Stracciatella Italian Affogato

Literally espresso and ice cream, Stracciatella Italian Affogato tops a classic gelato flavor with steaming hot espresso and Jameson Coffee Whiskey for the perfect Italian dessert recipe.

If the title alone didn't scare you off, please allow me the chance to explain. Stracciatella Italian Affogato is a scoop of stracciatella gelato (gelato with tiny slivers of chocolate) topped with a shot of espresso.

And did you know that stracciatella is also a soup in Italy? It means "to shred". Just like the chocolate is shredded in the gelato here; in soup, egg and parmesan make shreds when they're added to broth, like in my Stracciatella Italian Wedding Soup.

Whew!

Hope that clears some things up. And makes you really, really hungry.

Let's clear one more thing up.

What is an affogato?

In Italian, affogato means "drowned". Essentially we are drowning the gelato with the espresso —but not really. You're going to gently pour an espresso shot over gelato.

Btw, did you know you can order affogato at Starbucks? Apparently, it's on the secret menu. The barista crowns a Frappucino with a shot of espresso. Double trouble!

Making stracciatella gelato

Similar to my Whiskey Blackberry Gelato recipe, this stracciatella gelato is made with a vanilla custard base. You'll cook up the gelato base on the stove and once it thickens, pour it into your frozen ice cream machine where it'll process in about a half an hour.

1. Gently heat the dry ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat.
2. Add some of the whole milk to the dry ingredients.
3. While that custard is cooking, combine the rest of the milk, cream and the whiskey and vanilla together.
4. Process in the ice cream maker and during the last few minutes, add shards of dark chocolate.

As the ice cream machine spins, thin chocolatey ribbons are going to form in the gelato. It's the Italian version of chocolate chip ice cream.

Or is chocolate chip ice cream the American version of stracciatella?

Either way —when you eat this espresso ice cream dessert, those chocolate ribbons are going to melt right in your mouth.

Espresso or coffee?

You might be wondering, "I don't have an espresso machine! How do I make this affogato recipe without it?". You've always got choices:

• Run to your local coffee shop and order up as many shots of espresso as you have guests
• Brew some really strong dark coffee of your own
• Use instant espresso powder

And now this Italian coffee dessert is going to get a little Irish oomph.

Adult ice cream

Right after you make your espresso, you're going to add a shot of coffee flavored whiskey. I really love this Cold Brew Whiskey from Jameson's - it's so smooth.

I liked the whiskey so much I mixed it in the gelato and the coffee. Not apologizing for that either.

Assembling the affogato

This is truly the easiest dessert to assemble and serve.

1. Place one generous scoop of gelato into a flared (or stemmed) serving dish.
2. Mix coffee and whiskey together and pour 3 oz. over the gelato.
3. Serve immediately.

Serving ideas

The key to affogato is serving it in a glass that also doubles as a bowl. There are a couple of reasons for that:

1. it looks prettier
2. it's easier to use a spoon to eat the gelato
3. you can drink out of the bowl gracefully without spilling.

Variations

If you don't want to make the stracciatella ice cream, use your favorite gelato flavor that pairs well with coffee (and whiskey).

Some fun combos:

• Classic Affogato: Vanilla bean gelato + coffee + whiskey
• Fall for Affogato: Pumpkin gelato + coffee + whiskey and ground pecans
• Mocha Affogato: Coffee gelato + coffee+ whiskey topped with shaved dark chocolate
• Pistachio Affogato: Pistachio gelato + coffee and caramel sauce
• Cookie Affogato: Chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream + coffee topped with crumbled cookies

📖 Recipe