Espresso Granita
(by Lorraine) Louie’s love of ice cream and frozen delights is something I don’t share. Blame it on my super sensitive teeth, my aversion to brain freeze, or my macrobiotic diet as an infant- the fact is that I’d rather have a slice of chocolate cake for dessert any day than a scoop of ice cream.
But it’s the peak of summer here. Stepping outside is like stepping into a pizza oven, and the only highlight of being in the kitchen is that I’m able to stand in front of the freezer for a few seconds. The thought of lighting up our hotter than hot oven in this weather to bake a cake or one of my famous desserts is plain crazy, and yesterday I decided that it was definitely time for something COLD:
Espresso Granita
Brew 4 cups strong espresso coffee. While it’s still hot, stir in 6 tablespoons granulated sugar until sugar dissolves. Let cool to room temp. Pour coffee mixture into a metal baking pan (I used my trusty square brownie pan), and place in freezer. Freeze until ice crystals begin to form (about 30 mins)- once they do, stir with a fork and return to freezer. Do this for a few hours, freezing then stirring every 30 minutes, until mixture is very thick and scoopable. Serve in chilled glasses, topped with chocolate shavings or chocolate chips.
Brain freeze time! But I’ll admit, the reason I, a coffeeholic, liked this is that it’s basically frozen coffee. Non-coffee lovers should try out this recipe for Lemon Granita. Enjoy!
April 25th, 2004 at 5:22 pm
Delicioso! Before i got my ice cream maker from a tv infomercial, i only made granitas, and often did recipes like yours, experimenting with different flavored coffees.