Wednesday, May 29th

Espresso Granita

6 c. warm espresso

3/4 c. sugar

Pour the espresso, which is easy to make in larger amounts using the classic silvery Italian stovetop coffeemaker, into a 9 x 13 Pyrex, glass, or metal pan. Add the sugar and stir until dissolved. Place in freezer. At this point, you are looking at a total freezing time of five to six hours, depending on your freezer.

Every hour on the hour, pull out the pan and scrape any ice crystals that have formed in it off of the top. This is the most important part of making granita: if you do not scrape the ice crystals religiously, the whole thing will turn into a very large coffee ice cube. At the end of the freezing period, you will have delicious cold essence-of-coffee that has a texture somewhere between a sorbet and a water ice. Serve immediately.

Variation:

If you are not feeling quite so virtuous, layer the granita in pretty glasses with whipped heavy cream. Top with shaved chocolate.