Granita di Caffe (Frozen coffee ice)
Posted By Mary Freeland on May 19, 2010
As the weather warms and our movable feast grows in both guests and dishes, we thought that offering up a refreshing dish would be a perfect complement to the table. All of Italy, not simply Tuscany, is known for its rich and aromatic coffees. Some of our favorite brands are LaVazza, which you can find online at All Things Italian as well as illy Cafe, which offers a wide variety of rich and full bodied coffees. Of course, for today’s dish in the movable feast you can use any coffee that you enjoy though we do suggest giving a true Italian coffee a try. Our dish today can be served with the meal as a dessert or as a wonderful cooling finish to the evening. It can even be enjoyed all by itself as a “grow up” summer treat.
Granita di Caffe
(Frozen coffee ice)
Ingredients:
2 cups water
1/2 cup granulated sugar (table sugar)
1 cup espresso (cooled to room temperature)
chocolate covered espresso beans for garnish (optional)
Heat water and sugar over low heat until the sugar dissolves completely. Bring to a rolling boil for 30 seconds and remove from the heat to cool. Combine the syrup with the coffee in a shallow bowl or baking dish. Place in the freezer and allow to freeze solid. When ready to serve remove the dish from the freezer and plunge it into VERY hot water for a few seconds. This will allow the mixture to separate from the container. Turn the frozen mixture out onto a cutting surface and chop into chunks. Place the chunks into a food processor or blender and pulse until you have obtained a small crystal consistency. Serve in chilled glass dishes or in fun paper cones for a more relaxed presentation. If you choose you may also add a liquor to the syrup, simply decrease the water by an equal amount to the amount you will be adding. Add the liquor to the syrup at the same time as the coffee.
Imagine the shade of a tree on a warm day with this dish in hand the soft sounds of one of the beautiful wind chimes you can find in our store. Ah, this is the life!
Other movable feast posts: Polpettine di Ricotta, Olive Alle Erbe, Prosciutto Crudo Con Fichi, Funghi Marinati, Nocciolini
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YUM! One of my favorite summertime treats. I like to put whipped cream flavored with amaretto liquor on top!
This sounds like the perfect treat during the hot summer months. Thank you for sharing!