This Orange Espresso Granita is a twist on a classic Southern Italian recipe with the addition of orange juice, cocoa, and some liqueur for something that's more than meets the eye.
2tablespoonsAmarettoKahlúa, or other coffee liqueur
1teaspoongrated orange zest(from 1 orange)
Pinch of sea salt
For Serving:
1cupcold heavy cream
Biscotti or your other favorite crumbly cookie
Instructions
Make The Granita Base: Combine hot coffee, sugar, and cocoa in a bowl and whisk until sugar melts. Add orange juice, liqueur, orange zest, and salt and whisk again. Pour mixture into 2 quart glass or metal dish and place on level shelf in freezer for half an hour. (Mixture should only come about 1/2-inch up the side of the pan.)
Shave The Granita: Remove from freezer and, using a large fork, gently stir any ice crystals that have formed on the sides of the pan back into the liquid, not breaking them up entirely. Return to freezer and repeat scraping every 30 minutes until the whole mixture has the texture of crushed ice, about 3 hours.
Serve The Granita: Before serving, scrape the granita with a fork to fluff it and allow it to “dry” in freezer another 20 minutes before serving. Meanwhile, take chilled cream and place it in a large impeccably clean bowl. Using a clean whisk or stand mixer, whip the cream until it has soft peaks — when the whisk is pulled from the bowl, the cream holds onto the whisk but bends a bit at the end. Scoop granita into cups or dishes for serving and top with whipped cream and a few crumbles of your favorite cookie.