Italian Ice Dessert: Refresh Yourself with Homemade Granita and Sorbetto

A spread of Italian party desserts would be incomplete without Granita and Sorbetto, especially if you are a fan of ice-based desserts like ice lollies and snow cones. These desserts are usually eaten during the scorching summer months, but sorbets and Granita make for perfect autumnal desserts too, as palate cleansers in between food courses, or a light dessert after lunch. This is because these frozen desserts are usually citrusy, and do not contain any rich ingredients like milk or cream. They are colorful, which makes them perfect for children. But adults too can guiltlessly enjoy a Granita or two, given most of the recipes use sugar sparingly, only to balance out the intensity of the main flavor.

Granita, as we know it now, was born in Sicily during the time of the Arab conquest. The Arabs brought with them sugarcane and introduced new methods of freezing liquids that led to the creation of this crunchy icy dessert. Granita came in three flavors – coffee, almonds, or citrus, and soon became the staple at the cafes of Sicily.

On the other hand, Sorbetto originates from the Italian word "sorbet," tracing its roots back to the time when the Medici family commissioned their chefs to create a frozen dessert made from fruit purees, ice, and sugar. Before long, this Italian ice dessert caught people’s fancy, with lemon, raspberry, and hazelnut emerging as the most favored flavors.

While Granita and Sorbetto have different textures and mouthfeel, what they have in common is their traditional iterations were almost always prepared in coffee, lemon, or almond flavor.

Here are the recipes for the classics – coffee and lemon-flavored Granitas. However, you can make our own version with any flavor of your choice, by simply switching up the primary flavorant. Berries, for example, work just as well as citruses for both Granita and Sorbetto. Among citruses, orange or grapefruit have flavor profiles that work well with frozen desserts.

Classic Coffee Granita:

Ingredients:

• 500 ml water
• 180 gm sugar
• 35 gm coffee
• 1 tsp vanilla essence

Method:

1. You first have to take a saucepan, and in it, add water, granulated sugar, and instant coffee powder.
2. Then, heat it on medium flame, and mix till sugar is dissolved.
3. Once you take it off the heat, allow it to cool down to room temperature.
4. Then, pour the cooled coffee syrup over a baking dish, and freeze it for 40 minutes.
5. Scrape and crush the ice crystals with a fork, and repeat the same process of freezing and scraping for the next two to three hours.
6. Serve in cappuccino cups by sandwiching the granita between an upper and bottom layer of whipped cream.

The key to nailing this recipe is to make sure that you repeat the freezing and scraping process a few times. This helps in developing the sandy and granular ice texture you are looking for in a granita.

Sicilian Granita al Limone (Classic Lemon Granita):

Ingredients:

• 240 ml water
• 100 gm white sugar
• 120 ml freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 tbsp lemon zest

Method:

1. Mix sugar and water together, and put this mixture over medium heat, stirring until the sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from the heat and set it aside on the kitchen counter to cool down to room temperature.
2. Whisk lemon juice and zest with the cooled syrup, and allow it to chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
3. Pour the cooled mixture into a rectangular container with airtight lids and stash it into the blast freezer for about 45 minutes till the sides have frozen but the center is still a slushie consistency.
4. As with the coffee granita, scrape the mixture from the edges to the center a few times, seal the container, and let it freeze for another 40 minutes, before repeating this step a few more times.
5. Serve it in ice cream cups with a sprig of mint.

Classic Lemon Sorbetto:

To make Sorbetto with the same lemon mixture, pour it into an ice cream churner and let it churn for an hour. Once ready, scoop the Sorbetto into an airtight container. However, before you serve, chill the Sorbetto for at least two hours in the freezer.