I love granitas…I was fortunate to have traveled the world extensively and eaten in some of the finest restaurants where granitas historically were served as palate cleansers between the various courses. I guess it took a few smart people who knew how light and delicious these would be as a dessert in and of themselves, and decided to take the leap to create a commercial market for the product.
Nowadays, you can find granitas (frozen ice) sold under many different names such as sorbet, Italian ice and even sherbet. The only difference with sherbet in the USA and sherbert in other countries is not only the spelling, but the one here in the USA also has some milk/cream in it… about 1-2% but still noticeably creamier. Traditionally, most granitas are comprised of fruit juice and sugar that are combined and then frozen into a soft but firm slush, with lemon being the most popular. Some are smoother and slushier than others, especially the ones with alcohol. So if you plan to add alcohol, don’t add too much because it won’t freeze very well. You can also find other flavors of granitas like coffee or chocolate. The coffee flavor was made popular in Messina, Italy and is still the most popular flavor served there today.
When deciding on what flavor I was going to make for my post it was definitely going to be coffee but with a little something more…
I fell in love with the flavors of tiramisu many years ago when I visited Orlando for several days and stayed at the majestic Peabody Hotel. It was the first time I experienced many unique things, including the march of the legendary Peabody Ducks, to having my food served to me under a silver dome.
Memories of that evening still echo in my mind. It was so carefully orchestrated by gloved staff who coordinated the removal of each dome for our table of 14 people with such ease, as if they were each a part of a perfectly written symphony.
Each reveal displayed beautifully and artistically prepared plates that were equally delicious. Many of the meals I experienced that weekend still remain with me today, such as the beautiful and absolutely delicious mushroom napoleon.
But I digress…
Breakfast at the Peabody was nothing short of extraordinary…you could order a la carte or you could enjoy their beautiful buffet which had just about anything you could imagine. I opted to have the buffet, and after enjoying many of the usual breakfast and brunch items I hit the dessert table to try something everyone was raving about…the tiramisu.
It was very traditional and so very delicious. The problem I have with many of the newer versions is that they don’t reflect the traditional flavor. Yes, a coffee syrup is made and usually also includes some Kahlua or Tia Maria, but there is another ingredient that is usually overlooked…Marsala (or Madeira) wine. This ingredient is critical to the real flavor of a tiramisu as is a little orange zest.
When I started to think about what frozen desserts I wanted to make, a coffee granite was definitely one of them…but I wanted to add something more, so I decided to include a frozen zabaglione in between the layers of granita. Traditional zabaglione is made with marsala wine in very much the same fashion as a semifreddo is, but it does not have as much whipped cream added to it at the end…just a little to help keep it fluffy.
I didn’t want to include any lady fingers in this, it was just the flavor of the tiramisu itself that I wanted to recreate…besides, I don’t think frozen lady fingers would taste very good, but you could definitely serve them as a garnish in the glass.
This is a lovely and elegant dessert, very easy to make since you can make it ahead of time and just serve it up at the last moment.
Coffee Granita
3 cups strong brewed coffee
3/4 cup to 1 cup sugar (taste the liquid for sweetness before freezing)
2-4 tablespoons kahlua
Cook everything together for about 5 minutes and then pour into a shallow pan. Freeze this for at least 2-3 hours until it becomes firm and then take a fork and scrape the surface to create the slush. Leave in the freezer until ready to use.
Traditional Zabaglione (also known as Sabayon in French)
6 large yolks
1/4 cup – 1/2 cup granulated sugar (if you use the whipped cream then use more sugar)
1 teaspoon of vanilla
4 Tablespoon of Marsala wine
1 teaspoon lemon or orange zest (optional but traditional)
1/2 cup whipped cream **optional but more stable
For complete step by step directions and photos on how to make the zabaglione (sabayon) click here.
First, fill a large bowl with water and ice and set this aside. Set up a double boiler on your stove top and make sure that the bowl that is sitting on top is not touching the hot water below in the pot. Add the yolks to the bowl and turn the heat on medium high and start whisking. The yolks will slowly get warmer, so keep on whisking and add a little sugar at a time until it is all incorporated. Continue to whip until the sabayon is very pale and registers 160°F on your thermometer. If you do not have a thermometer, you can tell when the sabayon has reached that temperature when you touch it with your finger and it feels very warm/almost hot, but not scalding hot. Make sure you continue whisking so as not to cook the yolks.
Cook at this temperature for a few minutes and then carefully remove the bowl from the double boiler and set it into the larger bowl that you have set aside that is half filled with ice water. Continue to whip until completely cool and ribbons form as it falls from the whisk.
Add the marsala wine, the vanilla and orange zest and freeze. When you are ready to serve, layer the coffee granite with scoops of the frozen zabaglione.
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