Affogato and 4 Easy Italian Desserts (No Baking Required)
Five Italian preparations - the fastest impressive dessert in this collection, plus four more that require no oven and under 20 minutes
Italian dessert culture includes a strand of preparations that require almost no cooking - they rely instead on quality ingredients, specific technique, and the Italian understanding that restraint is a form of sophistication. A shot of good espresso over a scoop of vanilla gelato is a more impressive dessert than a mediocre cake. An egg yolk whisked with Marsala wine and sugar until it triples in volume is one of the most compelling things in Italian cooking.
These five preparations span the full range from 90 seconds (affogato) to 20 minutes (semifreddo requires a brief custard) - all require no oven, and all produce results that are genuinely impressive relative to the effort.
1. Affogato
"Drowned" in Italian | Serves 1 | Active time: 90 seconds
A scoop of vanilla ice cream or gelato placed in a small glass or espresso cup, over which a freshly pulled shot of hot espresso is poured immediately. The espresso melts the surface of the ice cream; the ice cream cools and slightly dilutes the espresso; you eat both simultaneously with a small spoon, getting alternating cold-and-creamy and hot-and-bitter with every bite.
It is the single fastest impressive dessert in this collection. It requires two things: good ice cream and good espresso. The quality of both is immediately apparent because there is nothing else.
The espresso: Freshly pulled from a machine, or made in a moka pot. Strong filter coffee works but produces a less intense result. Instant coffee does not work - the flavour is wrong.
The ice cream: Fior di latte (pure milk) gelato or vanilla ice cream. The ice cream should be very cold and just beginning to soften at the edges. If serving multiple portions: pre-scoop the ice cream into the serving glasses and freeze for 15 minutes before pouring the espresso.
The pour: Pour the espresso immediately as it is made - while it is at peak temperature and intensity. Pour directly over the ice cream and serve without delay.
Variations:
- Add a small shot of Amaretto, Frangelico, or Baileys alongside the espresso
- Use chocolate ice cream and the espresso - a mocha affogato
- Pour the Hot Chocolate Fudge Sauce over the ice cream before the espresso for a triple-layer version
2. Zabaglione
Whisked egg and wine custard | Serves 4 | Active time: 15 minutes
Zabaglione (or zabaione) is one of the oldest Italian desserts - egg yolks, sugar, and Marsala wine (or any sweet fortified wine) whisked over gentle heat until the mixture triples in volume and becomes a warm, frothy, intensely flavoured custard that is poured into glasses and eaten immediately.
It is the Italian equivalent of a warm syllabub - ethereal, intensely flavoured, gone in moments, and specifically a dessert that cannot be made in advance (it falls within 20 minutes of leaving the heat).
Ingredients:
- 4 large egg yolks
- 80g caster sugar
- 100ml Marsala wine - or sweet sherry, Moscato, or Prosecco (each produces a different character)
Method: Place the egg yolks, sugar, and Marsala in a large heatproof bowl. Set over a saucepan of barely simmering water - the bowl must not touch the water. Whisk continuously with a balloon whisk or electric hand mixer.
After 8-12 minutes of continuous whisking, the mixture will have tripled in volume, turned pale and very thick, and will leave a thick ribbon when the whisk is lifted - the ribbon should hold its shape for 3-4 seconds before falling back. The temperature should be approximately 65°C - hot enough to have cooked the yolks but not hot enough to scramble them.
Pour immediately into 4 glasses. Serve with Savoiardi biscuits for dipping or fresh berries.
Note: Zabaglione is made and eaten immediately. It cannot be made ahead.
3. Semifreddo
Semi-frozen Italian ice cream | Serves 8-10 | Active time: 20 minutes | Freezing: 4 hours
Semifreddo - "half frozen" - is Italy's answer to ice cream without a machine. Unlike no-churn ice cream, which uses condensed milk for creaminess, semifreddo uses a base of whipped egg whites and cream, which traps enough air to remain semi-frozen (creamy and sliceable) rather than freezing to a solid block.
Ingredients:
- 4 large eggs, separated
- 150g caster sugar
- 400ml double cream
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- Flavouring of choice (see below)
Method: Whisk yolks and sugar until pale and tripled in volume (the zabaglione technique, but without wine and without heat). Whip cream to soft peaks separately. Whip whites to stiff peaks separately.
Fold the cream into the yolk mixture. Fold in the egg whites. Add the flavouring. Pour into a 1kg loaf tin lined with cling film. Freeze for 4+ hours until semi-frozen - not hard.
To serve: remove from the freezer 5 minutes before slicing. Lift from the tin using the cling film. Slice with a warm knife. Serve on plates with a sauce.
Flavourings:
- Pistachio: Add 80g of finely ground pistachios to the yolk mixture
- Espresso: Add 2 tbsp of cooled espresso and 1 tbsp of Kahlúa
- Hazelnut and chocolate: Add 80g of finely chopped roasted hazelnuts and 50g of melted dark chocolate (cooled)
- Amaretti: Crush 100g of amaretti biscuits. Fold through the assembled mixture
4. Granita
Coarsely frozen Italian ice | Serves 6 | Active time: 10 minutes | Freezing: 3-4 hours (with stirring)
Granita - the Sicilian flavoured ice - is distinct from sorbet in its texture: where sorbet is smooth, granita is deliberately coarse and crystalline. The crystals are created by raking the freezing liquid with a fork every 30 minutes during freezing, building up a mass of small, distinct ice crystals rather than a smooth frozen block.
Lemon granita (the classic Sicilian version): Dissolve 150g of caster sugar in 600ml of boiling water. Cool completely. Add 200ml of fresh lemon juice and the finely grated zest of 2 lemons. Stir well.
Pour into a shallow freezer container. Freeze for 1 hour until the edges are beginning to freeze. Scrape with a fork, raking the crystals toward the centre. Return to the freezer. Repeat every 30 minutes for 3-4 hours until the entire container is a mass of separate, dry-feeling crystals.
Serve directly from the freezer, piled into chilled glasses. It melts rapidly - serve immediately.
Variations:
- Coffee granita (caffè granita): Replace lemon with 600ml of very strong espresso + 150g sugar. The classic Sicilian breakfast: coffee granita with a brioche.
- Watermelon granita: Blend 1kg of seedless watermelon. Add 100g of sugar and the juice of 1 lime. Proceed as above.
- Strawberry granita: Blend 600g of ripe strawberries. Add 120g of sugar and 2 tbsp of lemon juice. Strain and proceed.
5. Macedonia di Frutta (Italian Fruit Salad)
The dessert that is the sum of the ingredients | Serves 6 | Active time: 15 minutes | Best after 30 minutes' macerating
The Italian fruit salad is not like most fruit salads. It uses only ripe, seasonal fruit at peak quality; it is dressed with lemon juice, a small amount of sugar, and - the Italian addition - a splash of liqueur or wine; and it is left to macerate briefly so the juices flow and the flavours combine.
Ingredients: Choose 3-4 types of ripe fruit: strawberries, raspberries, peaches, apricots, cherries, figs, blueberries, melon, grapes. Total approximately 1kg.
The dressing:
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 2 tbsp caster sugar (or honey)
- 2 tbsp Limoncello, Prosecco, Cointreau, or Grand Marnier (optional but traditional)
- Fresh mint, torn
Method: Prepare all fruit - hull strawberries, stone peaches and cherries, remove seeds. Combine in a large bowl. Add the lemon juice, sugar, and liqueur. Toss gently. Leave for 20-30 minutes at room temperature - the fruit releases its juices and the flavours combine.
Serve with a good gelato, whipped ricotta with honey, or crème fraîche.
The Italian principle: The fruit salad is only as good as its ingredients. Mediocre, out-of-season fruit produces a mediocre fruit salad regardless of preparation. Excellent, ripe, in-season fruit produces an extraordinary one.
Pro Tips for All Five
- Affogato: Chill the glasses in the freezer for 5 minutes before serving - a cold glass keeps the ice cream from melting too quickly.
- Zabaglione: The continuous whisking is the technique. Stopping and starting produces an uneven heat distribution. Once started, do not stop until the ribbon stage is reached.
- Semifreddo: The cling film lining of the tin is essential for clean unmoulding. Overhang the film generously on all sides.
- Granita: The shorter the freezing interval (30 minutes rather than 60), the finer and drier the crystals. Longer intervals produce larger, wetter crystals.
- Macedonia: Buy the best fruit available and let the season guide the selection. The dessert requires nothing else from you.
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