Italian cuisine · Desserts & Sweets

Sicilian Granita

Sicilian lemon ice, scraped repeatedly while freezing – traditionally served with warm brioche for breakfast.

Ingredients · for 4 servings

• 6 organic lemons
• 200g sugar
• 600ml water
• 1 pinch salt
• 4 brioche buns
• 4 sprigs mint

Instructions

1. Bring the water to a boil with the sugar and a pinch of salt, let bubble for 2 min until the sugar is fully dissolved, and let cool completely.
2. Wash the lemons in hot water, finely grate the zest from two of them, and juice all of them – you should end up with about 250ml juice.
3. Stir the juice and zest into the cooled syrup and pour the mixture into a shallow metal pan, which freezes fastest.
4. Freeze for 4 hours, scraping vigorously with a fork every 30 min, so fine crystals form instead of one solid block.
5. Fluff up one last time just before serving – the granita should glisten with fine grains and crunch softly when spooned.
6. Spoon into chilled glasses, garnish with mint, and serve with warm brioche, which is traditionally dunked into the granita.