If you don’t have an espresso maker, use instant espresso powder to make the coffee for this sophisticated Coffee Granita Recipe. Use 7 teaspoons of powder for 2 1/2 cups of water. Makes a little less than 4 cups of shaved ice
Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups brewed espresso
1/4 cup coffee-flavored liqueur, such as Kahlúa
2/3 cup sugar, preferably superfine sugar
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest, finely chopped
Instructions:
1. Whisk all the ingredients in a large bowl until the sugar dissolves, pour into a 9 X 13-inch baking pan; place it on the floor of the freezer. Freeze for about 2 hours, scraping and stirring with a fork every 20 minutes or so to break apart the ice crystals and distribute them throughout the mixture. When the granita is frozen but still soft, smooth out the crystals and cover the pan with plastic wrap. The granita can be stored, tightly covered, in the freezer for up to 3 weeks.
2. Serve by scraping up the ice crystals from the granita’s surface with a fork; scoop them into individual-serving bowls, plates, or cups.
You can endlessly vary this recipe based on the coffee you use, anything from different roasts to flavored beans.
Sicily is known for a heavenly dessert made with coffee granita. Beat 2 cups of heavy cream until doubled in volume, then stir the scraped-up ice crystals into the whipped cream and serve at once.
Read more: Learn how to make frozen desserts for the summer, including ice cream, sorbet and more, in Discover the Many Delicious Types of Frozen Desserts.
Photo By Fotolia/SCPixBit
This Coffee Granita Recipe was reprinted from The Ultimate Frozen Dessert Book by Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough, published by William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, 2005.
