Chef Graziella
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Granita Siciliana alle Mandorle
Created by
The crystalline almond ice of Sicily, scraped by hand into rough flakes and served with soft brioche at dawn. In Catania, this is how mornings begin.
Desserts
Italian, Sicilian
Special Occasion
30 min
Active Time
0 min cook•6 hr 30 min total
Yield6 servings
Granita is not sorbet. Say this aloud before you begin, so you understand what you are making. Sorbet is smooth, refined, the work of machines. Granita is coarse, crystalline, the work of your hands and a fork. The texture should be rough on the tongue, individual flakes of ice that melt instantly. If you have eaten granita from an ice cream shop and found it smooth, you have not eaten granita.
In Sicily, granita alle mandorle is breakfast. Not dessert. Breakfast. The people of Catania and Messina wake before dawn, walk to their local bar, and eat almond ice with warm brioche col tuppo, the soft bun with its distinctive topknot. They tear pieces of bread and dip them into the frozen crystals. The bread softens, the ice melts, and for one moment the morning heat is forgotten.
The almonds must be fresh. Stale almonds taste like cardboard and will ruin everything. Sicilian almonds from Avola are incomparable, intensely flavored with a slight bitterness that balances the sweetness. If you cannot find them, use the best blanched almonds available, and add the smallest amount of pure almond extract to approximate that complexity. What you keep out matters: no cream, no eggs, no stabilizers. Water, sugar, almonds. That is all.
The Arabs brought the technology of snow preservation to Sicily in the 9th century, packing mountain ice in straw and storing it in caves called niviere. Sicilians combined this ice with fruit juices and almond milk, creating the ancestor of granita. For centuries, runners carried snow from Mount Etna's slopes to the coastal cities each morning, a tradition that continued until mechanical refrigeration arrived.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
raw blanched almonds
Quantity
1 cup (about 5 ounces)
cold water
Quantity
4 cups
granulated sugar
Quantity
3/4 cup
pure almond extract
Quantity
1/8 teaspoon
fine sea salt
Quantity
pinch
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| raw blanched almonds | 1 cup (about 5 ounces) |
| cold water | 4 cups |
| granulated sugar | 3/4 cup |
| pure almond extract | 1/8 teaspoon |
| fine sea salt | pinch |
Equipment Needed
- •High-powered blender
- •Fine-mesh strainer
- •Cheesecloth or nut milk bag
- •Shallow metal baking pan (9 by 13 inches)
- •Fork for scraping
Instructions
- 1
Make the almond milk
Place the blanched almonds in a blender with 2 cups of the cold water. Blend on high speed for 2 full minutes, until the mixture is completely smooth and milky white. The almonds must be pulverized. You should see no visible pieces.
Sicilian almonds from Avola are prized for their intense flavor. If you cannot find them, seek out Marcona almonds or the freshest blanched almonds available. Stale almonds taste like nothing. - 2
Strain the mixture
Line a fine-mesh strainer with cheesecloth and set it over a large bowl. Pour the almond mixture through, then gather the cheesecloth and squeeze firmly to extract every drop of liquid. You should have approximately 2 cups of almond milk. Discard the solids or save them for another use.
- 3
Dissolve the sugar
In a saucepan, combine 1 cup of the remaining water with the sugar. Warm over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the sugar dissolves completely. Do not let it boil. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. This takes 20 minutes. Do not skip the cooling.
- 4
Combine the base
Add the almond milk, cooled sugar syrup, remaining 1 cup cold water, almond extract, and salt to a shallow metal baking pan, approximately 9 by 13 inches. Stir thoroughly. The mixture should taste sweet but not cloying, with a pronounced almond flavor. Metal conducts cold better than glass. This matters.
The almond extract is a whisper, not a shout. One-eighth teaspoon enhances the natural almond flavor without making it taste artificial. More would be a mistake. - 5
Begin the freezing
Place the pan in the freezer, uncovered. After 45 minutes, check the edges. They will begin to freeze while the center remains liquid. Use a fork to scrape the frozen edges toward the center, breaking up any solid pieces. Return to freezer.
- 6
Continue scraping
Every 30 minutes, remove the pan and scrape the entire surface vigorously with a fork. Drag the tines through the ice, breaking up crystals, mixing the frozen edges into the slushy center. This process takes 4 to 6 hours total, depending on your freezer. The texture should be coarse and crystalline, like shaved ice, never smooth.
Granita is not sorbet. If your result is smooth, you have failed. The crystals should be distinct, flaky, rough on the tongue. This is the entire point. - 7
Test for doneness
The granita is ready when it holds together in fluffy, icy flakes but has not frozen into a solid block. Scrape vigorously one final time, creating a pile of glittering crystals. If it freezes too hard, let it sit at room temperature for 10 minutes and scrape again.
- 8
Serve properly
Spoon the granita into chilled glasses or small bowls, mounding it generously. Serve immediately with warm brioche for dipping, as they do in Catania. The Sicilians tear off pieces of the soft bread and push them into the icy crystals. This is breakfast. This is correct.
Chef Tips
- •Do not use almond milk from a carton. Commercial almond milk contains thickeners, stabilizers, and barely any almonds. Make your own. It takes ten minutes and the difference is everything.
- •The shallow metal pan conducts cold efficiently and allows you to scrape the entire surface. A deep container or glass dish will freeze unevenly and frustrate you.
- •If you forget to scrape and the granita freezes solid, do not despair. Let it soften for 15 minutes at room temperature, then attack it vigorously with a fork. The texture may be slightly less refined, but it will still taste of Sicily.
- •Brioche col tuppo, the traditional Sicilian breakfast bread, can be difficult to find outside Sicily. Any soft, slightly sweet brioche will serve. The bread must be warm, fresh from the oven if possible.
Advance Preparation
- •The almond milk can be made one day ahead and refrigerated. Stir well before using.
- •Granita is best served within a few hours of reaching proper texture. After 24 hours in the freezer, it becomes too hard and loses its delicate crystal structure. You can rescue it by scraping vigorously after a brief rest at room temperature, but freshly made is superior.
- •For a dinner party, complete the freezing process in the afternoon and give a final scrape just before serving.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 205g)
Calories
235 calories
Total Fat
12 g
Saturated Fat
1 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
11 g
Cholesterol
0 mg
Sodium
20 mg
Total Carbohydrates
30 g
Dietary Fiber
2 g
Sugars
26 g
Protein
5 g
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