Affogato float and a grilled chocolate sandwich

Let's have a little fun, shall we?  In this case, let's go a little crazy with desserts!

Let's start with something cold.  We'll make an affogato float...with coffee ice cream, a shot of espresso, some milk, and seltzer.

Affogato float with coffee ice cream, espresso, milk, and seltzer

Then, we should have something to eat so let's make a sandwich.  Not just any sandwich but a grilled chocolate sandwich!  Because...well, why not!  And I'm telling you, this sandwich is totally delicious!

Grilled chocolate sandwiches made with crusty French bread and bittersweet chocolate 

I was feeling a little "crazy" so we made both these things one recent afternoon and it was so much fun! 

Affogato Float

Shall we talk float first?  Now, ice cream floats are the best - it's sometimes my dessert of choice on my birthday.  For a twist, this is a chilled affogato float - made with coffee ice cream, espresso...

...and topped with a touch of milk and finally, some plain seltzer.

I seriously love myself an affogato so when I spotted a little recipe (more like some quick directions) for a chilled affogato float in the July/August 2014 issue of Martha Stewart Living, I had to try it.  This is just totally fun and a great afternoon treat for a coffee lover. 

For kids, take the seltzer you're using for this recipe and make chocolate egg creams.  That's what I did for my little guy.  We love egg creams in our house.

Grilled Chocolate Sandwiches

Grilled cheese sandwiches are great but how often do you have a grilled chocolate sandwich?  This was a first for us and honestly, it turned out totally delicious!  Picture crusty slices of baguette, smeared with salted butter on one side, filled with your favorite dark chocolate, and then toasted on the griddle til golden brown, crispy, and warm.  It's crunchy, chocolaty, and slightly salty in every bite...in other words, it's really good!

This was one of my kitchen projects with my little guy.  I've made it something of a small mission of mine to do some cooking "lessons" with him this summer.  We've been making simple savory as well as sweet dishes and I'm trying to come up with ideas that are fun, do-able, and quick that he would enjoy (and love to eat).  This was definitely on the fun side of things.

When I told my son we would make grilled chocolate sandwiches, his reaction was: "what?"  He thought his mother had possibly lost her mind and wasn't convinced by the idea.  But going through the steps and tasting it, he (and the rest of us) were totally on board.  Not only is it a fun idea, it's really a very tasty one! 

You could serve the sandwich alone as a sweet snack or round it out with some ice cream for a full-on dessert!  Talk about an ice cream sandwich!  This makes for a whimsical kind of unexpected dessert.

Now these are my ideas of summer fun!

I've been hooked on affogatos ever since I started making them at home so I had to try this float version!  Coffee ice cream reinforces the coffee theme but you could use another ice cream flavor (I particularly like chocolate, and there's always classic vanilla) and even spike it with a splash of liqueur if you like.  

The affogato float isn't very sweet, particularly with coffee ice cream.  I was wishing I had some Vietnamese coffee ice cream on hand; it's a recipe from The Perfect Scoop that uses very strong coffee and sweetened condensed milk for a very easy coffee ice cream to make at home. The sweetness of that ice cream would work very well here.

Try it with chocolate or vanilla ice cream!

I keep things really simple by using instant espresso powder to make the espresso.  Follow it up with about a shot's worth of milk and then top it off with plain seltzer.  It's not too heavy as far as "floats" goes, particularly if you choose to go with a lighter, slow-churn ice cream.

Now...the grilled chocolate sandwich idea comes from baking/chocolate-expert Alice Medrich (who I have to thank for those incredible cocoa brownies); I find her column of "rogue baking tips" on Food52 really interesting.  I had faith that any chocolate recipe by Ms. Medrich would likely be good, and my faith was justified.

Aside from the "traditional" sandwich style for this non-traditional sandwich, we also tried a tartine, or open-face version (sort of like a chocolate bruschetta).  If you're grilling outside, you could put it together on the grill for dessert.  Just put some butter (or even olive oil) on the bread, grill it until nice and crispy before topping it with some chopped semisweet or bittersweet chocolate.  Then, close the grill and let it cook until the chocolate is just melted.  Remove it from the grill and top it with some sea salt before serving.

An alternative, tartine-style, chocolate sandwich

Trying both versions, my family and I liked the 2-slice of bread, sandwich version better.  There's just something about the double-crunch from the toasty bread and that delicious, warm dark chocolate filling tucked inside.  Who knew a grilled chocolate sandwich would be so good!


Recipes:

Affogato Float
Adapted from the July/August issue of Martha Stewart Living

- For one - 

One shot of espresso:
  3/4 teaspoon instant espresso powder
  2 tablespoons boiling water

2 scoops coffee ice cream (or other flavor, such as chocolate or vanilla)

2 tablespoons milk

Cold seltzer

In a small heat-proof bowl, dissolve instant espresso powder with the boiling water.  

Place ice cream into a large serving glass.  Pour in espresso and milk, then top with seltzer.

Grilled Chocolate Sandwiches
Adapted from Alice Medrich via Food52

- For 2 sandwiches - 

Butter (I used salted butter)
4 slices French bread, each sliced no more than 1/2-inch thick
2 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped (I used 60% bittersweet chocolate)

Heat a cast-iron skillet or griddle pan over medium heat.  While pan is heating, butter one side of each slice of bread evenly (the more generous you are, the more golden brown and toasty it will be).  Flip two slices over so that butter side is down, and place chocolate on top.  Top each with a slice of bread, butter side up.

Carefully place sandwiches on top of the skillet.  Cook until the bottom is golden brown, then gently flip and brown the other side.

Remove from the skillet, slice each into two pieces, if desired, and serve immediately.  Vanilla ice cream goes very well alongside.