Granita di Mandorla
Granita di Mandorla
Almond Granita
Mainland Italy doesn’t have much of a breakfast culture. At home, most people eat fette biscottate (mass-produced toasted bread sold in packets) or yogurt. In most regions, breakfast outside the house is little more than a coffee and a cornetto pastry. Sicily is different. Their pastry tradition is far more varied than that of other regions, and so diverse it even includes breakfast ice cream sandwiches (gelato scooped onto a brioche). I’m partial to the Italian-ice-with-brioche combo, especially in the most Sicilian flavor of them all: almond. It’s my favorite way to get in a solid 600 calories before noon. But if frozen treats for breakfast aren’t your thing, you can enjoy granita di mandorla with or without a brioche any time you fancy. Serve with or without whipped cream.
Ingredients (4)
Ingredients (4)
Instructions
Combine the almonds (2 cups), ¼ cup of the sugar, and water (4 cups) in a blender and buzz together until smooth.
Pour through a nut-milk bag or cheesecloth into a container. Press gently on the solids to extract as much liquid as possible, then discard the solids, or use them to make almond flour.
Pour the liquid into a rimmed baking sheet. Place in the freezer until crystals begin to form, about 15 minutes.
Scrape the crystals with a fork to break them up, then return the baking sheet to the freezer.
Repeat the scraping process every 15 minutes until the whole baking sheet has become fluffy ice, about 2 hours.
Meanwhile, combine the heavy cream (1 cup) and remaining 1 teaspoon sugar (¼ cup) in a medium bowl and whisk or beat to soft peaks.
To serve, scoop the granita into a shallow bowl and top with whipped cream (1 cup).
Alternatively, serve the granita on its own or inside a brioche sliced open to form a pocket. The granita will keep in a sealed container in the freezer for up to 1 week.
Notes
Notes
TIP 1: For a faster version, dissolve 1/4 cup of sugar in 4 cups of store bought, unsweetened almond milk. Pour into a rimmed baking sheet and follow the method on the right.
TIP 2: If you forget about the almond milk as it’s freezing and you find a solid block, transfer to a food processor and blend into a slush.
This recipe is part of the Food of the Italian Islands digital cookbook, and is only available once you've purchased the cookbook.
Purchase ($25.00)
