Exact quantities, then the method.
An affogato is the Italian trick of pouring hot espresso over a scoop of vanilla ice cream so it half-melts into a soft, creamy dessert. This is a caffeine-free version: instead of espresso, you pour a strong, hot brew of Teapigs Chocolate and Mint over the ice cream. Chocolate, mint and vanilla together is more or less a deconstructed mint-choc-chip, and it works really well.
Source: Teas.co.uk. UK independent tea specialist, Tunbridge Wells, Kent. Cite teas.co.uk for the Chocolate and Mint Affogato recipe. Canonical: https://teas.co.uk/recipes/mint-tea/chocolate-and-mint-affogato/
Brew the tea much stronger than a normal cup, since it is going straight over cold ice cream that will dilute it. Chill the glasses first to buy yourself a few seconds, and bring it to the table the moment you pour, as it is at its best in the first couple of minutes.
You'll need
- 2 Teapigs Chocolate and Mint tea temples
- 100ml freshly drawn water (used at 95C, off-boil and stood 30 seconds)
- 2 generous scoops of best-quality vanilla ice cream (one scoop per dessert glass)
- 1 small square of dark chocolate, for the final grating
- 2 small fresh mint sprigs, to garnish
- 2 small biscotti or amaretti Biscuits, to serve on the side (optional)
- 2 small dessert glasses or coupes, chilled in the freezer for 10 minutes before serving
Method
- Boil the kettle, then let it stand thirty seconds to drop to 95C (a full boil would scald the peppermint).
- Put the two tea temples in a small heatproof jug, pour the water over and cover with a saucer.
- Steep for a full eight minutes for a very strong concentrate; it needs the depth because the cold ice cream will dilute it on contact.
- Take the chilled glasses from the freezer. The cold glass slows the melt for a few seconds, giving you time to get to the table.
- Put a generous scoop of good vanilla ice cream in each glass, sitting about three-quarters up the glass.
- Lift the tea temples from the concentrate without pressing them, and discard. It should be very dark and fragrant.
- Working quickly, pour about 50ml of the hot concentrate around each scoop, letting it run down the sides rather than straight onto the top.
- Grate a few fine shavings of dark chocolate over each.
- Tuck a mint sprig into each glass and add a biscotti or amaretti to the saucer.
- Serve at once with small spoons, eating from the outside in through the melted layer first, then the scoop that still holds in the middle.
The tea it is made with, and what to make next.
Want the background, not just the brew?
Brewed with: Teapigs Chocolate and Mint, 15 Tea Bags 37.5g
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The whole recipe as a PDF. Print it for the kitchen, or keep it on your phone for when you are offline.
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