Almond Granita Food

ALMOND GRANITA

Steps:

• Purée all ingredients with 1 1/4 cups water in a blender until smooth. Set a fine-mesh strainer over a 9x9x2" metal baking pan; strain, discarding solids. Freeze mixture for 1 hour. Stir, mashing any frozen parts with the back of a fork. Cover and freeze mixture until firm, about 2 hours. Using a fork, scrape granita vigorously to form icy flakes. DO AHEAD: Can be made 3 days ahead. Cover tightly with foil and keep frozen. Give it a quick scrape before serving.

ALMOND-MILK GRANITA (GRANITA DI MANDORLE)

Steps:

• Blend together almond paste, sugar, and 1 1/2 cups water in a blender until smooth, foamy, and white. Pour through a fine-mesh sieve into an 8-inch square baking pan, reserving any solids in sieve. Add remaining 1/2 cup water to solids in sieve and whisk over baking pan until most of water passes through (do not press on solids).
• Stir mixture, then freeze, stirring and crushing lumps with a fork every 30 minutes, until firm but not frozen hard, 2 to 3 hours. Scrape with a fork to lighten texture, crushing any lumps.

ALMOND GRANITA

Steps:

• In a blender, combine all ingredients and process to a puree. Strain into a stainless steel pan and freeze.
• To serve: scrape ice with fork and spoon and place about 4 ounces in a serving glass. Serve immediately.
• In a stockpot, bring milk to a slow boil. Stir in almond meal and whole almonds. Simmer for 30 minutes. Turn off heat, cover pan, and allow to infuse for 20 minutes.
• Uncover, and using an immersion blender, process to puree whole almonds. Strain through a fine strainer lined with a dampened cheesecloth. Stir in flavoring and sugar. Chill over bowl of ice.
• Yield: 2 quarts

ITALIAN GRANITA LEMON ICE CREAM

Steps:

• Boil the sugar and water for 5 minutes. Then let the syrup cool down and add the lemon juice and grated lemon zest. Boil everything again. Let it cool down again and put it in the freezer in a metallic container. Turn the mixture while it is freezing every 20 minutes. The Granita will be ready after 3-4 hours.

ALMOND GRANITA

Steps:

• In a saucepan combine 4 cups of water, the almond paste and milk. As it heats, use the back of a spoon or a potato masher to crush and dissolve the paste. When the mixture begins to steam -- before it boils -- take it off the heat. Let cool slightly, then carefully whiz with an immersion blender until the paste is fully incorporated. Pour into a cheesecloth-lined sieve set over a bowl. Let drain completely, without pressing the solids.
• When cool, add a pinch of cinnamon. Pour into a shallow baking pan, and freeze. Check after about 30 minutes; when it begins to get icy, use the back of a large spoon to press down on the mixture and break it into pieces. Repeat several times over the next 2 hours, until the granita is fully frozen but broken into shards. To serve, place 1 1/2 tablespoons crushed amaretti cookies in the bottom of a glass, followed by a serving of granita, and top with 2 more tablespoons crushed cookies.