Espresso Granita With Grappa Cream Food

ESPRESSO GRANITA WITH SOFT WHIPPED CREAM

Steps:

• For the espresso granita: Whisk the sugar into the hot espresso until dissolved. Stir in the vanilla and a pinch of salt. Pour the mixture in to a 9-by-13-inch freezer-safe pan and freeze until the mixture is frozen through, at least 3 hours and up to overnight. When ready to serve, scrape the surface into large, icy flakes.
• For the soft whipped cream: Place a 16-ounce glass jar with a lid in the freezer for 20 minutes. Pour in the cold cream, confectioners' sugar and vanilla and shake vigorously until soft whipped cream forms, about 5 minutes.
• To serve: Spoon some of the granita into a glass. Top with a dollop of soft whipped cream and sprinkle on chocolate shavings and crushed espresso beans.

EASY ESPRESSO GRANITA

Steps:

• Prepare an ice-water bath; set aside. Put espresso and sugar into a medium glass bowl; stir until sugar has dissolved. Set in ice-water bath; stir until cooled.
• Transfer mixture to a 9-by-13-inch glass baking dish; place in freezer. Chill until mixture begins to solidify, about 45 minutes. Remove from freezer; stir with a fork until mixture begins to break up. Freeze, scraping with fork every 30 minutes, until completely frozen and fine crystals form, about 2 hours total.
• Whisk cream in a chilled medium bowl until soft peaks form. Divide granita among serving glasses or bowls. Top each serving with a dollop of whipped cream; sprinkle with ground espresso.

ESPRESSO GRANITA

Steps:

• Reserving 1 teaspoon ground espresso for garnish, brew 2 cups of espresso. Add sugar to the hot espresso, and stir to dissolve.
• Prepare an ice bath. Place espresso mixture in a heat-proof glass bowl, and set in the ice bath, stirring until mixture becomes very cold.
• Transfer espresso mixture to a 9-by-13-inch Pyrex baking dish, and place in freezer. Let stand until ice crystals start to form around the edges, about 45 minutes. Remove dish from freezer. Using the tines of a fork, stir the ice crystals into the center. Return dish to freezer. Stir the ice crystals every 30 minutes until all the liquid has frozen into soft, fine crystals, about 2 hours.
• Place whipping cream in a chilled bowl, and whip until soft peaks form. Divide granita among four glasses or serving bowls. Top each with a dollop of whipped cream, and sprinkle remaining teaspoon ground espresso over tops. Serve immediately.

ESPRESSO GRANITA WITH GRAPPA CREAM

Steps:

• In a large heatproof bowl, combine the coffee and both sugars and stir until the sugars dissolve. Place the mixture in a metal container (a pie tin would work well) and put in the freezer. Stir with a fork about every hour, lifting and separating the crystals. It will take about 6 hours to freeze completely. Scoop into stemmed glass bowls or martini glasses and serve with the Grappa Cream.
• Whip the cream until well thickened but not airy. Add the sugar and salt and whisk to incorporate completely. Add the grappa and whisk to combine.

ESPRESSO GRANITA WITH WHIPPED CREAM

Steps:

• In a 13 by 9-inch glass baking dish, carefully pour in hot espresso and whisk in granulated sugar until dissolved completely. Place dish in freezer and every hour, scrape the mixture with a large fork to create the granita texture. The granita will need approximately five hours to completely freeze. The first time you scrape, the granita will not be frozen solid. You want to start scraping while it's still slushy so that texture of the granita will be even throughout.
• Right before serving, make the whipped cream. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer with a whisk attachment, beat the heavy cream until soft peaks. Add the vanilla extract and confectioners' sugar and continue to beat until stiff peaks.
• Line up 12 glass Champagne flutes. Place 1 tablespoon of granita in the bottom of each glass. Using a different spoon, spread a layer of whipped cream. Continue layering the granita and whipped cream, ending with the whipped cream. Sprinkle chocolate over the top of each glass. Garnish with a sprig of mint. Serve immediately.

ESPRESSO GRANITA

Steps:

• In a saucepan combine the sugar, the zest, and 1 1/2 cups water and bring the mixture to a boil, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Remove the pan from the heat, stir in the espresso powder, and let the mixture cool. Discard the zest, transfer the mixture to a metal ice-cube tray without the dividers or th a shallow metal pan, and freeze it, stirring and crushing the lumps with a fork every 30 minutes, for 2 to 3 hours, or until it is firm but not frozen hard. The granita may be made 2 days in advance and kept frozen, covered. Let the granita soften lightly before continuing with the recipe. Scrape the granita with a fork to lighten the texture, divide it among 4 chilled dessert dishes, and top each serving with some of the whipped cream.

ESPRESSO GRANITA

Steps:

• Mix the warm espresso with the sugar until the sugar is dissolved. Freeze according to the instructions for freezing granita on page 145.