Affogato

Ingredients

  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • ½ cup granulated sugar, divided
  • 1 vanilla bean
  • 4 egg yolks
  • 3 tablespoons amaretto liqueur
  • Espresso, for serving
  • Whipped cream, for garnish
  • Dried cherries, for garnish
  • Fresh mint leaves, for garnish

Directions

  1. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine milk, heavy cream, and ¼ cup sugar.
  2. Split the vanilla bean lengthwise.  With the back of your knife, scrape out the seeds and stir into milk mixture.  Add the vanilla pod to the milk as well, and bring mixture to a simmer.
  3. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the egg yolks and slowly pour the remaining ¼ cup sugar over them.  Continue whisking for about 2 minutes.
  4. Once the milk is simmering, very slowly pour 1 cup of the hot milk over the egg yolks while whisking.  Once combined, pour the entire egg yolk mixture back into the saucepan with the milk.
  5. Lower the heat and cook the crème anglaise until it thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon.  Remove from heat and refrigerate until cool.
  6. Once the crème anglaise has cooled, remove the vanilla pod.  Add the amaretto.
  7. To freeze the ice cream with liquid nitrogen, beat the crème anglaise with an electric mixer while you pour in the nitrogen, until the ice cream has frozen.  Alternately, you can use an ice cream maker.
  8. Once the ice cream has frozen, place 1 scoop into each glass for service.  Pour ¼ cup espresso over the ice cream and top with whipped cream, dried cherries, and a mint leaf.

Secrets:

    • To lower the fat content of the ice cream, use only whole milk and no heavy cream.
    • The plant that the vanilla bean comes from is the Orchid.
    • Always stir the sugar into the egg yolks at the last minute, because leaving them sit once combined will actually cook the egg.
    • Once you have added the egg to the cream, do not let the mixture come to a boil, as it will curdle the eggs.