Italian Espresso Granita Food

ITALIAN ESPRESSO GRANITA

Steps:

• Place espresso in a medium heat-proof bowl, and pour the hot water over it. Let stand to extract as much flavor as possible without becoming bitter, about 30 minutes. The brew should be very strong; it will be diluted with the simple syrup.
• Strain through a fine mesh sieve into a deep-sided 9-by-12-inch metal baking pan, and discard espresso grounds. Add simple syrup, and stir until it is well combined. Place in the freezer, uncovered, until mixture is nearly set, at least 4 hours, whisking it every hour.
• Remove mixture from freezer, and scrape surface with the tines of a fork until it is the texture of shaved ice. (If necessary, the mixture can be frozen overnight without whisking; remove it from freezer in the morning, and let sit at room temperature about 10 minutes to allow it to soften before scraping.) Serve.

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.

ESPRESSO GRANITA

Steps:

• Stir espresso, 1/2 cup sugar, and vanilla in a medium bowl until sugar dissolves. Pour into a 9 x 9 x 2" metal baking pan. Freeze for 1 hour. Stir, mashing any frozen parts with the back of a fork. Cover; freeze 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; keep frozen. Give it a quick scrape before serving.
• Beat cream and remaining 1 tablespoon sugar in a large bowl until peaks form. Divide granita among bowls or glasses. Top with whipped cream and garnish with chocolate shavings.

GRANITA DI CAFFE CON PANNA (ITALIAN COFFEE GRANITA)

Steps:

• Bring water and sugar to a boil in a small saucepan; simmer until a candy thermometer reads 250 degrees F (120 degrees C), about 5 minutes.
• Remove saucepan from heat; add coffee and vanilla extract. Pour into a metal bowl and mix well. Cool granita mixture to room temperature, about 10 minutes. Freeze for 1 hour.
• Stir the granita vigorously to break up ice crystals. Repeat freezing and breaking up process 4 to 5 more times, 2 to 2 1/2 hours total.
• Drop spoonfuls of whipped cream into 4 short glasses. Divide granita mixture evenly among the glasses. Top with remaining whipped cream.

ITALIAN LEMON ICE (GRANITA)

Steps:

• Combine 2 cups of the water with the sugar in a medium nonreactive saucepan; bring to a simmer over medium heat.
• Cook, stirring constantly, until the sugar is completely dissolved.
• Add the salt, stir, and remove the pan from the heat.
• Stir in the remaining water and let cool to room temperature.
• Cover and refrigerate for a minimum of 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, place a shallow metal 2 1/2 qt container (such as a large cake pan) in the freezer to chill.
• Add the lemon juice, lemon peel, and extract to the chilled sugar mixture; stir until well blended.
• Pour into the chilled metal pan.
• Place the pan in the freezer for 30-60 minutes, or until ice crystals form around the edges.
• Stir the ice crystals into the center of the pan and return to the freezer.
• Repeat every 30 minutes, or until all the liquid is crystallized but not frozen solid, about 3 hours.
• To serve, scoop the granita into chilled dessert bowls or goblets.
• (If the granita has become too hard, scrape it with a large metal spoon to break up the ice crystals.) Serve at once.
• Advance Preparation: The granita can be stored, covered, for up to four days in the freezer, but it will have become frozen solid.
• To serve, either allow the granita to thaw in the refridgerator until you can scrape the crystals, or break it up into chunks and process with on/off motions in a food processor fitted with the knife blade until fairly smooth.

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 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.