Vanilla Bean Affogato

I've been sitting on this post for a while because I haven't quite figured out how to present it. Which is funny because this is barely even a recipe. It only has three ingredients, and one of them is ice cream. One of them is vanilla bean. And one of them is espresso. And it's the espresso that has caused me so much consternation.

"But how can espresso cause consternation?" you ask.

Though I'm pretty sure 99.9% of the three of you who read this blog are LDS and already know the answer to this question, just in case anyone wandered into this blog and doesn't know what I'm talking about, I will elaborate:

As a faithful member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I follow the health and dietary guidelines that we recognize as one of God's commandments, the Word of Wisdom. More information can be found by following this link and looking under "Word of Wisdom," about 2/3 of the way down:

God's Commandments | Mormon.org

Part of the Word of Wisdom states that we should not drink alcohol, coffee, or tea. Hence, espresso consternation. 

And while avoiding alcohol, coffee, or tea is almost never more difficult than just saying, "no thanks," there is an entire chapter of Baked that my Word of Wisdom restrictions rendered useless. Of the nine drinks included in the chapter, eight of them have alcohol, coffee, tea, or a combination. 

Blah, blah, blah. 

I'm tired of talking, so here's my point:

Rather than completely ignoring an entire chapter, I have decided to adapt the recipes in a Word-of-Wisdom-friendly way. 

As such, I have been trying to come with a pithy, clever way to label my modified recipes as Mormon kosher. My best idea so far is WoWed. As in Word of Wisdom, eh? Eh? I like that it's simple and to-the-point, but it feels kind of lame. Joel suggested Counterfit, since getting rid of the coffee and alcohol is a healthier option. I think my husband is a funny, witty fellow, but this wasn't doing much for me since a baked goods blog isn't really about being fit in any way. 

That's all we got. 

So, a GIVEAWAY!

Comment on this post with your own clever way to label these adjusted recipes, or just vote for which of Joel or my ideas you like better (Joel: Counterfit, Ami: WoWed), and you will be entered to win one of these babies:

Official Baked NYC box mix! The deliciousness of the Baked Bakery in your own home! With minimal effort! And you can choose from several different options--check them all out here. I'll even let you choose which one you want, though it will be subject to availability. 

Full disclosure: no one is sponsoring this giveaway except me. Also, none of the box mixes are of recipes included in the book, except for the Sour Cream Coffee Cake and the Deep Dark Chocolate Brownie. 

Now, on to the recipe. The affogato was a lovely, simple dessert. I want some right now. I will include the printed recipe and then my adjusted recipe separately. 

Vanilla Bean Affogato (printable recipe)

Recipe courtesy of Baked: New Frontiers in Baking by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito. Copied with permission. Ingredients 1 pint premium vanilla ice cream 1 vanilla bean 1/2 c freshly brewed hot espresso Directions Divide the ice cream among three bowls or glasses. Put them back in the freezer while you prep the espresso. Cut the vanilla bean in half lengthwise and, using the tip of the knife, scrape the seeds of the vanilla bean into the hot espresso. Stir gently. Slowly pour the espresso mixture over the ice cream. Serve immediately. Vanilla Bean Affogato-adjusted (printable recipe) adapted from Baked: New Frontiers in Baking by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito.  Ingredients 1 pint premium vanilla ice cream 1 vanilla bean 1/2 c very hot water 2 heaping tsp Pero Instant Natural Beverage Directions Divide the ice cream among three bowls or glasses. Put them back in the freezer while you prep the remaining ingredients. Stir Pero into the hot water until dissolved.  Cut the vanilla bean in half lengthwise and, using the tip of the knife, scrape the seeds of the vanilla bean into the hot Pero. Stir gently. Slowly pour the Pero mixture over the ice cream. Serve immediately.