Coffee Granita

My favourite dessert at MG Garage – in fact perhaps my favourite dessert of all time – was coffee granita with chocolate mousse. When chef Janni Kyritsis and I wrote Wild Weed Pie, we did a whole section on granitas saying: “‘squeeze, freeze, scratch and serve’ is almost the only recipe you need for granitas.” They really are that easy, and a simple coffee granita with a touch of cream instantly transports me to a southern Italian holiday. I make five long black shots to get the 500ml of coffee for my granita, but you could use strong plunger coffee instead. If you want to try your coffee granita Janni-style, see my chocolate mousse recipe.

Serves 6

Ingredients

500ml strong black coffee (2 cups)
⅓ cup castor sugar (75g)
Pouring cream, for serving (optional)

Method

Dissolve sugar in the coffee.
Pour into a shallow tray (ideally made of metal) and place in the fridge until cool then in the freezer.
After an hour, when it’s started to freeze, crush it with a fork to create flakes of ice.
Keep crushing it every 30–60 minutes until completely frozen then cover it, pressing plastic against its surface, and leave in the freezer until needed.
Just before serving, scratch the granita with a fork to fluff it up.
Spoon coffee granita into glasses and serve, drizzled with cream if you like.

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Coffee Granita

What Other Travellers Say

Relaxed, organised and well-paced – a wonderful bespoke small group tour, starting in Rome, then travelling down the Amalfi Coast to stay at a family estate where we were treated like old friends. This tour included some hidden gems too, notably on our way to Matera, a fascinating town built into the side of a mountain. We finished with Naples and Pompeii – with plenty of wine and more new tastes. Roberta is a specialist and very personable as she hosts and explains every detail of the food and wine experience.

I’ve been on three of Roberta’s food and wine tours so far and each one has been an amazing well-organised experience. From historic Rome and Pompeii to the spectacular Amalfi Coast, remarkable Venice and the charming villages of Switzerland, each tour offers something special. Then there’s the food in fabulous places where you can truly eat like a local. I highly recommend Roberta’s tours to anyone who wants to discover inspired travel through great food, wine and company. I’m already looking forward to the next one!

Starting in Rome then spending time on the Amalfi Coast and further south before heading back to Rome for the last couple of days made for a nice ‘round trip’. Roberta’s choice of eateries was excellent with some very enjoyable meals – and a nice mix of other activities, like vineyard visits, between meals. Everything was very well organised: transport, nice hotels in close proximity to most activities, and a relaxed pace with enough time to follow your nose if that took your fancy. A very worthwhile tour and I’m already looking forward to another!

I absolutely recommend Roberta’s Southern Italy tour! We’ve always been independent travellers so were a little apprehensive – by day 2 we knew we’d made a great decision! Roberta knows people and places far from the tourist trail so we visited wineries where we were always invited for lunch as well as wine-tasting, a family lemon grove high on the Amalfi Coast and a 3rd generation cheesemaker. We stayed in a stunning cave hotel in Matera and a gorgeous family hotel in Scala – and book-ended the tour with the vibrancy of Rome. So many highlights, such a brilliant experience. We will do another tour with Roberta.

We had an absolutely fantastic time in Southern Italy and Rome with Roberta. Incredible food and wine experiences combined with authentic cultural encounters, fascinating history and breathtaking scenery. From the charming streets of Trastevere and the stunning Amalfi Coast to Matera, Pompeii and the hidden gems of Basilicata, every day brought something memorable. Meeting local winemakers, farmers, chefs and families who welcomed us with genuine warmth made this trip exceptional. Roberta's passion for Italy, attention to detail, warmth, knowledge and care for every guest made the experience unforgettable. We will gladly travel with Roberta again.