Panforte Ice Cream Affogato with Italian Almond Cake

If I haven't yet convinced you to love Italian cuisine, specifically desserts, I am almost certain today's post will change your mind.Traditionally, Affogato is a scoop or two of vanilla, chocolate, or coffee gelato topped with a shot of espresso. However, Alisa Barry of Bella Cucina fame has an amazing twist to this classic recipe.At Alisa's dinner party, which I shared with you on Monday, we were treated to a Panforte ice cream Affogato paired with almond cake. It was a beautiful ending to a beautiful five course meal.Grazie Mille Alisa, molto buono! xx

Panforte Ice Cream Affogato

serves 8

You will need:

- 1 cup whole milk

- 1 vanilla bean, split in half lengthwise

- 1 cup of sugar

- 5 egg yolks

- 2 cups of cream

- 1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract

- 4 ounces panforte (an Italian sweet dessert “bread” found in specialty stores or online)

- 8 ounces espresso

To prepare:In a small saucepan, warm the milk, sugar and vanilla bean over medium low heat just until the sugar is dissolved. Remove a ¼ cup of the milk and sugar mixture and add to the egg yolks to temper, so the eggs don’t curdle. Add the egg mixture back to the milk and continue to cook, while stirring, until the mixture coats the back of a wooden spoon. Strain the mixture into the cream, scraping any bits of vanilla bean into the mixture. Add the vanilla extract. Cover the mixture with plastic wrap and chill until ready to churn. This recipe can be made a day ahead.In a food processor, chop 4 ounces of panforte until ground, but not pulverized. (Reserve a Tablespoon for garnish)Churn the ice cream, adding the chopped panforte and continuing to churn until evenly distributed into the ice cream. Freeze until ready to serve.To make the affogato, scoop the ice cream into glasses. Pour strong, freshly brewed coffee or espresso over the ice cream. Garnish with a sprinkling of the chopped panforte. Serve with the Italian almond cake topped with a dusting of confectioners sugar.

Italian Almond Cake

You will need:

- 7 oz. almond paste

- 2/3 cup sugar

- 1/2 cup almond meal

- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

- 1 1⁄2 tsp. vanilla

- 6 eggs- ¾ cup all purpose flour

- 2 teaspoons baking powder

- ¼ tsp. salt

Note: This is one of my favorite (and so easy!) dessert recipes adapted from Chez Panisse Desserts cookbook. I like to add locally milled almond meal for flavor and texture, but you can substitute with all purpose flavor if not available. You can also make it gluten free by using more almond meal instead of flour. It will be more dense, but nonetheless delicious! The beauty of this dessert is that it can be made a day ahead of time, the flavor actually improves as it sits.

To prepare:Preheat oven to 325 degrees In a food processor, blend the almond paste, sugar and almond meal until finely ground. Add the butter and vanilla . Process the ingredients until creamed. Add the eggs one at a time with the processing running until the batter is smooth. Mix the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add to the food processor and mix just until combined .Pour the batter into buttered and floured 8 inch spring form pan.Bake at 325 degrees for one hour or until toothpick is dry when inserted. Remove from the oven to cool on a rack.Serve with warm or at room temperature.

Photo Credit: John McDonald

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