.comment-link {margin-left:.6em;}

Gia-Gina Across the Pond

So I've decided to follow my husband to his native Italy. Follow our adventures as we eat, drink, travel, adapt to and explore this remarkable country. Part food blog, part photo blog but mostly my rants and raves. After our two years in Italy, we relocated across the Atlantic "pond" and are back in the States.

Thursday, June 30, 2005

Granita di caffe'-2 ways

It was a sad, sad day when I gave our ice cream maker away, almost as devastating as when we gave our Kitchen Aid mixer with a million attachments away. Granitas, ice creams and sorbets are a necessity during summertime and this was my first go at it without my beloved machine.

Granitas were originally from the south of Italy, Sicily to be exact. It makes sense to be since it’s hot, hot, hot down there in the summer. I first had this granita at a dinner party my husband threw for a few friends last summer. One of the guests was from Palermo and we served him two distinctly Sicilian things, one was a fennel and orange salad and the other was this icy treat. As we were enjoying our granitas, we all commented that in Seattle, a coffee crazed town, there was no place to buy a decent espresso granita. From that day on, I whipped out the ice cream machine and made a granita or sorbet every week until we moved. This is a refreshing variation from the usual espresso we have after dinner.

About 3-3 1/2 C. espresso
1 cup of sugar

Lightly sweetened whipped cream
Biscotti for each glass, if desired

If you have an espresso machine, make a shot of espresso and dilute with ¼-1/3 C. water, do this until you have about 3-3 ½ C. of coffee.
If you have a moka espresso maker, make about 3 full large batches.
Add the sugar dissolve and let cool.
As an experiment I made the granita 2 ways (total freezing time depends on your freezer):

Method 1
I poured ½ of the mixture into a shallow container with a lid and set it in the freezer. About every 30 minutes to an hour, I shook the container. After 2 hours, scraped the frozen bits away from the sides and incorporated into the rest of the mix and let freeze. When you are ready to serve, use a fork to scrape and fluff the granita before you spoon into serving glasses. With this method, you get visible ice crystals and a nice mouth feel which contrasts with the whipped cream. I like this method best.

Method 2
Pour the other ½ of the mixture in a blender and put the whole thing in the freezer, every 30 minutes to an hour, give it a whirl. Keep the granita in the blender until it is almost frozen and you just cannot possibly get the blender to work anymore. Then scrape the creamy and noticeable lighter brown mixture into a container and freeze. Again serve with whipped cream.

7 Comments:

At 9:09 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Can you make me one of those? Guam is hot right now! VERY HOT!

 
At 1:54 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Gia,
Are we thinking on the same wave length here because of the heat? I just made something cool and icy but haven't yet posted since {cough} the doggie takes priority. Ha! :-D

This, I must try. Never considered making granita. And another thing, why is it that someone always knows someone from Palermo? Husband's colleague is from Palermo and gawd that guy's girlfriend can cook!

 
At 2:36 AM, Blogger Gia-Gina said...

My next two experiments are going to be limone e mandarino, lemon and mandarin oranges! I can't wait to go out and look for some fresh fruit. Also blackberry granita with creme di cassis with knock your socks off! I'll post recipes when I make 'em!

 
At 5:06 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I just read the link that you sent me to your sister's site...

I.am.floored.

This is material for a book. Your sister is amazing to have looked into all this and put it together for your family to read. It made me tear up.

 
At 5:45 AM, Blogger Gaia said...

Ciao Gia,
come stai? thanx a lot for your comment! I'm 23 from Milan...but my dad is piemontese, so i sometimes come to Turin to have a visit around. Do you know Asti? my grandparents live there, and we have the "second house" in a small town on the hills not far from asti!
I tagged you for the cook next door meme if you want to answer...
hope to hear from you soon
gaia

 
At 12:24 PM, Blogger Gia-Gina said...

I am fine to participate, send it when you can.

 
At 3:11 PM, Blogger Gia said...

Trench,

You are in luck, Gia-Gina has two cooking sisters on Guam. HAHA!! I make a very nice espresso ice cream but have never ventured to try granitas...some of us work and don't have time to go to the freezer every 30 minutes!(wink)

 

Post a Comment

<< Home