Vegan Affogato

A long, long time ago (okay, only about 16 months ago, and I'm totally singing Don McLean's American Pie in my head while writing this), before I started mainly posting vegan-friendly recipes in an effort to build myself an arsenal of recipes for when I eventually go vegan (unfortunately, this hasn't happened yet, but I'm definitely consuming less animal products than I used to), I posted a recipe for affogato that used an ice cream recipe that contained both dairy and eggs from Coffee and Bites by Susie Theodorou.  Last weekend, I ended up helping out at a demonstration stall that Gaggia Milano were hosting in the Trinity Shopping Centre in Leeds to promote their coffee machines and ice cream machine, and helping to make and taste-test some (also unfortunately non-vegan) ice cream last weekend at work to make affogato, so following that I'm now going to redo this recipe using a vegan-friendly ice cream recipe which uses coconut milk instead of dairy and was found at GI 365, but still using the instructions for making an espresso provided by Gaggia. 

Ingredients

2 cans (430ml or 13.66oz each) coconut milk, refrigerated
1 cup high quality maple syrup - add a little at a time to your taste
For espresso (using fresh ground coffee, but if you don't have a coffee machine, you can find alternative ways of making the espresso for this):

• single espresso: 7-8g
• double espresso: 14-16g

Instructions (Espresso)

1. Spoon coffee into the appropriate filter (single or double).
2. Tap the handle to evenly distribute the coffee.
3. Tamp (firmly press down the coffee) to compress the grounds, and brush off any grinds from the edges of the filter handle.
4. Insert handle (hold up to the "group" at an 8 o' clock position and tighten to a 6 o' clock position.  Ensure the handle is securely in position before starting).
5. Start flow of water immediately.
6. Stop when 30ml is reached for a single espresso or 60ml for a double espresso.

Instructions (Ice Cream)

1. Blend the coconut milk and maple syrup until thoroughly combined.  You can whisk it by hand or blend it in a blender.  If your coconut milk isn't chilled, chill the ice cream mixture until thoroughly cold before freezing.
2. Freeze according to the instructions of your ice cream machine - this should take about 30 minutes.
3. Serve a single scoop of ice cream into an espresso cup.
4. Pour the espresso over the ice cream and serve immediately.

Homemade Gingerbread Latte

It's now very almost December, and for the next few weeks, my posts will involve Christmas-related recipes.  Last year just before Christmas, my dad bought a couple of bottles of 1883 de Philibert Routin gingerbread syrup and made me gingerbread lattes for a few months.  To me, this was more the taste of Christmas than hot chocolates (which are just wintery).  I now can't wait until he buys some more for this Christmas.  In the meantime, while I was looking for things to put into my Christmas scrapbook last year, I found this recipe for homemade gingerbread latte on SweetHappyLife.com.  I definitely think this is a good recipe for making gingerbread syrup from scratch.  Next week, I'll be getting even more Christmassy so stay tuned!

Ingredients

For Gingerbread Syrup:
2 cups water
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For Gingerbread Latte:
1/2 cup milk of choice (or more if using an espresso machine)
8oz coffee or a shot of espresso (about 30ml)
3-4 tablespoons gingerbread syrup (according to taste)
whipped cream (optional)
ground cinnamon

Instructions

For Gingerbread Syrup:

1. Combine the water, sugar, ginger and cinnamon in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil, whisking constantly.  Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes, stirring frequently.  Remove from heat when the syrup has thickened a bit.  Stir in vanilla extract and allow to cool slightly before using.
2. Once cooled, you can store the syrup in a Tupperware container or bottle in the fridge for about 2 months.  Shake well before using after the syrup has been refrigerated.

For Gingerbread Latte, Makes 1 Serving:

1. Pour milk into your coffee mug.  Stir the syrup and add desired amount to mug.
2. Heat milk-syrup mixture in the microwave for about 1 minute until hot.
3. Pour in the brewed coffee or shot of espresso.
4. Top with whipped cream (optional) and a sprinkle of ground cinnamon.

Affogato

An affogato (meaning "drowned" in Italian) is a coffee-based pudding in which a shot of hot espresso is poured over a scoop of vanilla ice cream or gelato.  The espresso gives the ice cream a slightly bitter flavour, but I felt that the heat of the espresso was mainly drowned out by the cold ice cream.  This recipe for affogato and the vanilla ice cream used to make it are from Coffee and Bites by Susie Theodorou, but shop-bought vanilla ice cream could be used instead (as I did), which would be a lot faster when being made in a hurry.

Ingredients

300ml (10fl oz / 1.25 cups) milk
300ml (10fl oz / 1.25 cups) double (thick) cream
1 vanilla pod (bean)
6 egg yolks
150g (5oz / 2 thirds cup) caster (superfine) sugar
A shot (approximately 25-30ml) of espresso

Instructions

1. Ensure the bowl of the ice cream machine is well chilled for the required time in the freezer before you start (follow manufacturer's instructions).
2. Pour the milk and cream into a saucepan.  Split the vanilla pod (bean) lengthways and add to the pan, then heat the mixture to just below boiling point.  Simultaneously, whisk the egg yolks with the sugar.  Set the vanilla pod to one side, then pour the warm milk and cream onto the eggs and stir.
3. Clean the pan and return custard mixture to the pan, straining it first through a sieve.  Return the vanilla pod to the custard mixture and cook over a gentle heat for 5-8 minutes, stirring constantly.  At no time should the custard boil - it is thick enough when it coats the back of a large metal spoon.  Immediately pour the custard into a large clean bowl so that it does not continue to cook in the pan.  Remove the vanilla pod, scrape out the seeds into the custard, then discard the pod.  Allow the custard to cool, then chill for at least 30 minutes.
4. Pour the custard into the ice cream machine and churn for about 10-15 minutes (the time varies between machines).  Transfer to a freezer-proof container and freeze.
5. Put single scoops of ice cream into espresso coffee cups or bowls and pour a shot of espresso coffee over the ice cream.  It may be useful to remove the ice cream from the freezer about 10 minutes before serving to soften the ice cream slightly.  Serve immediately.