Espresso Ice -- for hot summer days

06/29/2009

   If you are a frequent visitor of Passions to Pastry, you are probably aware of my great love of espresso. I start off each and every morning with a strong, flavorful and rich cappuccino. This Espresso Ice is another wonderful way to enjoy coffee -- especially on a hot summer day. I top it off with freshly whipped cream that is sweetened with confectioners' sugar and a touch of brandy.

                                     Espresso Ice
              adapted from a recipe by Lee Bailey

• 3 cups of hot, freshly brewed, strong coffee
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 5 strips of organic orange peel

   In a medium bowl, combine the hot coffee with the 3 tablespoons sugar. Stir to combine. Add the strips of orange peel; cool. Cover the bowl and refrigerate until cold. Freeze in an ice cream machine. Serve with whipped cream that has been flavored with brandy, Grande Marnier, or Kahlua.

Comments

Merisi link

06/30/2009 3:24am

Mmmmmmh! I coming right over!

I love also the way Italians eat frozen espresso, Granita di Caffè. Easy to make without an ice cream machine:

You can use the same ingredients as above (I love it with very little sugar), but once the liquid has cooled down, you have to pour it into baking dish, so the liquid can spread out to about a hight one inch only, then place it into the freezer. Wait 30-40 minutes, then scrape the outer frozen edges off with a fork, working them into little bits towards the middle of the dish. Refrigerate again for half an hour or so, scrape the outer edges towards the center again. Repeat refrigerating and scraping - about 3 or 4 times alltogether - until you have a very grainy frozen, yet not solid mass. You can now freeze it half an hour (or pack it into a container with a lid to keep longer).

Put a bit of sweetened whipped cream at the bottom of chilled tall glass, add a a few spoons of the granita (scraping again with a fork to separate the crystalls), topping it off with more whipped cream and enjoy.

Italians make this fresh on the day they plan to eat it, to make sure that the frozen coffee crystalls stay separated.

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.