Affogato with Honey Roasted Pecans + Crunchy Toffee

In our studio, there are two things that incite a resounding ‘YESSSS!’ when offered: coffee and ice cream! You can only IMAGINE our delight when the idea of an affogato was put out there for this special caffeine-infused food series. This isn’t your run of the mill affogato though – topped with crunchy honeyed pecans and shards of sweet toffee, this dressed up recipe is a sure to impress.

At the very least, it passed the ‘YESSS!’ test in the TDF studio!

Written

Annie Portelli

This story is sponsored by nespresso

Honeyed pecans and toffee brittle to top the affogato. Photo – Caitlin Mills.

A decadent and delicious grown-up dessert! Photo – Caitlin Mills.

Toasted pecans. Photo – Caitlin Mills.

A sure crowd pleaser! Photo – Caitlin Mills.

IngredientS (Serves 4)

For the affogato

4 Livanto Nespresso pods
200g Vanilla ice cream

For the toffee

250g caster sugar
1 teaspoon of white vinegar
65ml water

For the honey roasted pecans

125 grams (1 cup) of natural pecan nuts
3 heaped tablespoons of natural honey

METHOD

Firstly, prepare a cooking tray with a sheet of baking paper on it. Have this ready to go before you start cooking the toffee.

Pour one cup of caster sugar into a saucepan over low heat, add water (should just cover the surface of the sugar).

Add vinegar and keep stirring on a low heat until the sugar is dissolved.

Once sugar is dissolved, increase the heat until the ingredients start to thicken. Note: it’s crucial to keep on stirring the toffee so it doesn’t burn!

You will notice the toffee will turn from clear to golden quite suddenly. Once you can start to smell the sugar cooking and the colour is nice and rich, pull the saucepan away whilst maintaining the stir, and pour the toffee onto your pre-prepared tray.

Tilt the tray to spread the toffee as thinly as possible across the surface area before it sets. Leave it to sit for 20 mins until it becomes brittle.

To get a ‘cracked’ effect, either hit with a metal spoon or drop the baking paper with toffee onto your kitchen bench top.

Bring a non-stick frypan to heat and lightly toast the pecans until they start to brown.  Add the 3 heaped tablespoons of honey to the pan and stir until honey melts. Keep stirring until all of the pecans are completely coated with the melted honey. Once combined, place the sticky pecans into the prepared tray and spread flat until cooled.

For each person, serve one shot of Nespresso into a clear glass. Whilst coffee is still hot, add a generous scoop (or two!) of store-bought vanilla ice cream to each glass. Top with shards of toffee brittle and honey toasted pecans, and serve immediately.