When coffee meets dessert, you get affogato

In Italy, everything’s a little bit different. The work days are shorter, the lunch breaks longer, the wine always flowing. And then there’s the after-dinner question we’re all used to: coffee or dessert? In Italy, they’ve combined the two: Meet the affogato.

Named with the Italian word for “drowned,” the affogato quite literally drowns a scoop of ice cream or gelato in a shot of espresso. It melts down to create a rich and creamy dessert you can eat with a spoon and finish with a caffeinated sip.

There are a few spots to score this dessert in Baton Rouge, including the newly opened, Neapolitan-style Rocca Pizzeria on Government Street.

Owner Ozzie Fernandez, also of LIT Pizza and Izzo’s Illegal Burrito, employs an in-house “dolce” team to make sweets from scratch, from the sumptuous olive oil cake and chocolate hazelnut pudding to sorbet and gelato. The team’s fior di latte gelato—meaning “flower of milk”—is a simple staple of any gelateria, made only with sweetened cream.

It’s the fior di latte flavor that lays the foundation for the affogato here, complemented with a crunchy amaretti cookie perfect for dunking in or crumbling over your affogato. As a sweet, luxuriant taste of Italy, it’s a nice finish to a meal or an indulgent midday pick-up. roccapizzeria.com

WHERE ELSE TO FIND AFFOGATO IN BATON ROUGE

Highland Coffees
Made with a shot of espresso and a scoop of New Orleans Ice Cream Company vanilla bean ice cream. highlandcoffeesbr.com

La Divina Gelateria
A 2-ounce serving of your favorite house-made gelato with a double shot of espresso. ladivinagelateria.com

This article was originally published in the April 2018 issue of 225 Magazine.