Italian
Silvia’s Masterclass
From
Silvia’s Masterclass
season
4
episode
2
Sicilian Coffee Granita
With
Silvia Colloca
PREP
10
MINS
SERVES
4
About this recipe
A true island ritual.
Not just a dessert, but a moment. In fact, Sicilians have this for breakfast!
This is the home version. Sicilian purists, look away! Or go with the flow and take this as a loving homage to your rich culture!
Ingredients
- 500 ml strong espresso or moka coffee, cooled
- 300 ml water
- 80 g caster sugar, or to taste
- 200 ml thickened cream
- 1 tbsp icing sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract, optional plus 1 vanilla bean, scraped (optional)
Method
1. Make the coffee and, while it is still hot, stir in the sugar until completely dissolved. Stir in the 300 ml water and allow to cool to room temperature.
2. Pour the sweetened coffee into a shallow freezer-safe tray (about 20 x 30 cm and 3 cm deep) in a thin, even layer so it freezes quickly and evenly. Freeze until completely solid, preferably overnight.
3. When ready to serve, remove the dish from the freezer and leave it to stand for a few minutes, just until the edges begin to soften slightly. Using a fork, scrape the surface of the frozen coffee to create fine, fluffy ice crystals. Continue scraping and breaking up the ice until you have a light, granular texture. If the granita begins to melt too much, return it to the freezer for a few minutes before scraping again.
4. Meanwhile, whip the cream with the icing sugar and vanilla until softly whipped.
5. Spoon the coffee granita into chilled glasses or small bowls and top generously with freshly whipped cream. Serve immediately.
Silvia Colloca
Silvia Colloca is an Italian-born food writer, opera singer, TV producer and host. She has authored seven cookbooks, including Silvia’s Cucina, Made in Italy, La Dolce Vita, Love, Laugh, Bake!, Simple Italian (2024), and The Italian Homecook (2025), all published by Penguin.
Silvia’s most recent television work is Silvia’s Italian Masterclass (Channel 10), with its latest season airing in October 2025. The series is currently funding for Season 4. She has also appeared as a special guest on SBS’s Mastermind in 2025. Her earlier TV credits include the SBS Food series Cook Like an Italian, which has screened internationally across three seasons, as well as Made in Italy with Silvia Colloca (SBS), filmed on location in the Le Marche and Abruzzo regions and earning her a 2015 TV WEEK Logie Award nomination for Best New Talent. She also co-wrote, co-produced and hosted the ABC prime-time series Silvia’s Italian Table in 2016.
Outside of food and television, Silvia has enjoyed a career as a celebrated opera singer and actress. In 2022, she released her debut solo classical album with Universal Music, which topped the Classical Charts for over 20 weeks. That same year, she performed with Andrea Bocelli at his Sydney concert, a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Inspiration Starts Here
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