Espresso Granita

From Poor Girl Gourmet: Eat in Style on a Bare Bones Budget

Serves 6 to 8, $5.00 or less

Estimated cost for four: $1.57. Ding-ding-ding—this is the least expensive stand-alone recipe in the entire book (roasted garlic isn’t exactly a snack—at least not for most people I know). And, the lowest cost way to make this is, of course, to use leftover coffee or espresso, but if you were to estimate the cost based on brewing four 6-ounce cups for this specific purpose, and using Fair Trade coffee that costs $12.99 for approximately forty 6-ounce servings, that would be $1.30. The water is free, my friend, for you have running water at your house, or at least I certainly hope you do. Three-quarters of a cup of sugar is 14¢, and 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder is 13¢ for the fancy, imported type.

By now you know that I abhor food waste. And I feel strongly that this should also apply to beverage waste. You’ve probably already noticed a mention or ten of leftover wine being repurposed in many a dish upon these pages, but what about that coffee that gets left behind each morning? Why should we waste that as well? Well, heck, we don’t have to—just store the leftovers in an airtight container and place them in the refrigerator for a day or two before you intend to make this, and then, on the appointed day, take the 5 or so minutes of actual active time it takes to fashion this refreshing dessert, which, with the addition of just a little milk in a glass, can also double as a fancy frozen coffee shop–style drink. So sit back and bask in your frugality. For you, my friend, you do not let a thing go to waste, no, you do not.

1 ½ cups brewed espresso or coffee
1 ½ cups water
¾ cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon Dutch process cocoa powder, plus additional for garnish (optional, but I do love a little chocolate flavor in my coffee)
Whipped cream, for garnish

1 Combine the espresso, water, sugar, and cocoa powder in a large mixing bowl and get out your whisk. Whisk vigorously to ensure that all of the sugar dissolves and the cocoa is combined into the mix. If it isn’t already cool, cool the espresso mixture completely in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours and up to 24 hours.

2 Now, here comes the personal choice part of the recipe. If you like a creamier texture, process the granita in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions, then transfer it to an airtight container, and freeze for an hour before serving.

3 If you prefer a little more of the shaved ice-style texture, place the espresso mixture in a 9 by 13-inch freezer-safe roasting pan, such as Pyrex, and allow it to freeze for 2 hours. Scrape all of the contents of the pan up with a fork, and I do mean all of it. Do not leave any icy bit unscraped. Return it to the freezer for an hour, and then serve it forth with a dollop of whipped cream and a sprinkle of cocoa powder, in an espresso cup if you’d like to earn additional adorable points.

NOTE: I often have this as my morning coffee in the summer. Simply add enough milk to get it to your desired lightness, and there you have a super-inexpensive fancy coffee shop–style drink. Sweet.