Paciugo, Ligurian Ice Cream Sundae

Paciugo is an unbelievably good Ligurian ice cream sundae made with Fior Di Latte and chocolate gelato, fresh chopped berries, amarena cherries, whipped cream, crunchy amaretti and a sprinkling of cocoa. Simple, stunning and the solid summer treat!

If you're looking for a quick and easy dessert that's equally over the top as it is good, then this is for you.

Paciugo is the ultimate ice cream treat that for sure hits the spot on a hot summer's day (we don't limit myself to summer with this one).

It was created by Lina Repetto, the owner of Caffè Excelsior in Portofino, Liguria, back in the 1940s and has since become an iconic Ligurian dessert.

Paciugo means 'mess' in Ligurian dialect and refers to the glorious mash-up of gelato, cream and fruit piled high into one extravagant sundae.

Luckily, it's easy to make at home, and our goodness, it is good. Fior Di Latte is a milk ice cream which is hard to find outside of Italy, so replace it with good quality vanilla.

Ingredient notes

• Amarena cherries – We use Fabbri Amarena cherries, which are good and come in the nicest jars. If you can't find amarena cherries, you could use maraschino cherries instead.
• Mixed fresh berries – we went for cherries, blueberries and strawberries. A mix of berries is nice for flavour and texture, but choose whatever you like.
• Gelato or ice cream – traditionally Fior Di Latte (milk) and chocolate gelato are used; we used a good quality vanilla and chocolate ice cream. Again, choose what flavours you love, but we highly recommend trying this combo first.
• Amaretti cookies/biscuits – go for the crunchy ones, not the soft amaretti.

More Italian frozen desserts to try

Italian Desserts

Sicilian Pistachio Granita

Italian Desserts

Amarena Cherry Chocolate Ice Cream

Italian Desserts

Granita al Caffè con Panna (Coffee Granita)

Italian Desserts

Italian Ice Cream Sandwiches (Gelato Biscotto)

Ingredients

Makes 1 sundae

• 1 cup (100g) mixed berries ((we used blueberries, strawberries, cherries))
• Amarena cherries ((about 6 cherries plus some syrup))
• 1 scoop vanilla or Fior Di Latte ice cream (good quality)
• 1 scoop chocolate ice cream (good quality)
• heavy cream (double cream) (2-3 tablespoons once whipped)
• 1-2 amaretti cookies ((crunchy not soft))
• 1-2 pinches cocoa powder

Method

1. Chop up the berries and place them in a wide cocktail glass or bowl. Pour over 3-4 amarena cherries with a little drizzle of the syrup.

2. Add 1 scoop of vanilla ice cream and 1 scoop of chocolate ice cream on top of the berries (add more ice cream if you like).

3. Add a large dollop of whipped cream and top with 1-2 amarena cherries and a little cherry syrup from the jar. Crumble over 1-2 amaretti cookies and finish with 1-2 pinches of cocoa powder dusted over.

Kitchen notes

• Use good quality gelato/ice cream if you can.
• We recommend using Fabbri Amarena cherries if you can find them or Luxardo Maraschino cherries.