Sicilians are the acknowledged masters of ices, and they, in turn, acknowledge the Arabic origin of their refreshing frozen creations. It started when the Arab conquerors chilled sweet fruit syrups, called sarbat, with snow from Mount Etna. The evolution from chilled syrup to frozen syrup - granita - was only a matter of time. The most common granita flavors are lemon and coffee. A scoop of lemon granita is often floated in iced tea. Coffee granita is usually topped with whipped cream and frequently accompanied by brioche.
Recipe information
Yield
Serves 4
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Stir water and sugar in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolves and syrup boils 1 minute. Cool syrup. Mix in coffee. Pour mixture into medium-size metal bowl. Freeze until ice mixture is solid, about 3 hours.
Step 2
Using fork, scrape ice to form flakes. Return to freezer; keep frozen until ready to serve.
Step 3
Pile coffee granita into stemmed glasses. Top with generous amounts of whipped cream.
