Amaretto Affogato

By gingerroot • November 11, 2010 • 15 Comments

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Author Notes: When dining out, I have gotten into the habit of ordering an affogato for dessert, especially when I have had a rich meal and not quite enough room for a full-scale dessert. I think this would be a perfect ending to a celebratory Thanksgiving meal. NOTE: Ice cream should be made a day in advance to achieve best consistency and texture. This recipe makes about 6 cups of ice cream. - gingerroot - gingerroot

Food52 Review: Gingerroot's recipe, to simply put it, makes one great ice cream. The flavors are in perfect balance and once married to the espresso, forget about it. Words are useless to describe the flawless harmony going on here. I can only offer this advise: run, don't walk, to your kitchens and make this. It's pretty much happiness in a cup. - TiggyBee

Serves 1

For Amaretto Ice Cream:
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into cubes
2 cups 2% milk
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 vanilla bean, scored down the length with a sharp knife
6 large egg yolks
4 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup Amaretto liqueur
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For Amaretto Affogato:
1 scoop Amaretto ice cream
1 hot shot of your favorite espresso (I used Stumptown Roasters Hair Bender espresso beans)

In a shallow heavy bottomed pan, melt butter over medium heat. Continue to cook butter – it should foam up a bit and then subside – until brown specks begin to form at the bottom. It should have a pleasant, nutty aroma. Remove from heat and set aside.
In a saucepan, heat milk, brown sugar. Using a sharp knife, scrape vanilla beans into pan; cook mixture, stirring occasionally, to dissolve brown sugar and incorporate vanilla. Remove from heat.
Beat egg yolks in a large bowl, gradually adding granulated sugar. You want the mixture to be thick and pale.
Temper the egg mixture by ladling some of the warmed milk into the beaten yolks, whisking constantly.
Slowly pour tempered egg mixture back into remaining warm milk, whisking constantly, and cook over medium heat until mixture becomes thick. Add browned butter, stirring to combine. Remove from heat.
Pour heavy cream into a heat proof glass bowl or Pyrex measure. Using a sieve, strain custard into container with cream; stir to combine, add Amaretto, and stir again. Cover container with plastic wrap and transfer to refrigerator. Chill in the coldest part of your refrigerator for at least two hours, nesting the container in a larger bowl with ice cubes and a little water.
When ready to make ice cream, pour chilled custard into bowl of ice cream maker. Continue to process, following the manufacturer’s directions. After 40 minutes, ice cream will still be quite soft. Transfer to a container and freeze for at least a day before using.
To make affogato, serve one scoop of Amaretto ice cream in coffee cups or bowls of choice. Pour espresso over ice cream and enjoy.