Granita di Caffè con Panna

Espresso Granita with Whipped Cream

Espresso Granita with Whipped Cream


Dateline: Rome, August 1971

It was hot. Hot like only Rome can get in August. That’s why the Romans leave the Eternal City to us tourists. I walked toward the Colosseum and realized the asphalt was literally sinking beneath my feet. I could feel the heat of it through my shoes. Like I said Rome is hot. I decided to take a detour and grab something refreshing. I said to the waiter, “Prendo una granita di caffè, per favore.” “Con panna?” came the response. I thought a second and said, “Si, con panna.”

That interchange was almost lightning fast, and so was relief. The translation is simple, “I’ll have a Granita di caffè.” “With cream?” “Yes, with cream.” Very quickly the waiter brought me a glass of icy coffee crystals topped with softly whipped cream. I don’t know if service was always that fast or if I presented in a most precarious state. Cool and icy, with the taste of strong coffee and a kiss of sugar, it hit the spot. I felt better and continued on to Emperor Vespasian’s iconic amphitheater.

I’ve meant to write about the class of desserts known as granita for ages. I was pressed on to do it this weekend by an article in the Los Angeles Times diminutive Food Section. Granita is simple. Make a tasty, sweet (or savory – like tomato) liquid.


Espresso Granita in Tray


Pour the liquid into a low pan, such as a baking dish, and place it in the freezer. After about 1 hour, or when the liquid has begun to freeze (the edges will freeze first) rake a fork across the top to separate the frozen mass into crystals. That is it. There’s no great mystery to the technique.

The only tricky bit comes in when you flavor the liquid. Generally speaking the liquid needs to be well flavored and on the sweet side in order to have full flavor when frozen and raked into crystals. Watch it with the sugar, though; too much sugar, and the mixture will never freeze. You can make granite (plural) from just about anything you can liquefy. In Italy you’ll find them made of espresso, lemon and other fruits.

Lavazza Espresso CanFirst let me say that you can not get a good Granita di Caffè without good coffee, and Italian is the best to use. That is just the way it is. I grabbed a can of Lavazza espresso. It makes deeply flavored, strong espresso with no trace of bitterness. The Times called for combining 1 cup of finely ground coffee with 4 cups of water. No steeping time was given. I let mine go for 10 minutes, after which time I strained it through cheesecloth to be certain no grounds made their way into the granita. The Times’ staff wisely took into account that some of the 4 cups of water would be taken up by the coffee itself. Thus, their recipe called for just 3 cups of brewed coffee.


The recipe calls for a cinnamon stick to be combined with simple syrup (1 cup water and 1 ¼ cups of granulated sugar) as it boils and cools. Technically this addition renders the Times’ version profumata alla cannella (perfumed with cinnamon.) I had never seen cinnamon in this preparation before. A quick consultation with American expat Judy Witts Francini of Divina Cucina Cooking School in Certaldo, near Florence, Italy, and I learned that this is often seen in Sicily. That made perfect sense considering the tremendous Arab influence on the island.


Espresso Granita with Whipped Cream


The newspaper did not add whipped cream, but it is traditional, and it is good. Simply beat 1 cup of heavy cream with 1 or 2 tablespoons of powdered or granulated sugar until it mounds softly. This is a quintessential Italian treat. Try it once, and you will be hooked.
Click here for the full Los Angeles Times recipe.


Note: You can click on any picture for a larger image, and to see a slide show!

I have no affiliation with any product, manufacturer, or site mentioned in this article.

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32 Comments

  1. Ping from Ely:

    O mamma mia! Cosa vedo, e a quest\’ora!! Che splendore… questa, anche se il caffè non mi è più permesso, la prenderei ugualmente. Non ci resisterei! Un abbraccio di panna e caffè, amica mia! 🙂

  2. Ping from Anthony Fama:

    What a great coffee fix this would make at three in the afternoon on a hot summer day sounds perfect

  3. Ping from Chiara:

    con quel ricciolo di panna è proprio perfetta e golosissima !Buona giornata cara Adri, un abbraccio !

  4. Ping from Laney (Ortensia Blu):

    This looks heavenly for a day like today!

  5. Ping from vickyart:

    una richiesta bizarra a quanto pare 🙂 io l’ho fatta qualche giorno fa, qualcosa di simile, la cannella non l’ho messa, peccato! adoro il caffè!ciaooo

  6. Ping from Marie:

    I agree with Anthony, and what a hot week we’re having in Chicago. This would hit the spot perfectly, it looks so refreshing Adri! Love the photos!

  7. Ping from Ciaochowlinda:

    It sure can get beastly hot in Rome in August, but it can also be unbearably torrid here in N.J., so that granita would be most welcome. Coffee is my favorite flavor for ice cream or granita. I’ll take it with panna too.

    • Ping from Adri:

      Ciao Linda,

      I’m glad to know you are in the pro-panna camp also. This is one of the most refreshing things I know. The Times recipe, sweeter than others I have tried, and with the addition of cinnamon is really wonderful. Cool off with granita!

  8. Ping from nancy at good food matters:

    gelato, sorbet, and now granita! I’m feeling cooler already. wonderful refreshing recipes, all.

  9. Ping from janie:

    The perfect summer dessert and I definitely would use the whipped cream!

  10. Ping from cquek:

    these look tasty

  11. Ping from amy @ fearless homemaker:

    I love granita, especially on the hottest of summer days, and yours looks SO wonderful – YUM!

  12. Ping from Trevor:

    Definitely a favorite of mine! I need no convincing! It is the first thing I ran home and made when I got home from Rome a couple of years ago…and last year.

  13. Ping from TheKitchenLioness:

    Dear Adri, “hooked” is the right word but “addicted” is also a fitting term to use here – granita di caffè is absolutely divine and I have had my share of this wonderful treat and cannot get enough of it in summertime – thanks for posting with these fabulous pictures!

    • Ping from Adri:

      Hi Andrea,

      I’m glad you enjoy it too. I will certainly pass the kudos on the photography on to my husband Bart. This site really has become a collaborative effort for the two of us with me the cook and writer and Bart as photographer and editor. As the two of us were doing the shoot for this, we agreed this is the ultimate in cool refreshment.

  14. Ping from Frank:

    To my mind, the best granita in Rome can be found at the Caffè du Parc off of via Marmorata. But then, my info may be out of the date, it’s been a few years now…

    • Ping from Adri:

      Hi Frank,

      It has been so long since I have been there, but I remember this experience so well. The heat of the air and the chill of the granita – that’s Rome in summer!

  15. Ping from Roz:

    Oh my goodness, Adri….Granita in Rome? Con Panna? I would walk barefoot on that melting pavement just for the joy of having one of these in Rome! I remember the lemon granita that we had on the Amalfi coast and made some this past year on my blog . . . used the same method that you used. But I’m always looking for a way to enjoy caffe’ freddo! This is IT!

    Grazie con baci,
    Roz

    • Ping from Adri:

      Ciao Roz!

      Enjoy. This was a new way of making it for me. I had never used cinnamon before, but the LA Times called for it in their recipe, and I decided to try it. I am so glad I did. It’s terrific. I hope you try it.

  16. Ping from Emilie@TheCleverCarrot:

    This reminds me of a recipe from Delicious magazine that I filled away a million years ago and never made! Doesn’t that seem to always happen? I love this sort of sweet treat. And Italian coffee is the best- I don’t know if I’d be alive without it! I like your addition of whipped cream; the recipe from my magazine garnished it with chocolate covered espresso beans as well 😉

    • Ping from Adri:

      Ciao Emilie,

      This is a classic, and we enjoy it all the time. Funny, but I never put sugar in my hot coffee, but every time I eat this, I think perhaps I ought to. The sugar lifts all the flavors, and makes it really speical. I love this one.

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