Granitas - Making Ice Cream Without a Machine

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Granita can be made in many refreshing flavors, from orange to mint and almond

Many years ago, I was vacationing in Rome in the middle of summer. It was an unusually hot day as I strolled with an Italian friend of mine, and nothing seemed able to cool us down.

Then we saw a sign in the window of small trattoria: granita di caffe. We immediately entered and each of us ordered one, finally cooling off as we enjoyed spoonful after spoonful of sweet, icy crystals flavored with strong espresso coffee.

We left and started strolling again, until I saw a sign for lemon granita. Of course, I had to have one. Gradually, we tasted our way through the city, staying cool with scoops of orange, strawberry, melon -- so many refreshing flavors. I never felt the heat again that day.

Ever since, I've loved granitas. I love the word, too: It just sounds so refreshing and fun. In fact, I called the restaurant I had in Malibu for many years Granita. It seemed to me the perfect name for a relaxed place near the beach to enjoy a delicious meal.

One of my favorite things about making granitas is how easy they are. Bring up a frozen dessert you make at home and most cooks instantly get stressed by the thought of having to haul out (or buy) an ice cream machine or, worse, cranking one of those old-fashioned models that call for a mess of ice and rock salt to freeze the mixture.

But granitas are as easy as can be. You make your sweetened liquid flavored with fruit, coffee, chocolate, or other flavorful ingredients, and just pour the mixture into a large, shallow pan and pop it in the freezer. Then, you set a timer to remind you to take it out occasionally when it's still partially frozen so you can scrape up the ice crystals with the tines of a fork until you have the granular, almost fluffy consistency of a perfect granita.

You may have noticed I mentioned other flavorful ingredients for granitas. I've had delicious granitas flavored with mint, ginger, and cinnamon. I've enjoyed savory-sweet granitas made with the juice of sun-ripened summer tomatoes.

One of my favorites was served to me by my friend Corrado Assenza at his restaurant Caffe Sicilia in the Sicilian town of Noto. He makes a renowned gelato from fresh almond "milk," and I'm happy to offer my own version of the delicious recipe here.

Along with it, I'm also including another recipe for a granita made with fresh orange juice. The flavors of almond and orange go beautifully together. While you can certainly make each one on its own, as I learned years ago on a hot summer day in Rome, one granita alone is never enough.

ALMOND GRANITA

Serves 8

1 quart almond milk (recipe follows)

2 ounces almond paste

2 ounces sugar

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

In a blender, combine all the ingredients. Process until smoothly pureed.

Hold a fine-meshed strainer over a 13-by-9-inch stainless-steel baking pan. Put the pan in the freezer. When ice crystals begin to form -- 30 minutes to about 1 hour, depending on your freezer -- remove the pan and, with the tines of 2 forks, scrape up the crystals evenly. Return the pan to the freezer and repeat the process every 30 minutes to 1 hour, until the mixture is frozen completely, with an icy, granular texture. If not serving immediately, transfer to an airtight freezer container.

Before serving, scrape up the crystals again. Use a large spoon or ice cream scoop to transfer to individual chilled serving dishes.

ALMOND MILK

Makes 1 quart

1 quart milk

1/2 pound almond meal

1/2 pound blanched whole almonds

2 tablespoons almond extract

1/4 cup sugar

In a saucepan, bring the milk to a slow boil over medium heat. Stir in the almond meal and the whole almonds. Simmer gently for 30 minutes. Turn off the heat, cover the pan, and leave to infuse for 20 minutes.

Uncover the pan. Using an immersion blender, process to puree the whole almonds. (Alternatively, transfer the mixture in batches to a food processor or blender and process carefully.)

Line a fine-meshed strainer with dampened cheesecloth. Strain the mixture into a bowl. Add the extract and sugar and mix well. Cover and refrigerate until chilled.

ORANGE GRANITA

Serves 8

8 cups freshly squeezed orange juice

Sugar

4 sprigs fresh basil

2-1/2 tablespoons orange-flavored liqueur such as Grand Marnier

Put the orange juice in a mixing bowl. Stir in sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the mixture tastes just a little bit sweeter than you like, no more than a few tablespoons. Add the basil sprigs and the orange liqueur and let sit for 15 minutes.

Strain the mixture into a 13-by-9-inch stainless-steel baking pan. Put the pan in the freezer. When ice crystals begin to form -- 30 minutes to about 1 hour, depending on your freezer -- remove the pan and, with the tines of 2 forks, scrape up the crystals evenly. Return the pan to the freezer and repeat the process every 30 minutes to 1 hour, until the mixture is frozen completely, with an icy, granular texture. If not serving immediately, transfer to an airtight freezer container.

Before serving, scrape up the crystals again. Use a large spoon or ice cream scoop to transfer to individual chilled serving dishes.

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