What is granita
The granita is a frozen mixture of water, sugar and fruit juices or infusions that is obtained by letting the water contained in the mixture crystallize slowly.
Slushes are distinguished from ice creams and sorbets for a series of structural aspects:
- Absence of creaminess and pastiness
- Grainy and crystalline appearance
- Semi-dense (or semi-liquid) consistency
- Minimum overrun (by "overrun" s "means the ability of the mixture to incorporate air during the freezing phase): in the slush, the" incorporation of "air must be very low
- Static and slow freezing
Production
The preparation of the granita is much simpler than that of an ice cream: it requires less attention, less time for the formulation and the cost is much lower.
The most important phases for the production of granita can be summarized in a few simple steps:
- Formulation of the mixture
- Freezing and curettage
- Sale (in the case of homemade granitas) or immediate consumption
Mixture formulation
In the formulation of a traditional granita only a few simple ingredients appear, namely water, sugar and juices (or infusions).
The percentage of sugar contained in a granita is commonly between 20 and 24%, although it is not uncommon to find granita with 17% sugar. In general, the percentage of sugars varies according to the type of fruit used.
The most commonly used sugar in the preparation of slushes is the common sucrose. Instead, the use of any addition of secondary sugars (dextrose, invert sugar, honey, glucose syrup, etc.) is not recommended, as happens in the formulation of an ice cream. These sugars, in fact, lower the freezing point of the water contained in the mixture, they would limit the formation of ice crystals required in the granita.
- In the production of granita, therefore, different conditions are sought - almost contrasting - with respect to those desired for ice cream: if on the one hand we find the granularity and ice crystals of the granita, on the other we find the creaminess and the softness of the ice cream. .
Normally, the base of a granita is a syrup prepared with water and 60% sugar. This means that to prepare 1 L of syrup for slushes, 600 g of sugar must be dissolved in 400 ml of water.
Curiosity
Until a few years ago, the density of syrups for slushes was measured using a particular instrument called hydrometer (or more simply syrup-weighing), and was expressed in degrees Bé (degrees Baumé). The degrees Bé indicate the quantity of sugar contained in a syrup at a temperature of 20 ° C.
With the perfection of the ice cream art, the hydrometer was no longer able to provide accurate data due to the presence of other components in the mixture, such as secondary sugars and thickeners. Thus, the hydrometer was replaced by a more precise instrument, the refractometer. The new instrument is based on the measurement of the refractive index of light and is able to instantly signal the sugar content in a solution. In other words, the refractometer is able to evaluate the quantity of solids dissolved in a liquid. The value obtained is expressed in degrees Brix (° Bx):
1 ° Bx = 1 part of dry matter in 100 parts of solution
In granita, the sugars in solution should oscillate between 17 and 21 ° Brix: this means that a solution should contain a quantity of sugars equal to 17-21%.
To this basic syrup, fruit juices (or pulp) or tea or coffee infusions are then added. Subsequently, we move on to the freezing phase, skipping the step of the maturation of the mixture (typical instead of ice cream).
Freezing and Curettage
After the formulation and preparation of the mixture, freezing is carried out immediately, which must be static or discontinuous to avoid incorporating air into the compound. In other words, during the freezing phase, the granita must not be continuously whipped. (as is the case for ice cream) in order to "prevent" the air from being incorporated into the mixture. A possible incorporation of air would produce an excessively dry slush: the product must instead appear moist and soft, just like the snow in the melting phase.
During freezing, the product is occasionally scraped with a spatula at the points where it crystallizes: this operation has the purpose of favoring the formation of new ice crystals. We then proceed in this way until the desired consistency is obtained.
At an industrial / artisan level, some machines called "vertical freezers" are available, which allow the slow freezing of the mixture. Occasionally, during the freezing of the mass, a special mechanical arm connected to the machine must be operated, capable of scraping the crystallized product from the walls.
At home level, it is sufficient to use the freezer (not the ice cream maker) and "peel" from time to time the frozen mass from the walls of the container.
The granita is therefore ready to be displayed in the sales windows (at an artisanal level) or to be served and tasted (at home level).
Prepare the granita at home
To make a lemon granita with 20% sugar, proceed in this way.
- Prepare the basic syrup by dissolving 250 g of sugar in 500 ml of water. Bring the mixture to a boil, then let it cool completely.
- Pour the cooled syrup into a plastic container: the use of copper or aluminum containers is not recommended because these metals could alter the flavor of the fruit. Add 500 ml of lemon juice and mix.
- Place the container in the freezer at temperatures between -15 and -16 ° C.
- Remove the tray after a couple of hours: minute ice crystals will have formed. Scrape the crystallized part to facilitate the development of new microcrystals, then place back in the freezer.
- Continue in this way until the desired consistency and grain is obtained. The freezing time varies from 5 to 8 hours, and is mainly influenced by the size of the tray.
At the end of the operation, a crystalline and soft mass will be obtained at the same time: the granita can therefore be served immediately in glasses or cups.
Now let's see some examples of video recipes to make granita at home.
Almond granita
Almond Granita My Way
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