Almond Granita with Brioche

La storia di questo piatto

In Sicilia, the almond is not an ingredient but a landscape: white blossom in winter, ivory milk in summer, the island poured into a cup. This is granita as Sicilians eat it at the breakfast table, cold almond cream beside a warm brioche col tuppo, the little topknot ready to be torn off.

Ingredienti

• 200 g Blanched almonds (dry weight, to soak for 6 hours)
• 400 ml Water
• 100 g Sugar
• 2 drops Orange blossom water
• 1 pinch Salt
• 2 piece Brioche col tuppo (brioche with a topknot)

Preparazione

1. Weigh the blanched almonds dry (200 g), place them in a bowl, cover them with plenty of cold water and let them soak for 6 hours (or overnight) in the refrigerator. If you only have almonds with skins, blanch them for 1 minute, drain them and slip off the skins by pressing them between your fingers. Do not toast them: the flavor must remain delicate and milky, and the color ivory white. Drain and rinse them.
2. Put the drained almonds in the blender with the 400 ml of cold water and blend for a long time, until you obtain a smooth, white liquid with no bits. Pour the mixture into a fine-mesh strainer lined with cheesecloth and squeeze the pulp well with your hands to extract all the milk: the cheesecloth guarantees a silky milk with no residue.
3. Pour the almond milk into a large bowl, add the sugar, a pinch of salt and 2 drops of orange blossom water. Cold, the sugar dissolves slowly: whisk vigorously for 3-4 minutes, until no grains remain on the bottom. Then place the mixture in the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes, until well chilled.
4. Pour the cold mixture into a shallow, wide baking dish, so the cold reaches it quickly and evenly, and place it in the freezer covered with a lid. Every 30-45 minutes, open and scrape the surface with a fork, breaking the crystals that form and moving those on the edges toward the center. Repeat for about 4 hours: the granita will then have a sandy texture, without freezing solid. When ready, it should be made of shiny, loose flakes, cold but easy to stir with a spoon.
5. Serve the granita in well-chilled glasses (you can keep them in the freezer for a few minutes beforehand) together with the brioche col tuppo at room temperature, to be broken and dipped into the granita, as tradition dictates. If you like, to revive the brioche, warm it in the oven at 160°C for 2-3 minutes: it must stay soft inside. Serve immediately, because the granita melts quickly.