Pannacotta Affogato with Tim Tam Straws

Pannacotta Affogato. Pure creamy coffee fun. This makes the most perfect dessert for coffee lovers

This post is supported by Di Bella Coffee. If you are a coffee lover then chances are you have heard of Di Bella coffee.

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Coffee is a wonderful thing

Coffee is a wonderful thing. I mean it is a legal high. People are addicted to it, yet you can buy it in every neighbourhood. There is a cult of worship for it, some can’t bare to think of life without it,  they  follow it and love it, yet it is not frowned upon by the church. Some people take a shot before driving, or before working and even after too much alcohol….and yet no one bats an eyelid. Such is the power and wonder of coffee.

I have used it as a stimulant many times and now blame myself for overdosing on it. I used to drink 7 or 8 a day  because during back to back double shifts it can be a crutch and the only one that can keep you firing and alert.  It was during a particularly long stretch when working for Rockpool Catering that I overdosed and now have to be very careful with the way I administer coffee to myself. It happened all of a sudden, my crutch became my curse and for some years I was unable to even drink just one a day. How I have suffered……..): No sipping during the day to perk me up and no wake up call in the morning to boost my morale……….

When you discover your crutch is killing you

It started after a normal day and 6 or 7 coffees during the work. I fell into bed after a 15 hour shift, but sleep was fleeting. Eventually, when I did fall asleep I had service dreams the curse of every chef. It’s a feeling that you are on an endless service line of dockets that you can’t keep up with. You can’t cook fast enough and you just can’t seem to make it taste right, people are sending dishes back and you are panicking, getting further behind.

That started happening and each night for a week. All the while I was coping with double shifts and a small child, and in a short time I was looking haggard…..but still I couldn’t seem to get off my roundabout. I had no idea how to remedy this lack of rest.  So, I drank more coffee, to kickstart my waking hours and this in turn was killing me, literally. Oh the pain of both giving up, and not having that boost for the day.

Years of abstinence are behind me. Now I have one beautiful coffee a day and I like it to be good.

The coffee I have from De Bella is from Peru, and like the chocolate grown in this country, it has a smoky, fruity quality and it is heavenly good.

Di Bella story

The company stated in Brisbane in 2002. They were one of the few companies roasting their own coffee. They grew to one of the biggest coffee companies in Australia before selling to RFG in 2014. They are Australias biggest coffee roaster with a state-of-the-art facily in Castle Hill, NSW, where they roast beans.

They now roast over 3,400 tonnes of coffee per year, and have upwards of 3000 partners & customers in 37 countries.  

The job of producing a recipe with the Di Bella coffee was always going to tempt me and I created several including one with slow cooked pork belly. But the idea of a vanilla Panna cotta affogato with Tim Tam straws was the one that stuck.

Affogato

The Affogato is a dessert that is almost synonymous with coffee.  It’s simply a scoop of Ice cream with a shot of coffee, and often a liqueur poured over. I wanted an Affogato where the coffee remained pure but the dessert lasted longer than the usual ice cream because it melts too quickly.

Here it is. Add a Tim Tam straw and a few Maltesers and you have everything you may ever need. Whilst making this I think I may have tested too many, and all of a sudden my coffee intake was well past its limit.  

The coffee has just been reduced to a syrup with a little maple syrup added. Made from fresh roasted beans means it still tastes fruity and a little smokey. If you have a capsule machine Di Bella now makes their coffee into capsules too. Have a look HERE for flavours and ORDERS.

Love Pannacotta? Try these

Mascarpone Pannacotta with salted caramel

Cheese Pannacotta with figs

Pannacotta Affogato with Tim Tam Straws

The perfect vanilla pannacotta with fresh sweetened coffee and Tim Tams!! Turn it out or eat in in a small bowl. It’s up to you

5 from 3 votes

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Prep Time 30 minutes mins

3 hours hrs

Course Dessert

Cuisine Italian inspired

Servings 6

Ingredients

  

• 350 ml full cream milk 12 fl oz
• 350 ml thickened cream or heavy cream | 12 fl oz
• 20 gm caster sugar 1 tablespoon| 1Tablespoon + 1 teasp
• 1 vanilla bean
• 3 leaves gelatine 5 gm | gold strength, 6 x thinner 2.5gm

Coffee Syrup

• 250 ml coffee freshly brewed | 8.5 fl oz
• 60 ml maple syrup 1/4 cup | 2 fl oz

Instructions

 

To make the Pannacotta.

• You will need 6 x 150 ml moulds (5 fl oz)
• Put the milk, cream, vanilla and sugar into a medium pot and heat on low
• Meanwhile put the leaf gelatine into some cold water and soak till softened. Drain and set aside. To dissolve gelatine powder, put into a small dish and add an equal amount of water, let stand. ( for subsitutions of gelatine leaves to powder see below)
• Once the milk and cream is heated and the sugar dissolved (no need to boil) add the gelatine sheets and stir till dissolved. ( If using powdered gelatine after blooming with water add it to the hot milk and stir till dissolved ( no boiling))
• Strain the mixture into a jug and then into the moulds. Chill for 4 hours but for best results overnight.
• To turn out run a knife gently around the edge of the dish. Turn the dish upside down on your palm and shake till it loosens. Then turn back up the right way and put the dish under the pannacotta and shake it out.

Coffee Syrup

• Put the coffee into a pot with the maple syrup and reduce by 1/2. You should have about 150 ml left or about 3/4 of a cup. Cool to room temperature.
• Divide the mixture between the six dishes and cut the bottom of the biscuit off so that coffee can soak up into it.

Notes

A word about gelatine

• Gelatine is available in different strengths or “blooms”. It’s a bit of a minefield to be honest. Powdered and leaf gelatines all come in different strengths
• If you can’t find leaf gelatine either on line or at a supermarket you will have to substitute it for powdered. There is no exact substitution conversion and the only foolproof way of knowing what the “bloom” or setting quality is is to read the suggested setting instructions on the packet.
• Just like leaf gelatine powdered gelatine needs to be soaked before using. 
• Gelatine’s setting qualities diminish when it is boiled so always add it to the hot liquid when it has been taken off the heat. Stir well to make sure it is dissolved and then strain before using to remove unmelted lumps or bits.
• Sheet gelatine is preferred as it dissolves easier
• Always put gelatine into cold water. For sheets make sure you don’t crack it into tiny pieces as these disappear into the water and you lose it. try to soak whole and squeeze out the excess water as soon as it has softened. Put into a bowl and set aside until needed.
• As a very rough rule, you can substitute approximately 1 teaspoon of gelatine to 2 sheets of gelatine, HOWEVER best to read the packet instruction on how much to use.
• This recipe is approximately 700 ml

Keyword affogato, cold desserts, panna cotta, pannacotta,