Affogato is one of my favourite things. The amount of times, I’ve decided not to have anything from the carefully selected and prepared dessert menu and instead asked for vanilla ice cream and an espresso…well it’s a lot.

Affogato in Italian means drowned, usually coffee, but I have seen them with limoncello or other alcohol. I am against this as I like my alcohol to be alcohol not hidden in food (except Christmas Cake!) and prefer coffee. It’s a free world though, so if you want to try go ahead, it just won’t happen if you come here for dinner!

If I have this at home, I use decaff, Illy do a decaffeinated version of their ground coffee that provides the taste but not the buzz, which works for me in the evening. You can use whatever you like, of course, usual rules apply, good ice-cream and proper coffee are essential. This doesn’t work with ice-cream that’s more air than cream and instant coffee.

So this isn’t really a recipe, it’s more about the joy of cold ice cream and hot coffee. The way the coffee forms a crust on the ice cream and the melted ice cream and coffee blend together. It’s the world’s easiest pudding and perfect for when you just want something a little sweet at the end of a meal.

Try it…