Italian Granita Lemon Ice Cream Recipes

Steps:

• Combine 2 cups of the water with the sugar in a medium nonreactive saucepan; bring to a simmer over medium heat.
• Cook, stirring constantly, until the sugar is completely dissolved.
• Add the salt, stir, and remove the pan from the heat.
• Stir in the remaining water and let cool to room temperature.
• Cover and refrigerate for a minimum of 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, place a shallow metal 2 1/2 qt container (such as a large cake pan) in the freezer to chill.
• Add the lemon juice, lemon peel, and extract to the chilled sugar mixture; stir until well blended.
• Pour into the chilled metal pan.
• Place the pan in the freezer for 30-60 minutes, or until ice crystals form around the edges.
• Stir the ice crystals into the center of the pan and return to the freezer.
• Repeat every 30 minutes, or until all the liquid is crystallized but not frozen solid, about 3 hours.
• To serve, scoop the granita into chilled dessert bowls or goblets.
• (If the granita has become too hard, scrape it with a large metal spoon to break up the ice crystals.) Serve at once.
• Advance Preparation: The granita can be stored, covered, for up to four days in the freezer, but it will have become frozen solid.
• To serve, either allow the granita to thaw in the refridgerator until you can scrape the crystals, or break it up into chunks and process with on/off motions in a food processor fitted with the knife blade until fairly smooth.

Steps:

• Pour water and sugar into a saucepan. Heat over medium, stirring until sugar melts; do not bring to a boil. Remove from heat when the sugar has completely dissolved and the water is no longer cloudy. Add lemon juice and stir until combined. Refrigerate until cold, about 30 minutes.
• Pour into a freezer-safe dish that has a tight lid. Cover and put into the freezer until it begins to freeze around the edges, but is still slushy in the center, about 45 minutes.
• Lightly stir the crystals from the edge of the granita mixture into the center using a fork and mix thoroughly. Replace the lid. Close the freezer and chill until granita is nearly frozen, 30 to 40 more minutes.
• Mix lightly with a fork as before, scraping the crystals loose. Repeat freezing and stirring with the fork 3 to 4 times until crystals are separate and the granita is light, dry, and fluffy.
• Serve each portion with 1/2 of a lemon wheel and fresh lemon zest on top.

Steps:

• Boil the sugar and water for 5 minutes. Then let the syrup cool down and add the lemon juice and grated lemon zest. Boil everything again. Let it cool down again and put it in the freezer in a metallic container. Turn the mixture while it is freezing every 20 minutes. The Granita will be ready after 3-4 hours.

Steps:

• In a small saucepan, bring water and sugar to a boil. Cook and stir until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat; stir in lemon juice and thyme. Transfer to an 8-in. square dish; cool to room temperature., Remove thyme sprigs. Freeze for 1 hour; stir with a fork. Freeze 2-3 hours longer or until completely frozen, stirring every 30 minutes., Stir granita with a fork just before serving; spoon into dessert dishes. Garnish with lemon zest.

Steps:

• Pour the water and sugar into a small saucepan, and bring to a boil. Boil until the sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from heat, and stir in the lemon juice. Let cool slightly.
• Pour into twelve 8-ounce plastic or paper cups, and freeze overnight or until solid. For a granular ice another option is to put the lemon mixture in a wide ceramic baking pan and set it in the freezer, scraping and mixing it every half hour as it solidifies. When all the liquid has solidified into loose crystals it is ready to serve. Spoon into decorative glasses.

Steps:

• Begin the preceding night by squeezing the lemons into a strainer formed by placing a coffee filter in a strainer. Strain the lemon juice into a small bowl containing the cold water - this is a very slow drop-by-drop process.
• Add the sugar the next morning.
• Mix very well with a wooden spoon until the sugar is completely dissolved.
• Pour into a tin or aluminum pan.
• Place the pan in the freezer.
• Let rest for about 5 hours, breaking up the solid layer of ice which forms at least once every hour.
• Remove the pan from the freezer.
• Cut the ice into pieces with a knife.
• Place the ice pieces in an ice crusher (or into a blender running at low speed).
• The ice should form a smooth consistent texture of imperceptible grains (almost like ice cream - no large grains or chunks).
• Transfer to individual serving glasses.

Steps:

• With a vegetable peeler remove zest in long pieces from 2 lemons. Squeeze 1/2 cup juice from lemons.
• In a small heavy saucepan heat water and sugar, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Stir in zest and transfer syrup to a bowl to cool. Chill syrup, covered, until cold. Discard zest and stir in lemon juice.
• For eastern-Sicilian granita:
• Freeze lemon mixture in an ice-cream maker until spoonable but not crumbly and serve immediately.
• For western-Sicilian granita:
• Freeze lemon mixture in a metal bowl, stirring every 30 minutes to remove ice crystals from side of bowl, until liquid has become granular but is still slightly slushy, about 3 to 4 hours. Serve granita immediately.

Steps:

• In a large pot over medium heat, combine the water and sugar. Cook and stir until the sugar has dissolved and the syrup looks clear, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool the syrup by pouring it into a bowl and putting it into the refrigerator or over an ice bath. Add the lemon zest and lemon juice; stir to combine. Mix in the lemon vodka.
• Pour the lemon mixture into a shallow baking pan and freeze for 1 hour. Using a fork or a couple of chopsticks, break up all the ice crystals on the bottom and sides of the pan. This incorporates air so the final product literally melts in your mouth. Freeze for 3 to 4 hours, until the mixture has reached a frozen granular consistency. You can serve it two ways: Either rake the granita with the tines of a fork for a snow-cone-like product or run an ice-cream scooper down the length for a smooth Italian-ice-like result. Spoon it into a wine or martini glass.

Steps:

• ***Water Ices*** (serves 4).
• Melt sugar in hot water, add lemon juice and rind.
• Let mixture stand for 5 minutes.
• Strain, place mixture in a freezing tray and freeze, stirring frequently, until it reaches a mushy consistency.
• If you have an electric ice cream machine, pour mixture into machine and freeze according to manufacturer's directions.
• ****Roman Style**** (serves 6).
• Combine sugar and water in saucepan, heat until sugar melts.
• Add lemon juice.
• Strain mixture through a very fine sieve.
• Freeze until mushy, stirring frequently.
• Beat egg white until stiff.
• Remove ice mixture from freezer when mushy.
• Add stiffly beaten egg white and 1/4 cup sugar and mix well.
• Add rum and mix.
• Return to freezer and continue to freeze to ices consistency (not solid), stirring often.
• If you have an electric ice cream machine, pour mixture into machine and freeze according to manufacturer's directions.
• Add beaten egg white and sugar according to manufacturer's instructions as you would if you were adding additional ingredients (nuts, choc chips, etc) to your ice cream.