Authentic Italian Gelato Affogato Recipe Will Be On Your Mind for Days by Laurie Buchanan, Author

Ready to meet your new favorite indulgence? On page 84 of my book, Indelible, Niall MacCullough serves gelato affogato in the Ink Well for dessert. Affogato means "drowned" in Italian. There are two ways to make this delicious gelato affogato recipe: The easy way – buy vanilla gelato already made. Or Niall's way, from scratch.

To make the easy dessert recipe you simply need premade vanilla gelato and brewed espresso. For the cooked version, you will need milk, heavy cream, salt, eggs, granulated sugar, a vanilla bean or vanilla paste and brewed espresso.

Surprise your friends, family or dinner guests with this Italian dessert recipe. They will be talking about it forever!

Cuisine: Italian
Prep Time: 0 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes to brew espresso
Total Time: 5 minutes
Servings: 1

Easy Method

Ingredients

• 1 shot espresso
• vanilla gelato

Here's how to make it: 

1. Pour a shot of espresso over vanilla gelato for a sublimely simple dessert. 
2. If you want to dress it up a bit, you can top it with whipped cream. Biscotti are a natural accompaniment.

Niall MacCullough's Method

Prep Time: 5 plus hours to chill and freeze
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time:  5 plus hours
Servings: 8 to 10

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cups milk
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• pinch of kosher salt
• 6 egg yolks
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise, seeds scraped and reserved or 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste
• 8 - 10 shots freshly brewed espresso

Here's how to make it:

1. In a saucepan over medium heat, whisk together the milk, cream and salt. Heat until bubbles form around the edges of the pan.
2. In a bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar. Slowly add the warm milk mixture, stirring constantly until blended. If using a vanilla bean, stir in the seeds now. 
3. Transfer the mixture to a clean saucepan set over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the custard thickens and a finger drawn across the back of the spoon leaves a path, 5 to 7 minutes.
4. Pour the custard through a fine-mesh sieve over a clean bowl. If using vanilla paste, stir in now. Place the bowl in a larger one filled halfway with ice and water and let cool, stirring occasionally. Refrigerate for about 2 hours.
5. Put the custard into an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions. Transfer the gelato to a chilled container, cover and freeze for at least 3 hours or up to three days.
6. Scoop the gelato into glasses or bowls and pour one shot of espresso over each portion. Serve immediately.

Indelible: not able to be forgotten or removed

Easy Method Nutritional Information

Niall MacCullough's Method Nutritional Information

Recipe cooking times, nutritional information and servings are approximate and provided for your convenience. However, 30Seconds is not responsible for the outcome of any recipe, nor may you have the same results because of variations in ingredients, temperatures, altitude, errors, omissions or cooking/baking abilities. This recipe has been analyzed by HappyForks. However, any nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and it is up to the individual to ascertain accuracy. To ensure image quality, we may occasionally use stock photography.

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