Dessert from America - I ruin it on the counter (8)
I believe the answer is:
tiramisu
'dessert' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'america i ruin it on the counter' is the wordplay.
'america' becomes 'us' (United States).
'ruin' becomes 'mar' (I've seen this before).
'on the counter' is a reversal indicator (counter can mean in the opposite direction).
'us'+'i'+'mar'+'it'='usimarit'
'usimarit' written backwards gives 'TIRAMISU'.
'from' is the link.
(Other definitions for tiramisu that I've seen before include "Greek dessert" , "It. dessert, literally pick me up" , "Italian dessert of cake, coffee and chocolate" , "Rich Italian dessert" , "Italian course" .)