Affogato allo Zabaglione Recipe on Food52 (2024)

When I was little, my mom would make us “l'uovo sbatutto,” which means “beaten egg,” with lots of sugar, to spoon into our coffee. Almost a deconstructed tiramisu, but with ice cream, this dessert is a combination of all my favorite sweet Italian things. Affogato means “drowned,” so maybe this is a drowned tiramisu.

Feel free to break this recipe apart, and have your ice cream with just the espresso and liqueur (like a true affogato) or the espresso with a few dollops of the zabaglione—both equally good desserts on their own. —mrslarkin

Directions

1. Prepare your espresso machine of choice (I use a Moka pot) and be ready to start it when you’re almost done with the zabaglione. Take your ice cream out of the freezer to soften a bit.
2. To make the zabaglione, heat 2 to 3 cups of water to a simmer in a small saucepan.
3. In a heat-safe bowl, whisk the egg yolks and sugar until thick and pale yellow.
4. At this point, start your espresso machine if you haven’t already done so.
5. Now set your bowl over the saucepan, making sure the bottom of bowl does not touch the hot water (otherwise you might make scrambled eggs). Add the Moscato D’Asti or Marsala to the egg mixture. Continue whisking until the mixture is foamy and doubled or tripled in volume. Remove bowl from saucepan.
6. Your espresso should be almost done!
7. Scoop your ice cream into dessert bowls or coffee cups. Pour 1/8 cup or more of the hot espresso over the ice cream. Drizzle with the liqueur, if you want some kick.
8. If using, place one lady finger in each bowl. Ladle generous dollops of the zabaglione over. Top with a spoonful of whipped cream and some grated chocolate, if desired. Serve immediately.