A HOLIDAY TREAT MADE WITH PISTACHIO KULFI AND FROTHY ESPRESSO
If there was ever a dessert that was MADE for an incredible dinner party, I’d say it’s a pistachio spiked affogato. I mean, it’s a dessert yet also a cocktail... but it is also a party-maintainer. Like HOW can you have a bad time while having a pistachio spiked affogato? Would you ever want to leave a party where they are serving a pistachio spiked affogato? Well, I’m here to tell you that you can’t and won’t. It’s just not possible.
Pistachio kulfi is a flavor that is so nostalgic for Indian-Americans. For me, my love for pistachio kulfi grew as I learned one of the most important lessons of life: grocery shopping > any other kind of shopping. After school, my mum used to take us along for the ride as she ran errands– which often included grocery shopping, specifically trips to our local Indian grocer. As my mom stocked the cart up with all of the fresh veggies and fruits, I’d be responsible for pushing the cart and found myself ALWAYS ready to head to the checkout line for one reason and one reason only: the designated ice cream freezer that was conveniently (and rather smartly, now that I think about it) placed next to the check-out aisles. While my mom made the best kulfi in the world and still does to this day, it was just such a treat to have my mom okay the purchase of a single-serving Reena’s pistachio kulfi cup that came with a wooden spoon (important info for nostalgia purposes) after a long day of school.
When I was younger, this decadent, rich, nutty cup of kulfi could truly change the course of my entire day for the better. Funny how things work out because coffee does the same exact thing for me in the present day. So there you have it: a dessert with the two best pick-me-ups– ice cream and coffee. I promise you that your guests AND you will end the night incredibly pleased and probably with big smiles on your faces.
INGREDIENTS
For the affogato:
1 generous scoop (roughly 4 oz/1/2 cup) of pistachio kulfi (I used Reena’s Pista Kulfi)
2 oz espresso, hot (I used Nespresso’s Bianca Leggero pod)
1 oz of Baileys Original Irish Cream, optional but highly recommended
For the rim:
1 tablespoon of agave nectar, optional
1 tablespoon of pistachios, crushed into dust, optional
1 tablespoon of dried rose petals, optional
For the garnish:
1 Parle-G biscuit, for garnish, optional
DIRECTIONS
Begin by chilling your small serving bowl/glassware of choice in the freezer. I always recommend doing this whenever possible when making affogatos, it’s truly one of my favorite tricks of the trade.
In a shallow plate, mix together your pistachio dust and dried rose petals with a 1:1 ratio. Rim your bowl with agave nectar and then immediately dip the bowl in the pistachio dust-rose petal mixture to coat the rim. Set aside.
Now let’s get to the best part! Scoop in your pistachio kulfi into the chilled serving ware.
Then, pour over your hot espresso. If desired, you can directly place the serving ware underneath the espresso machine for an extra frothy pour!
Top the kulfi with a shot of Baileys Original Irish Cream!
Garnish with a Parle-G biscuit for the perfect finish. :)
~ Serves 1
Notes
Pistachio kulfi is my preferred choice to use in this recipe due to the dense texture and the fact that it melts a LOT slower than ice cream, but you can also substitute the kulfi with pistachio ice cream or use this Pacific Coast Pistachio gelato from Talenti! If you want to use pistachio kulfi, you can easily be found at your favorite Indian grocer or through Instacart.
You also don’t need to stop at pistachio-flavored ice cream! I’d imagine that it would be really fun with other classic kulfi flavors like malai (clotted cream...YUM!) or kesar (saffron). If you’re entertaining, you can even set up a DIY-kulfi affogato station. If this sounds like you, please be sure to do me a favor and add me to the invite list. :)
While we’re at it, you can make this without the Baileys! While I love the addition of it here, you can also make this with just two ingredients. Yes, I know. Just pistachio kulfi and hot espresso. It’s really divine.