Coffee Granita with Sweet Ricotta Cream

In a small bowl that will fit in your freezer, add the coffee. Make the coffee in a moka pot for best results but if you don’t have one just make good strong coffee or if you have an espresso machine, pull a few long espressos and make Americanos. Be sure to make the coffee sweeter than you normally would. Remember this is an iced dessert. Do not add milk or cream to the coffee. This is plain black coffee. Once the coffee has cooled a bit, stir in the vanilla extract.

Place the bowl in the freezer. After about 45 minutes, begin to stir the granita every 30 minutes with a fork until it is frozen into a bunch of crystals similar to the snow cones you ate as a kid.

Once the granita is ready, slice 4 pieces of brioche about 1/2 an inch in thickness and toast them lightly until golden.

In another small bowl, combine the ricotta and confectioner’s sugar in a bowl and whip together with a fork until smooth. You can whip it with hand mixer to make it even smoother. I just used a fork. This can be done ahead of time. Just remember to store it covered in the refrigerator if you do so.

When ready to serve, scoop the granita into a glass, and top with the ricotta cream. Add a piece of brioche toast.