Italian lemon granita (in Italian granita al limone) is a semi-frozen dessert made from sugar, water and lemon, originally from Sicily. Italian granita in combination with a yeast pastry called brioche is a common breakfast in summer time. Make the granita at home and surprise your friends!
Ingredients
500 ml water
500 ml lemon juice
250 gr caster sugar
Preparation
First, heat the water in a large pot with the sugar. Bring to a boil and simmer 2 minutes, stirring to make sure the sugar is dissolved. Turn off the heat and let cool the syrup.
Meanwhile cut the lemons, squeeze them with a juicer and strain the juice very well. You’ll have to obtain 500 ml of filtered juice. Incorporate it in the syrup and stir the mixture well with a whisk. Strain the mixture into one or two containers that will fit into your freezer.
Half an hour later, remove the mixture from the freezer and stir it vigorously to break up the ice crystals that are formed. Repeat the procedure every half hour (or every quarter of an hour if you see that the mixture tends to compact faster) for another two or three times, until the lemon granita has desired consistency.
If mixture become totally frozen, don’t worry. Take the Italian lemon granita out of the freezer and leave it at room temperature until you can break it up into hunks with a large spoon. Grind these hunks in a food processor or blender until it is the consistency of soft snow.
If you want to give a special touch to your Italian lemon granita you can add to it on a shot of vodka or gin!
Picture © Karoline (kayo8008)
