It was my turn to bring "treats" to my department's staff meeting (we're a small dept. of eight) so I decided at the last minute to take brownies and serve them with affogato. I cheated on the brownies, got up early that morning, and used a mix that I usually find at Trader Joe's, (but more recently have seen in other places, too). It's called No Pudge Fudge brownies and they're fantastic, and so easy you need to have some yoghurt on hand. The box calls for what seems like an odd amount: 2/3 cup (which just happens to be the size of the small containers of Greek-style yoghurt, 5.3 oz.). That's what I had, so as providence would have it, that's what I used. They turned out well (they always do, as long as I follow the directions properly...).
My next challenge was to get espresso at work. Sure, I probably could have run out to a Starbuck's the last half-hour before the meeting, but being the frugal kind of person I am, I decided to take my Bialetti-style stovetop espresso maker to work and do it fresh, hot, and right there.
When it was time to serve, I prepped by cutting up the brownies and brewing the espresso on the stove in the staff lounge. At the meeting table, I just dished up ice cream into plastic cups, poured on some espresso, and passed them around. Everyone seemed pleased and satisfied.
The way I do it at home after dinner (usually) is to make a couple of shots of espresso with my regular espresso maker (a Krups), dish up ice cream, pour on a little liqueur (Amaretto, Kahlua, American Honey, etc.), then pour the espresso over and serve with biscotti or amaretti. Then we sit in the gazebo in the back yard and play Scopa until it's too dark to see (or we light candles). Isn't summer wonderful?!
