Recipes: Espresso Granita With Whipped Cream
From “The Zuni Cafe Cookbook,” by Judy Rodgers (W. W. Norton & Co., 2002).
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup sugar, or to taste
2 cups espresso, at room temperature
3 tablespoons water
About 1/2 cup cold heavy cream
About 2 teaspoons sugar
INSTRUCTIONS:
Dissolve all but 2 tablespoons of the sugar in the espresso. Taste. It should taste too sweet; if not, gradually add some or all of the remaining sugar until it does. Add the water. Pour into a glass dish in which it forms a pool about an inch deep. Freeze until solid. This may take up to 8 hours.
Choose a plastic or stainless storage vessel, about 3 cups capacity, with a tightly fitting lid. Make sure it is dry, snap on lid, and place in freezer.
Place pan of frozen espresso on a cool surface in a cool room. Use a metal pastry scraper to cut through and lift the layer of coarse-crystal ice, amalgamating it with unfrozen core. A few cuts and folds are usually sufficient. Cover pan and return to freezer. Check hourly. When the whole is firm to the touch but still yields easily to a stab with the scraper, it is ready for the final chopping. Set pan on a cool surface and methodically chop crystalline blocks into a regular flaky, granular mass. Transfer to chilled container, snap on lid, and place in freezer.
Ten to 15 minutes before serving, turn container upside down in freezer. Place 5- to 6-ounce serving bowls or glasses in freezer to chill. Combine cream and sugar and whip very stiffly.
To serve, layer granita and whipped cream like a parfait in the chilled glasses. There should be nearly as much whipped cream as granita. The surface of the cream will freeze where it is in contact with the granita, and the succession of voluptuous chewy and slushy textures is delightful.
Serves 5 or 6
PER SERVING: 205 calories, 0 protein, 36 g carbohydrate, 7 g fat (5 g saturated), 27 mg cholesterol, 9 mg sodium, 0 fiber.
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