Sometimes it is necessary to consult one’s soul in a quiet hour. When this occurs, it is best to discover a calm and collected spot in which to ruminate. We prefer Lake Como as our contemplative scene. When consulting the soul it is also necessary to have at hand a calm, cool, and collected treat. We suggest affogato: the ideal tasty accompaniment to endless hours of staring into the unknown and mediating upon the philosophical. After all, with much thinking comes much hunger, grasshopper, and affogato tell you that this is the way of the wise.

BT’s AFFOGATO RECIPE

Serves 4                                                               Total Time: 10 Minutes

WHAT YOU NEED

1 pint Tahitian vanilla ice cream
½ teaspoon lavender oil
½ cup boiling water
8 ounce tin of espresso-grain ground coffee beans
Moka pot

WHAT TO DO

1. Fill bottom chamber of Moka pot with pre-heated water (just under boiling temperature) until you reach just below the level of the pressure valve.

2. Slowly spoon the ground coffee into your Moka pot filter basket until your basket is full of loosely piled grounds.

3. Set the filter basket inside bottom container of pot. Tightly screw upper portion of pot onto the base. Set pot over stove top on medium-high heat for approximately 4 minutes or until the pot makes a loud gurgling noise. Remove the Moka pot from the stove. Brewing is completed when all the water has been percolated into the top chamber.*

4. Scoop ½ cup of vanilla ice cream onto each of four serving bowls. Pour a demitasse cup of espresso from the pot over each ice cream serving. Spoon lavender oil on top to taste. Enjoy!

* BT Tip: You can also make your coffee using any number of espresso machines for grinds or pods.