There is nothing better after a delicious pasta than a little il dolci. Having something sweet is not just the finale to a good meal, but the way many Italians start their day - a little tart or tiramisu with coffee.
One classic Italian dessert is affogato and chef Alessandro Angelini, at Kowloon Shangri-La's fine-dining Italian restaurant Angelini, has created a fun take on this vanilla ice cream and coffee-based dessert.
He adds chocolate coated peta crispy which creates a fun fizz. "I add the fizzy part since it reminds me of my childhood as I used to eat a lot of fizzy candies as a kid," says Angelini, who has worked alongside such celebrated chefs as Gino Angelini and Gualtiero Marchesi.
The ingredients are a scoop of vanilla ice cream wrapped in chocolate, chocolate chips, cream foam, biscuit crumbles, chocolate coated peta crispy (the fizzy part) and it is finished with a serving of espresso coffee on top. "This dessert is a reinterpretation of the classic Italian affogato which is just a scoop of vanilla ice cream with coffee," he says.
"Desserts are very important since it is the last dish of the whole meal, so it leaves a long, lasting impression on guests, and concludes the meal on a sweet note."