Make A Lazy Affogato With Leftover Coffee

I have heard there are people out there who drink a lot of coffee. In fact, their moods are so dependent on the drink, you don’t want to even talk to them until they’ve consumed their coffee. These people probably don’t have a lot of leftover coffee hanging around, but these people are not me.

I am delicate, you see, and my limit is about one and one third cups of the caffeinated beverage. Any more than that and my leg will start bouncing, my eye lid might start twitching (this hinges on what I’ve eaten), and my tweets become hella manic. This is all to say I often find myself with a lot of leftover drip coffee, because even my small coffee maker makes two and a half cups.

This is of course not a real problem, because abundance rarely is. Sometimes I’ll pop the little pot in the fridge, and enjoy an iced coffee the next morning (I know it’s not a fancy cold brew, but the last time I had cold brew I saw sound) but recently (on the weekends especially) I’ve been pouring the chilled leftover coffee over a scoop of vanilla ice cream for a sort of lazy affogato.

It’s not authentic; a real affogato is made with fresh espresso and gelato, but it is very good, and I’ve found the lack of “correct” ingredients makes me feel a little more free, more playful. (Mint chip in leftover coffee? Sure! It’s not like it’s Italian espresso!)

Rather than melting the ice cream like hot espresso would (which is also nice), the cold coffee ices over in spots, forming a crunchy little coffee granita, kind of like the icy bits you find in a root beer float. It feels both virtuous (because you’re not wasting) and mildly Italian (because of its inspiration). It’s a perfect afternoon treat or after dinner bite. It makes it slightly harder to sleep, but a shot of amaro will balance you right out (you can try that over ice cream too).

This article has been updated since its original publication.

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