Refreshing Summer Coffee Dessert: Coffee Granita

Coffee Granita

Recipe from: Deb Powers

With Memorial Day coming up, we thought it might be fun to break out a classic recipe for this adult answer to the Popsicle. Coffee Granita is lighter and more refreshing than ice cream, a sure hit on a hot summer day.

For best results, make this with filter drip coffee, or coffee brewed in a Chemex or Aeropress. Choose a coffee with bright citrus, berry or stone fruit notes. Use a medium-fine grind, and double-filter it -- that is, pour the brewed coffee through a second, clean filter to remove as much sediment as possible. Coffees with heavy body or chocolate notes tend to taste muddy when they freeze, and the sediment can make the granita unpleasantly gritty. Prep time: 4-5 hours Cook time: 0 minutes Yield: 8 Ingredients

• 2 cups strong coffee
• 1/4 cup superfine sugar

Cooking Directions

1. Add the sugar to the coffee, stirring until it is completely dissolved.
2. Pour the coffee into a baking pan or other flat pan and place it in the freezer.
3. After about an hour, remove the pan from the freezer and rake a fork through the slushy mixture, drawing the frozen edges into the center. Replace it in the freezer for another 45 minutes.
4. Repeat the above instruction until the the coffee is frozen in thin flakes. Put it in the freezer for a final 45 minutes or until ready to serve.
5. Rake a fork or serrated knife across the surface of the granita, scooping up the "snow" and mounding it in dessert glasses. Serve as is, or top with sweetened whipped cream.
6. For a deliciously different, refreshing and sophisticated end to a summer dinner, pack coffee granita firmly into beverage glasses. Slowly add 1/4-1/2 cup of seltzer or soda water to each glass. Serve with a straw.