Almond Granita

This recipe was born of a deeply rooted food memory. This is the drink that Renato remembers from his childhood summers spent in Sicily. The almond granita of his youth—icy, nutty, almost milky, and scented with a hint of cinnamon—provided sweet relief from the hot African sirocco winds, and it was usually served at breakfast with a sweet brioche. Our almond granita is an adaptation of the one Renato’s mother used to serve, and it is just as thirst quenching on a hot summer day.