Secret Recipe Reveal Day: Granita al Caffee con Panna

I am so excited about today's reveal day. Not that I'm ever NOT excited, but this one, well, I was really excited. The admins of Group C of The Secret Recipe Club, assigned me Manu's Menu, as my blog for June. I love receiving my blog assignment each month, browsing through and choosing recipes I might want to make, and then, finally deciding on one! Well, when I clicked the link for this months assignment, her subtitle was "Authentic Italian Home Cooking and More"...that sold me...Italian..yippee..my moms family is Italian. But then, I read that she was born to Sicilian Parents...WHAT!? Part of my moms family is Sicilian...Even more exciting. I was so curious that I asked family members where they all came from (my descendants that is). The ones from Sicily were from Cefalu, the others came from Abruzzo and Naples. What fun learning more about family. 

So, back to Manu, since this post is supposed to be about her and her blog and her amazing recipes, and there are many yummy sounding recipes. Manu lives in Australia with her husband (who is of Indian origin) and her kiddo's. What a fun mix of nationalities, and her recipes reflect that. Take time to read her About Me page to learn more about her family. 

I only pinned two recipes to try, even though there were so many more that I would like to make...it's been hot here in the Pacific Northwest and so I wanted to try something cold. Her Salted Caramel Gelato sounded wonderful and my family LOVES Gelato and ice cream. However, it was her Granita al caffe con panna that really caught my attention. One, it was a Sicilian recipe, and two I remembered the coffee shop in the grocery store we shopped at when I was younger, served a granita and I loved it. Granted it was coming out of a large machine..lol, but it was still good. This was the recipe I was going to make! I'm glad I did. It was a HUGE hit with my girl, and so perfect for the hot weather. I would love to try different flavors. 

This was an easy recipe, and fairly quick. I think I could've let it go just a bit longer, or maybe put it in the freezer for just a bit. It seemed to "melt" quickly and I'm not sure if that's how it's supposed to be. I took the leftovers out of the freezer the next day, let it soften, ran a fork through it and made it again...it held up a little better, and still tasted the same. My youngest actually liked when it was slightly melted. Either way it tasted great. 

*Notes: 
1.  I had instant espresso powder, but then realized I had coffee beans from the coffee shop that my daughter works at so I used those and made a small, strong pot of coffee.

2.  I didn't have caster sugar, so I just took my sugar and ran it through my Vitamix for a bit. I don't use white sugar, but pure cane or Organic pure cane and I find the granules are a bit larger.

Ingredients:

1 1/4 c. cold water
1 1/2 c. hot coffee (espresso)
2/3 c. caster sugar
Lightly Sweetened Whipped Cream (I'm not a fan of store bought whipped topping anymore, so we just make our own)

Instructions:

1. Stir sugar in to hot coffee and stir until it is dissolved. Add cold water and refrigerate for at least 2 hours till chilled. 

2. Pour in to ice cream maker and churn for 20-30 minutes or until it reaches a sorbet like consistency.

3. Pour in to a glass, top with sweetened whipped cream and enjoy! We topped ours with some chocolate covered coffee beans.

Thank you Manu for taking me to a place in my lineage that I have longed to go. I can't wait to keep following your blog and make more recipes. 

Check out more Secret Recipe Club recipes by clicking the links below. There's bound to be some amazing ones...probably all of them. 

An InLinkz Link-up

With Joy UNquenchable,