Vegan chocolate coconut affogato

IMAGE SOURCE: ELIZABETH STARK

Ice cream is usually the exclusive province of the summer months. Once brisk winter winds kick up, few of us feel like cozying up to a chilly bowl of frozen custard. But affogato? At once frosty and warm, affogato — ice cream surrounded by warm espresso — is a wonderful wintertime dessert.

IMAGE SOURCE: ELIZABETH STARK

This recipe subs traditional vanilla ice cream for a decadent, impossibly creamy chocolate coconut milk ice cream with a hint of sea salt. It’s vegan too — though it’s rich enough that no one will miss the cream and eggs. In place of espresso, I used freshly ground espresso beans brewed up nice and strong in my French press. I came out with a wonderfully balanced dessert — the sweet chocolatey coconut ice cream was balanced beautifully by the nutty flavor of freshly brewed coffee.

IMAGE SOURCE: ELIZABETH STARK

Chocolate Coconut Affogato

Makes: 4 servings

Ingredients

• 1 can full-fat coconut milk, well-shaken 
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch 
• 6 tablespoons brown sugar 
• 6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder 
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 
• 1 cup freshly brewed espresso or strong coffee 

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, vigorously whisk cornstarch into half the coconut milk. Set aside. 
2. Pour remaining coconut milk into a heavy-bottomed saucepan and set over medium heat. Whisk in sugar and cocoa powder. When sugar has dissolved, whisk in cornstarch mixture. Stirring constantly, cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes or until mixture has thickened considerably — enough to completely coat the back of a spoon. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. 
3. Spoon ice cream base into a container with a tight fitting lid, place container in an ice bath, and set in fridge to chill at least 2 hours or overnight. 
4. Process ice cream mixture according to your ice cream maker’s instructions. I found the base to be very thick, and stopped my ice cream maker to scrape down the sides several times. Spoon finished ice cream into a freezer-proof container and set in freezer to cure for at least 3 hours. 
5. Set ice cream out to soften for 10 minutes before scooping. 
6. To make affogato, set out 4 small glasses and brew 1 cup espresso or strong coffee. Add a scoop of ice cream to each of the glasses, then slowly pour 1/4 cup espresso or coffee over each. Serve immediately.

Source: Babble.com