Espresso Granita

Apparently this is my winter of making lighter, frozen confections – first the tangerine sorbet and now this espresso/coffee granita!  A nice thing about granita is that you don’t need special equipment to make it, so anyone can enjoy this icy delight. It does, however, take a little time as you break up the ice crystals throughout the freezing process.

You can make this recipe with either espresso or strong coffee. I used a combination because I wanted the richness of espresso but the ease of making a pot of coffee. And I chose decaf beans so I wouldn’t mess up anyone’s sleep when I served it as the finale of a recent dinner.

It’s traditional to top this granita with whip cream but you could also use a shot of a favorite liqueur (think Bailey’s, Frangelico or Kahlua) or even just cream straight from the carton.

You’ll need space in your freezer where a 9″x13″ pan can lay flat, but there’s no special equipment required for granita.

Espresso Granita

based on a recipe from The Perfect Scoop

Makes about 2 quarts

• 1 cup of freshly brewed espresso
• 3 cups of freshly brewed very strong coffee (I used 2-3 times the normal coffee amount)
• 1 1/2 cups sugar

Mix all ingredients together while the coffee and espresso are still warm.  Stir until the sugar is well dissolved.  Cool the mixture to room temperature or cooler.

Pour the mixture into a 9″x13″ pan and place it in the freezer.  (Alternatively, it may be easier to put the pan in the freezer and then pour the mix, to avoid sloshing.)

Freeze for 1 hour, then take a fork and break up any ice crystals that have formed around the edges of the pan.  Drag them towards the center of the pan.  The mixture will still be almost all liquid so be careful if you need to remove the pan from the freezer to break up the crystals.

From this point on, every 30 minutes rake the mixture with a fork, breaking up the crystals and pulling them to the center of the pan.  It will take a few hours for the mixture to completely freeze.