Granita di caffe an icy treat that’s easy to make

Coffee granita

There is no better way to jettison yourself out of overheated doldrums than an icy glass of granita di caffe con panna, a parfait of sweetened granular espresso ice layered with dollops of barely sweetened whipped cream. There is some kind of synergy between the icy chill, the sugar and the caffeine that cools and jolts you all at the same time.

Arguably the most popular granita di caffe in the world can be found in Rome, across from the Pantheon at Tazza d’Oro, a coffee bar and roaster that’s been serving tiny cups of black gold to customers for over 70 years.

Traveling in Italy in the 1970s for the first time, I found my way to Tazza d’Oro on a blisteringly hot end-of-summer day by following the stream of tourists exiting the place with cups of dark ice and fluffy cream in hand. I joined the line and became mesmerized by the simplicity of how the refresher was put together.

The barmen were constantly making shots of caffe for counter customers. They also kept up a steady flow of shots for the granita bins — metal inserts that fit into indentations of a freezer Prep: Makes: Note: counter that lined the back bar. As they worked, they added espresso to the bins, occasionally reaching in to give the mass a vigorous stir. It was one of the most impressive, efficient ways of doing two jobs at once I had ever seen.

It will not surprise you to learn that you can do this pretty easily at home too. Brew some espresso or strong coffee. Stir in sugar to taste, then pour the mixture into a cake pan and freeze. Start checking after an hour and use a fork to scrape up the icy bits. Repeat a couple more times, until the mixture is a blizzard of icy granules. Then spoon the stuff into a glass and top generously with whipped cream. Or just pour really good heavy cream over the coffee ice: It will freeze and mellow out the bitterness of the coffee.

Evan Kleiman is a freelance writer.