Nancy's Cool Coffee Granita

Prep time: 10 to 12 minutes
Freeze time: 1 hour, 40 minutes

Serves 4 to 6

In July, it's too hot to drink my afternoon coffee. Instead, I treat myself to a cool coffee granita (Italian shaved ice), made with freshly brewed espresso, sugar and lime juice. Topped with my 5-Minute Sweetened Whipped Cream, this granita can also be enjoyed as a grand finale to a summer dinner.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons finely ground espresso coffee beans
3 cups water
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
Juice of 1/2 lime

Brew the espresso coffee in an automatic drip coffee maker using the standard method as in making American coffee.

Alternatively, combine the ground espresso beans with the water in a saucepot and bring to a boil. Immediately remove pot from burner and let stand 5 to 7 minutes. Pour and strain the brewed coffee through a paper filter into a glass or porcelain bowl.

Stir the sugar and lime juice into the warm coffee and pour into a shallow metal 12 X 9 X 2-inch baking pan and set in freezer. Freeze about 50 minutes.

With a fork, scrape the iced granita away from edges of pan, and gently stir into the middle of the mixture. Return the pan to freezer. Stir the mixture every 20 minutes (approximately twice more) until the granita (shaved ice) has formed completely.

Serve in individual glass bowls, ramekins or cups and top with 5-Minute Sweetened Whipped Cream (previously published on this blog). Garnish the cream with a sprinkle of cinnamon or a few espresso coffee beans.

Serve with biscotti or other dry cookie variety.

Text and Photographs © Nancy Real 2010

5-Minute Sweetened Whipped Cream

Prep time: 5 minutes
Yield: 1-1/2 cups

This whipped cream recipe is not only quick but lots of fun, too. Each time you stir in a tablespoon of sugar, you get to taste the cream. For those of us who are blessed with a sweet tooth, the sampling can go on for quite a while - and we love it!

Ingredients:
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 to 3 tablespoons powdered sugar

With an electric hand mixer and in a 3-cup mixing bowl, beat the cream until stiff peaks form.

Gradually add the sugar, one tablespoon at a time, tasting after each addition. When the whipped cream reaches desired sweetness, do not add any more sugar.

Use whipped cream to garnish desserts such pastries, cakes, pies, ice cream and sorbet. It can also be enjoyed as a dip or garnish for cookies or biscotti.

Note: If using a stand mixer fitted with its own bowl, let the machine do the work!

Text and Photographs © Nancy Real 2010

Roasted Peppers (Peperoni Arrostiti)

Prep time: 15 to 20 minutes
Inactive prep time: 10 to 15 minutes

Serves 4 to 6

Although red bell peppers are delicious when fresh and added raw to salads or other foods, they're quite succulent when roasted. This is because their naturally sweet flavors are enhanced in the roasting process. Make this traditional "peperoni arrostiti" salad and discover why Italians have such delicate palates. After savoring every ingredient in this delicacy, you'll never go back to ready made roasted peppers!

Ingredients:
3 to 4 large red bell peppers, cut in half lengthwise, seeds and stems discarded
Salt and pepper, to taste
4 to 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
3 tablespoons fresh chopped Italian flat-leaf parsley or fresh basil

Line a 12 X 18-inch baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place peppers, rounded side up, on foil-lined sheet.

Place baking sheet with peppers on an oven rack positioned 6 to 8 inches away from overhead oven broiler/grill.

Roast peppers 8 to 14 minutes or until skin is charred. Transfer baking sheet with peppers to a counter and cool, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove and discard the charred skins from roasted peppers.

Cut the peppers lengthwise into 1/2-inch thick strips. In a glass or porcelain serving bowl, toss the peppers together with remaining ingredients. Taste and adjust seasonings.

Serving tips: Enjoy roasted peppers with Italian breadsticks called "grissini" or on toasted bread.

Accompany with some cheese, a salad and a favorite wine.

Buon Appetito!

Text © Nancy Real 2010
Roasted Peppers Salad Photograph Only © Nancy Real 2010

Kiwi, Mozzarella & Papaya Skewers

Prep time: 25 to 30 minutes
Yield: 4 to 6 skewers

Lookin' to make a splash with a fresh and colorful appetizer this summer? Here's a cool, mouth-watering recipe. These cute looking kiwi, mozzarella and papaya starters appeal to the eye as well as to the palate. And when this bright platter makes its appearance, you'll notice your guests' eyes pop out of their sockets and hear them utter the word, "Wowwwwwww!"

Ingredients:
1 Hawaiian papaya
1 bunch watercress, rinsed and spun dry in a salad spinner
5 kiwis, peeled
1 pint cherry tomatoes (2 cups)
8 ounces fresh mozzarella balls (one-inch mozzarella balls packaged in water)
Six 12-inch wooden skewers
Melon ball scooper
Salt and pepper, to taste
Extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling

Cut papaya in half and remove seeds with a spoon; set aside.

Remove largest and most perfect leaves from watercress stem; set leaves aside and discard stems.

Using a melon ball scooper, carve out one-inch balls from the flesh of both papaya and kiwis, setting them aside on a plate as you go along.

Take 1 skewer and put it through the center of a watercress leaf, making sure the leaf is pushed to the opposite end of the skewer. Add a mozzarella ball, a watercress leaf, a papaya ball, a watercress leaf, a tomato, a watercress leaf and a kiwi. Repeat pattern and continue assembling remaining skewers.

When all skewers are assembled, place them on a glass or porcelain serving platter. Add a dash of salt and pepper to the skewers, followed by a drizzle of the olive oil and serve immediately.

Alternatively, prepare up to 4 hours ahead, cover with plastic and refrigerate until ready to serve.

The Kiwi, Mozzarella & Papaya skewers will keep, refrigerated, up to two days (by the next day, the kiwi may not be as firm but it will still be edible).

Text and Photographs © Nancy Real 2010