Coffee Pecan Granita Summer Drink

A wise man once said: ‘If you got a Blender, you got yourself a great Summer Drink!’ …Actually I just made it up…but it’s pretty wise. 🙂

Every year we spend a good chunk of our summer time in Israel. Israel is such a great place for a vacation – it is so alive and there is always something to do or things to see. For me it is also a great opportunity to get together with my family and friends. Seeing my kids play with their cousins and friends and create summer memories just warms my heart…

When I catch up with family and friends it is usually over a coffee. Israelis LOVE coffee! In fact, if someone had to create an ingredient list of an Israeli it would definitely include theses two major ingredients: Coffee and Summer…and you have to admit; coffee and summer go so well together!

one of our coffee stops in Israel…

and another coffee stop…

After spending substantial time in restaurants and cafés in Israel this summer, I declare the Coffee Pecan Granita as the official drink of this summer! Israelis call this frozen drink Granita, which is shaved lightly frozen flavored ice. Here, it would probably be called Frappuccino. Whether you call it Granita or Frappuccino, this frozen drink combo of coffee and caramelized pecans will just make your summer!

Get your friends over and your blender and get to it!

You will need:

[serving 3-4 people]

1½ cup (12 oz.) Concentrated Coffee*
[or 2 double Espresso shot (120 ml.)]

1 cup Caramelized Pecan (150 gr.)

¾ – 1 cup Milk

¾ cup+ (4 oz.) Condensed Milk

(lots of) Ice Cubes

Let’s do this:

A Word about Coffee

If you consider yourself a serious coffee person, you probably have a serious coffee machine at home. So, for the coffee ingredient in this drink you will need two double shots of espresso (this recipe serves 3-4). If you do not have a coffee machine just yet ( like yours truly 🙂 ), you can make your own strong concentrated coffee: all you need is ground coffee and water. I used Turkish coffee because it is the most serious, strongest coffee I know… Whatever you use to make concentrated coffee the ratio I like is 1 cup of ground coffee to 6 cups of water.

To make just enough concentrated coffee for this recipe, use 1/3 cup of ground Turkish coffee or any kind of ground coffee you like and 2 cups of hot boiling water. Mix it well and let it cool at room temperature. Once the mixture has cooled, cover with plastic wrap and transfer to the refrigerator to rest overnight. In the morning strain the coffee mixture through a strainer and cheesecloth. I find Turkish coffee to be super grainy, but any coffee needs straining. See how much stuff we are straining out? Keep concentrated coffee in a sealed jar and chill in the refrigerator.

O.K. the work is over! All that is left to do now is to get all the ingredients into the blender and press the button. The only rule you’ll have to keep in mind for a successful frozen drink is to use chilled ingredients.

Pour the chilled concentrated coffee mix in.
In need for more coffee today? Maybe less? The measurements here are just a recommendation. Make it your own!

Got Milk?
Add cold milk to the party.

I LOVE caramelized pecans and their flavor goes so well with coffee! I actually keep caramelized pecans in the freezer.
Throw in the caramelized pecans.

Condensed milk goes in. This not only adds sweetness, but also enhances the milk flavor and helps to create a creamy texture. But just know that you can sub the condensed milk with ANY sweetener of your choice.

It’s time to add ice cubes …and add some more…
don’t be shy with the ice – add it almost to the top.