Want to know the best way to beat the heat? Find out why Italian lemon ice is even better than ice cool lemonade and how you can easily make some at home.
The mere thought of lemon ice is enough to make your mouth water. There is no flavor of Italian ice that stands in comparison to the popularity of Italian lemon ice. The reasons for this are fairly obvious. Isn’t it great to have a nice cold glass of lemonade on a hot and sunny day? Well having tangy Italian lemon ice is even better. Lemon ice serves as a great revitalizing frozen food item during the summers and is loved by ladies, gentlemen and children of all ages.
The origins of Italian lemon ice
The proper name for lemon ice from Italy is actually lemon granita. What is granita and where does it come from? When we trace back the origins of the Italian ice we find that the dessert item takes its inspiration from the Arabs that were once occupying the land. The Arabs were very fond of dessert and they used to make a special slush like drink known as the Sharbat. Basically it was a drink that was made using mountain snow and fresh fruit flavoring. The Italian granita is a localized version of the sharbat although not the same. Over the years it developed into Italian ice and actually become quite famous throughout the rest of Europe.
Making the Italian lemon ice
This delicious treat can be made using minimal ingredients in very little time. All you need is some water, sugar, salt, fresh lemon juice, finely grated fresh lemons and some lemon extract. The way to make it is that you add some sugar into the water and bring it to simmer over the stove. Make sure to completely dissolve the sugar into the water. The next thing is to add the salt and take the pan off of the stove. Let the water cool down while stirring it at room temperature. Now you should place a cover on the jar and refrigerate for about an hour.
In the mean time you should place an empty large metal container the size of a large cake pan in the freezer to chill. Take out the chilled liquid from the fridge and add the lemon juice, lemon peel and the extract into it and stir to blend it all together. Now pour the contents into the chilled metal pan and place it in the freezer until you see ice crystals forming around the edges. This should take around one hour max. Stir the ice crystals and bring them to the center of the pan and place the container back in the freezer. Repeat the above process every half hour until the liquid is crystallized. Avoid completely freezing the ice. Your Italian lemon ice is now ready to be served by taking out scoops into chilled dessert bowls. The process is relatively simple and not something that you can drastically go wrong with. If it so happens that your Italian ice freezes up completely you can always scrape it with a metal spoon and break it up to serve it.
