One of our favourite discoveries when we travelled to Rome for the first time last year was the Tazza d’Oro, a small coffee shop that sits very close to the Pantheon. Being a famed coffee shop in Rome is no small feat and there were definitely some wonderful coffees offered on the menu, but Paul and I only had eyes (and taste buds) for one – the Granita di Caffe con Panna (coffee granita with whipped cream).
Consisting of layers of thick, rich whipped cream and coffee granita (made from a deep, rich espresso), we indulged in this treat almost every day that we were in Rome and it was one of the first things that Paul tried to re-create in our kitchen once we returned home.
After a few tries, he’s come up with a recipe that’s pretty darn close. It’s super simple to make, but still manages to be an impressive dessert – it’s the perfect thing to end a meal on a warm summer evening.
ingredients
- 15 oz hot, freshly brewed espresso
- 2-3 tablespoons sugar
- 1 cup lightly sweetened thick whipped cream
directions
- Dissolve sugar in freshly brewed, hot espresso and cool to room temperature. Pour espresso into a 9” x 6” pan and place in the freezer for one hour.
- After one hour, remove the tray from the freezer, let it warm slightly and then take a fork and scrape and “fluff” the frozen espresso (granita) down the length of the pan, forming icy flakes. Once you’ve “roughened” up the granite, return the granita to the freezer.
- Every hour, scrape the granita with a fork, and return to the freezer. Do this every hour for the next 3-4 hours.
- Just before serving, use the fork and scrape and “fluff” the granita one last time. This should produce mounds of loose crystals.
- Pre-chill some glasses beforehand (so that the granita won’t melt so quickly).
- Divide the whipped cream into 8 equal portions.
- Divide the granita into 4 equal portions.
- For each serving, place 1 portion of the whipped cream in the bottom of a tall glass. Scoop 1 portion of flaked granita into the glass. Top off the granita with another portion of whipped cream.
Yes please!!! ^_^