YES! You can have dessert! Granita is a frozen dessert you can make with almost any of your favorite flavors including coffee, tea, lemon juice and mint. Originally from Sicily, it’s served all over Italy. By scraping the liquid mixture as it freezes, you create a yummy crystallized dessert.

GRANITA

Prep time: 10 mins plus 1 ½ or more hours for freezing • Yield: 2 servings

INGREDIENTS

Espresso Granita

• 2 cups espresso or strong black coffee, at room temperature
• ½ teaspoon lemon zest (optional)
• Stevia to taste

Lemon Granita

• 1½ cups freshly squeezed Meyer lemon juice from about 6 Meyer lemons (If you use tradition Eureka lemons, they are much more acidic and lack the sweetness of Meyer lemons. In this case you may choose to use less lemon juice and make up the difference with water.)
• ½ cup water
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• Stevia to taste

Spiced Tea

• 2 ¼ cups water
• 2 Earl Gray tea bags, black tea bags, or equivalent loose tea
• ½ teaspoon ground green cardamom or two green cardamom pods
• 2 whole black peppercorns
• ½ teaspoon fennel seeds
• ½ to ¾ teaspoon cinnamon or 1 small cinnamon stick
• 4 slices fresh ginger
• 2 whole cloves
• Stevia to taste

Green Tea Mint

• 2 ¼ cups water
• 2 green tea bags or equivalent loose tea
• Handful fresh mint
• Stevia to taste

DIRECTIONS

For Espresso and Lemon Granita: Combine all ingredients and stir until stevia dissolves.

For the two Tea Granitas: Heat water, tea, and all spices/herbs in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and simmer on low for 3 to 5 minutes to infuse the tea. Strain through a fine mesh sieve.

Pour mixture into 9- x 13-inch pan and place in freezer. The mixture should only be ¼- to ½-inch deep. Freeze for about 30 minutes.

Remove from freezer and use a dinner fork to scrape any ice crystals that have formed on the bottom or sides of the pan. Return to freezer and repeat the scraping process every 30 minutes for 1 ½ hours or until the mixture is thoroughly frozen. The granita should look like a fluffy pile of ice crystals. If you freeze until the crystals are frozen solid, dip the bottom of the pan in a hot water for a few seconds to loosen. Spoon into pretty bowls or glasses and garnish if desired.

Hope you enjoy!