of heat treatment. If the stage is too light, the dessert will lose its special coffee taste. But strong roasting will not sound in unison with ice cream. It is better to use bottled water to brew coffee.
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Recipe for warming and piquant coffee with cognac
What it is
Affogato is not a type of coffee with ice cream, as many people outside of Italy believe - it is a separate, independent dessert. The classic version is a scoop of usually vanilla ice cream that floats in hot espresso. Hence the name of the delicacy, which literally means “drowned.”
This unusual dessert is often served as an alternative to gelato during the cold season. It can be decorated with coffee beans, chocolate chips, berries, whipped cream or cookies. Depending on the season, the taste of affogato is enriched with fresh fruits or alcoholic beverages.
This variation of ice cream with cocoa is ideal for those who love the combination of the rich taste of chocolate with the tenderness of milk cream. For this combination, choose vanilla, chocolate or coffee gelato. It is topped with whipped cream, dusted with cocoa or sprinkled with white or dark chocolate chips.
There are also absolutely amazing versions of affogato. For example, whiskey ice cream. “Drowned” in an alcoholic drink is generally considered a bestseller in Italian restaurants. High degrees are perfectly complemented by the creamy aroma of real ice cream. This delicacy is decorated with cream and served in a cup with cookies.
Characteristics of affogato
| Coffee bean type | Arabica, addition of Robusta is acceptable (no more than 50%) |
| Roasting | Medium, light, Viennese, urban |
| Grinding | Small, but not dusty |
| Coffee base temperature | Not higher than +80 °C |
| Cooking time | 10 minutes |
| Output weight | From 80 to 110 g |
| Fortress | Not higher than 135 mg |
| Recommended rate | 1 per day |
| Maximum permissible norm | 2 per day (due to high calorie content) |
| Calorie content per serving with 50 g of ice cream | 120 kcal |
| Calories per serving with liquor | 224 kcal |
Menu No. 1
Caprese
Caprese salad, or Capri salad, is a light and healthy dish from the Italian island of the same name. The only thing easier and faster to make is probably a sandwich with cheese - you can have time to prepare the caprese while the girl goes out onto the balcony to admire the sunset.
Simply place thinly sliced tomatoes on a plate, alternating them with sliced mozzarella, garnish with basil leaves, salt and pepper to taste, and drizzle with olive oil and balsamic before serving.
Advice
It is recommended not to cut basil and any other greens with a knife, but to carefully tear them with clean hands - without contact with metal, they completely retain their original taste, freshness and vitamins contained.
Caprese is a great option for summer - light, fresh, and the classic combination of tomatoes and mozzarella will be an excellent complement to good wine. The most important thing when making a salad is the ingredients you use. The tomatoes are only ripe and fresh, the oil is cold-pressed, the basil is impeccably green. By the way, the colors of the Caprese salad exactly repeat the colors of the Italian flag, so additional ambiance is guaranteed.
Pasta carbonara
To prepare this classic Mediterranean dish you need 400 grams of spaghetti (Italian, of course, made from durum wheat), 200 grams of thinly sliced bacon, a couple of cloves of garlic, three whole eggs and one yolk, 100 ml of heavy cream, 60 grams of Parmesan, olive oil, deep frying pan, saucepan and 25 minutes of time.
Boil the pasta in plenty of salted water, following the timing indicated on the package (the main thing is not to overcook!). While the spaghetti is cooking, immediately start frying the bacon: place it in a preheated frying pan coated with olive oil and stir-fry for two to three minutes until crispy. Add finely chopped garlic 30 seconds before the end of frying.
Advice
To easily separate the egg yolk from the white, carefully break the egg into a small funnel placed in a mug or glass: the white will flow out, but the whole yolk will remain in the funnel.
Let's start with the sauce: mix three eggs, yolk, cream and 50 grams of grated Parmesan in a bowl with a fork. Once the spaghetti has finished cooking, drain it in a colander and, while still hot, combine it with the creamy egg mixture in the pan with the bacon to form a smooth sauce. Sprinkle the dish with the remaining Parmesan already in the bowls.
Affogato al cafe
This dessert, contrary to its name, is fantastically simple to prepare - place a ball of ice cream, just taken out of the freezer, into a cup or bowl (the balls can be scooped with a special spoon) and pour hot espresso right before serving.
It is somewhat more difficult to prepare the drink itself correctly. If you have a coffee machine or coffee maker, this is done very easily and quickly, the main thing is to maintain the required proportions: 7–9 grams of beans per 25–30 ml of water. If you don’t have a coffee maker, brew it in a Turk: pour cold water over the ground coffee and heat (do not boil!) over low heat until foam forms.
Advice
Choose strongly roasted and finely ground coffee so that it dissolves completely and does not crunch on your teeth. Its grains should be smaller than sugar crystals, but larger than flour. The simplest thing is to buy coffee whose packaging indicates that it is for espresso.
Dessert preparation methods
First of all, you need to take care of cooling the container in which the amazing dessert will be placed. And the filling of the sweet dish itself usually occurs as follows:
- Place one portion of ice cream in a container and pour a hot aromatic drink over it. The bowl or glass must be resistant to elevated temperatures. With this method, it is permissible to leave the ice cream both hard and soft. But the second option is still preferable.
- The second method involves creating a small indentation inside the ice cream. Next, black coffee is carefully poured into it. A small part of the drink will definitely splash out into the container, flowing down the outer surface of the ball. This method creates a spectacular flavor tandem of creamy coffee sauce and melted ice cream. In addition, a peculiar variation of the look inside it will be obtained. This method does not involve the use of heat-resistant cookware.
Ah, affogato...
It’s not difficult to guess where this exquisite but easy-to-prepare coffee miracle comes from. The cheerful, energetic Italians were the first to enjoy themselves. They combined two favorite products and got a new delicacy.
A source of limitless creativity has opened up for baristas. Hundreds of options for preparing affogato exist today, and their number is constantly growing. Based on the duo of coffee and ice cream, desserts with chocolate, fruits, nuts, syrups, and alcoholic beverages are prepared. Each person preparing dessert in a bar, coffee shop or at home has their own recipe. Affogato is beautiful in its diversity and constant sophistication.
In Italy, they love affogato, especially when made with real Italian gelato - handmade ice cream. Technological progress has not affected the process of making ancient sweets. Like many decades ago, the old Italian recipe remains unchanged. Gelato-based affogato captivates discerning gourmets around the world.
Secrets of Italian delicacies
In many countries around the world, “gelato Italiano” is made, but special freezers are used for preparation, which mechanically mix the ingredients and cool them to a given temperature. Real Italian gelato is different:
- manual cooking method;
- using only natural products;
- delicate creamy texture;
- delicate taste and unforgettable aroma;
- less fat content than classic ice cream (5 – 8%);
- longer melting period;
- short shelf life.
The difference between traditional ice cream and gelato is noticeable. It cannot be stored for a long time, but the coffee delicacy obtained from it is incredibly tasty.
Classic affogato recipe
When preparing a classic version of dessert, there is no room for experimentation. Therefore, all components are selected strictly and in precise dosages.
Ingredients:
- 50 g ice cream;
- 50 ml strong coffee;
- chocolate topping or grated dark chocolate.
Cooking method:
- The first step is brewing coffee, which, if necessary, is carefully filtered to remove the resulting suspension.
- Next, place a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the bottom of the cooled container and pour coffee over it in accordance with the chosen method.
- The dessert is topped with topping or grated chocolate.
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If desired, you can decorate the serving with fresh or canned berries and fruits.
An alcoholic version of the classic affogato is also known. It is distinguished by the fact that 15 ml of rum or cognac is first poured into the bottom of the bowl or glass.
Calorie content
The calorie content of coffee is affected by the number of ingredients, fillers, decorations and alcohol. The coffee version of the dessert will be less calorie than the chocolate one, but much more nutritious than the fruit one. A standard serving is 165 grams. In this case, the classic version will be about 250 kcal. The nutritional value of Affogato consists of the following indicators:
- proteins - 4g;
- fats - 45%;
- carbohydrates - 22g;
- cholesterol - 150 mg.
People with diabetes and health problems should not consume dessert, since carbohydrates consist entirely of simple sugars.
Affogato with coffee jelly
The aromatic dessert is replete with recipe variations. You can replace the drink with jelly and get a new, interesting taste.
Ingredients:
- 200 ml coffee for jelly;
- 50 ml coffee for pouring;
- 5 g gelatin;
- 100 g ice cream;
- 3 tsp. sugar for jelly;
- additives to taste.
Step by step recipe:
- Gelatin is soaked in cold water according to the instructions on the package.
- Brew and strain coffee for jelly.
- Dissolve sugar in the drink.
- Then the swollen gelatin is mixed with coffee.
- Pour the resulting composition into the mold and place it in the refrigerator for several hours.
- The resulting jelly is cut into cubes.
- Place ice cream in a chilled glass and surround it with jelly.
- Drizzle with caramel sauce or chocolate syrup.
- Prepare coffee for pouring and send it to the ice cream strictly in the center of the ball.
- Decorate the dessert with almond flakes.
Fruit jelly can be a good substitute for coffee jelly.
Choice of flavors
Of course, this addition is placed without a waffle cup or cone, and better yet, without glaze (it is usually made from very cheap chocolate, and will create an oily film with an artificial taste). And usually soft varieties are not suitable, as they are too fatty and melt quickly. And so you can choose almost anything you want:
- Chocolate;
- Coconut;
- Vanilla;
- Creme brulee;
- With iris;
- Caramel;
- Lemon.
You can experiment with other flavors, but fruity ones are usually less suitable. Well, different fillings may also not be very suitable (raisins, chocolate chips), but nuts can be interesting.
How to serve and drink affogato
The most suitable container for serving affogato is dessert ceramic bowls with thick walls. Wide glass glasses are also good for this purpose. Cups are occasionally used. A spoon is served with dessert.
A straw and sugar bowl are not needed to serve affogato.
This dessert can in no way be called childish, since the caffeine content in it is the same as in a shot of espresso. If you still want to treat your child, then when preparing about 5 ml of coffee you need to additionally dilute it with hot water. In this case, alcohol is completely excluded.
The dessert is served immediately after preparation, since the ice cream will begin to melt quickly and the taste will deteriorate. To adjust the desired amount of alcohol in the dessert, you can serve alcohol in a separate glass.
Greek iced coffee
- Time: 5 minutes.
- Number of servings: 2 persons.
- Calorie content of the dish: 50 kcal/100 grams.
- Purpose: snack.
- Cuisine: European.
- Difficulty: easy.
The cocktail has become very popular in hot Greece; it perfectly quenches thirst. Traditionally, Greek frappe is prepared with milk; any fat content is suitable; this recipe uses a dairy product with a fat content of 2.5%. It is worth noting that the higher this indicator, the more caloric the frappe will be. For taste, just one teaspoon of sugar is enough for two glasses of coffee.
Ingredients:
- instant coffee – 50 g;
- milk – 300 ml;
- ice – 8 cubes;
- sugar – 5 g.
Cooking method:
- Pour instant coffee and sugar into a shaker.
- Fill the contents with cold milk.
- Close the lid tightly and shake for several minutes.
- Place crushed ice in a tall glass, pour the drink, insert a straw and you can serve the frappe to the table.
"Schoolboy"
Address: st. Zemlyanoy Val, 12/7, building 1
Average check: 500 rubles
Opening hours: 09:00–22:00
Exemplary coffee shop on Zemlyanoy Val. In addition to the alternative, cappuccino with almond milk and homemade desserts, they also make affogato. Add a scoop of classic ice cream to the espresso and add coconut caramel. Price - 200 rubles.
In the photo: J'pan
