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Granita
Granita is a icy
frozen mixture -- traditionally made of coffee. To make, coffee or other
ingredients are poured into a large shallow pan then frozen. To serve you
use the tines of a fork to scrape the mixture up and place in goblets which
creates kind of a cross between a slushy and a sorbet.
History of Granita
According to Alan Davidson in the Oxford Companion
to Food, (Oxford University Press:Oxford)
the appearance of "water ices" is documented to have taken place in Europe
in the 17th century around the same time as ice cream. There is some
undocumented conjecture that Marco Polo returned to Venice from China in the
13th century and introduced ice cream or water ices to Italy. Further it is
not known for sure if water ices were first found in Spain or in Italy. In
any event the mixture seemed to have migrated to London at some later,
undocumented time.
Granita is akin to but not quite the same as sorbet. The difference being
sorbets tend to be smoother and less granular in texture. Both are made with
water, a flavoring such as fruit juice or coffee and typically sweetened
with sugar.
Forms and Uses of Granita
Granita is typically eaten as a refreshing and light dessert. They can
also be used in the same way as one would a sorbet, between meal courses to
"cleanse the palate".
Granita is served in a myriad of flavors from the more traditional coffee to
more exotic such as pineapple or champagne.
Featured Granita Recipe
Traditional Vietnamese
Coffee is made by filtering dark roast coffee directly in a glass. Sweetened
condensed milk is then poured in the coffee and mixed. It is served both hot and
iced. This frozen version is a simple coffee granita served
with sweetened condensed milk.
Vietnamese Coffee Granita
2 tablespoons sugar
3 cups hot brewed French Roast coffee
1 can (14oz) sweetened condensed milk.
Stir sugar and coffee until sugar has dissolved. Transfer to a 8 x 13" glass
baking dish. Freeze at least 3 hours or up to 8 hours.
Before dinner, scrape frozen coffee into shavings using a fork. When
ready to serve spoon coffee shavings into serving dishes. Serve with
condensed milk drizzled over top.Granita Calories and
Nutrition
Most of the calories from
granita come from the sugar. You can use artificial sweeteners like
splenda or the new "shugr" product to reduce calories and carbohydrates.
Vietnamese Coffee Granita* |
Calories |
228.41 |
Total fat (g) |
5.82 |
Saturated fat
(g) |
3.67 |
Monounsaturated
fat (g) |
1.62 |
Polyunsaturated
fat (g) |
0.23 |
Dietary fiber
(g) |
0 |
Protein (g) |
5.38 |
Carbohydrate (g) |
39.87 |
Cholesterol (mg) |
22.66 |
Sodium (mg) |
86.71 |
| Vitamin C (mg) |
1.74 |
**Note, most of the calories and all the
fat are in the condensed milk not in the granita.
Basic Espresso Granita
4 cups brewed espresso
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
Brew the espresso, and while it is still hot add the sugar and the lemon
juice. Taste and add more sugar, to taste. Cool espresso mixture to room
temperature.
Pour the mixture into a 13 by 9-inch pan, and set on a level shelf in the
freezer. When ice crystals begin to form, approximately 30 minutes to 1
hour, remove pan from freezer and stir ice crystals with a fork.
Return pan to freezer and repeat every time ice crystals form. Once all the
liquid is frozen, the granita is ready.
To serve, use a large coffee cup or a martini glass.
Calories 58.08,
Total Fat 0.33g, Cholesterol 0.00mg, Sodium 25.62mg, Potassium 223.98mg,
Total Carbohydrate 13.82mg 4,
Dietary Fiber 0.05g, Protein 0.06g
More Resources
Available from Amazon our
book partner.
Granita Magic
by
Nadia Roden
At summer's height, few people crave heavy desserts, but
dinner guests always enjoy something fresh and seasonal. Simple granitas,
frozen desserts with an appealing icy texture and crunch, fill the bill. As
Nadia Roden points out in Granita Magic , there's almost no limit to the
combinations of fruits, berries, and other flavorings in these uncomplicated
frozen confections. Simple granitas start with fresh fruit or berries,
sugar, and water. These are then frozen to a crystalline state, stirred only
a few times, not beaten constantly as is ice cream. Beyond the expected
raspberry, lemon, orange, and melon granitas lies a world of herb-infused,
savory granitas such as horseradish, chile, cucumber, and mint varieties
generally meant to be consumed much earlier in a meal's sequence. Other
granitas are frozen infusions of herbs such as tea, lavender, and rose
petal. Mark Knoblauch
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
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photo by: joycepool
Granita Machines and Mixes
A variety of machines
are available for making granita in large quantities. On the most part they
are used commercially but they can be rented or purchased for home use or
parties. Some sellers promote using the machines for making "frozen
margaritas" as well. Here are a few sources.
Esetti - Ugolini
brand machines made in Italy.
Granitamix.com - A full line of
mixes. Site offers a page of recipe suggestions as well. Recommends but does
not sell equipment.
Margaritas Plus -
Rents and sells a granita machine
Desert Cool Foods -
Sells mixes in fruit, vanilla and coffee flavors.
CW-USA
- sells mixes and machines
Granita Recipes
Here is a sampling of
granita recipes.
Espresso Granita
- served with whipped cream
Daiquiri Granita - By Lou Papas. Recipe
includes sugar, water, lime juice and run.
Pineapple Granita - Use fresh or bottled
for a summer tropical treat.
Pomegranate Granita - Colorful and
refreshing
Lime Mint Granita - A simple mixture of
fresh lime juice and fresh mint leaves.
Blood Orange Granita - Blood oranges provide a startling visual
presentation.
Sour Cherry Granita - includes frozen or fresh sour cherries, sugar and
balsamic vinegar
Lemon
Granita - fresh lemon juice, water and sugar
Mimosa Granita - a mixture of orange juice and sparkling wine
Vietnamese Coffee Granita - an
espresso granita served with sweetened condensed milk. (See this page)
Ruby Grapefruit and Campari Granita - Italian Campari pairs perfectly
with red grapefruit.
Lemon Rosemary Granita - recipe made with lemon zest and a rosemary
infusion.
Cucumber Granita - From the Ultimate Ice Cream Book.
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