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2010-07-30
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I lack the knowledge and detailed description of coffees, and how they spread out on the palates. It's something I've been meaning to learn but have yet to get the time to accomplish, alongside learning Italian, getting a music collection, and learning how to surf. Taking the initiative into something new is truly something quite courageous to begin with -- venturing into a new territory that's been around but haven't been explored to a persona level.Affogato is an Italian dessert where hot just
Affogato is an Italian dessert where hot just-brewed espresso is poured into gelato, melting it slightly but one could still experience that sweet chill from the gelato, accompanied by the dark intensity of espresso. The half-molten dessert should be easy to make, but like anything that's simple, as long as you have good vanilla ice cream and a good espresso with you it's hard to go wrong. This day, walking past Coco Espresso in Sheung Wan, I spotted the Affogato, not a new item, but a solution to a craving of ice cream and coffee for the day. I have visited Coco Espresso at times when it's not as busy and packed, just because the seating doesn't allow anyone of a certain height to sit comfortably long enough to enjoy the coffee.
Squeezing into one of the stools at the coffee shop, I ordered my Affogato. It soon arrived -- a perfectly scooped globe of vanilla ice cream, beige and smooth. accompanied by a tiny puddle of espresso, freshly made and topped with the sandy brown thickness of crema. A fruity aroma arose, reminding one of roasted chestnut and buckwheat honey. The sweet smell of caramel in the coffee itself should go right with the vanilla ice cream indeed.
Slowly pouring the coffee onto the icecream and watching the ice cream slowly melting, thickening the now molten liquid within the cup. The fusion of coffee and vanilla and milk is so inviting to chill in a summery afternoon, when the sun shone partly into the shop. Using a small spoon and scooping up the combined dessert -- soft pillowy icecream dripping with coffee. It tasted simple but good. There was no sour notes in the aftertaste, except for a strangely familiar taste on the palate left from the store-bought icecream. How wonderful would it have been should the icecream were really a light fluffy vanilla gelato?
It was before the time when coffee shops like Holly Brown and 18 Grams opened their doors. Scooping up the last bit of ice cream and coffee, one must wonder how foodies make up their minds to try new things, or old favorites not sampled before. They explore the streets and alleys in search of hidden finds, demonstrating the love and passion with an unblinking eye, recording their experiences for the world to see. There is no simpler way to say it but sometimes, taking a chance on something we love is just as it is like an affogato -- simple yet scrumptiously satisfying.
It doesn't always end up perfect, but the high of taking that initiative to get out and find the new and share with others...is truly amazing, and something to keeps me going day after day.
Correction: thanks to 辣子's reminder, the price listed below is amended. Thx...
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