(photo from The Bitten Word)
Mmmm, coffee granita reminds me of my trip to Rome years ago when I happened upon Tazza d’Oro near the Pantheon. They made the BEST coffee granita (well, the first one I had ever tried) and they topped it with the perfectly whipped cream. It was so delicious and it was Italy…I mean, c’mon! The urge to find a replacement for it didn’t hit me until recently. Granita is one of those things that is pretty easy to make. It’s elegant and perfect now that our Bay Area “summer” has arrived.
And then there’s the Philz twist: How about coffee granita with cardamom whipped cream? Sounds like a frozen Tantilizing Turkish or Philharmonic blend…delicious!
Coffee Granita with Cardamom Whipped Cream
This recipe is from Bon Appetit’s April 2010 issue.
Ingredients
* 2 cups water, divided
* 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
* 1 1/2 tablespoons instant espresso powder
(instead of using espresso powder, try making a really strong brew of Turkish or Philharmonic)
* 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 3/4 cup chilled heavy whipping cream
* 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
Preparation
*Bring 1/2 cup water and 1/2 cup sugar just to simmer in heavy small saucepan over medium heat, stirring mixture constantly until sugar dissolves. Stir in instant espresso powder and vanilla extract. Remove saucepan from heat; stir in remaining 1 1/2 cups water. Pour into 9x9x2-inch metal baking pan. Freeze mixture 1 hour; stir, mashing any frozen parts with back of fork. Cover and freeze mixture until firm, at least 1 to 2 hours longer and up to 1 day. Using fork, scrape granita, forming icy flakes. Return granita to freezer.
*Beat cream, cardamom, and remaining 1 tablespoon sugar in large bowl until peaks form. Divide granita among bowls or glasses. Top granita with whipped cream.
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