Create a simple summer treat to satisfy your sweet tooth. Our guide, how to make Italian ice, reveals the easy steps to make the flavored ice (also known as "Granita"). Try a variety of sweet, fruity and sophisticated flavors.

Italian ice, otherwise known as "granita," is a refreshing, melt-in-your-mouth dessert that's a sophisticated cross between a snow cone and a slush. Most often created with a flavored sugar and water mixture, Italian ice can also be made by freezing a variety of liquids from fruit juice or pureed fruits to espresso or wine.

1. Combine liquids like water and fruit juice with sugar to form the Italian ice base.
2. Pour the mixture into a shallow, freezer-safe dish.
3. Freeze the mixture for about an hour, until ice crystals begin to form on the edge.
4. Use a fork to stir the mixture and return the mixture to the freezer.
5. Repeat the stirring and freezing process every 20 minutes until the dessert resembles crushed ice.

• Italian ice can be flavored with a multitude of liquids. Following is a basic recipe to create a simple lemon granita. The instructions can be applied to most any Italian ice variation, so feel free to substitute lemon juice with the juice of your choice.

• 3 cups water

• 1 cup sugar

• 1 cup lemon juice

• 3 tablespoons lemon zest

• Saucepan

• Stove

• Spoon

• 9x13 freezer-safe baking dish

• Freezer

• Fork

• Once you've gathered the ingredients, create this recipe that makes four to six servings in about two hours (which is mostly freezing time).

1. Simmer the water and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat.Recipezaar: Italian Lemon Ice Granita
2. Stir and simmer until the sugar is dissolved.Recipezaar: Italian Lemon Ice Granita
3. Let the syrup cool.Epicurious: Lemon Granita
4. Stir in the lemon juice and zest.About.com: Granita Lemoni: Lemon Granita
5. Place the baking dish into the freezer for 30 to 60 minutes, until you can see ice crystals around the edges of the Italian ice.Recipezaar: Italian Lemon Ice Granita
6. Stir the syrup with a fork to blend the ice crystals into the mixture.Recipezaar: Lemon Granita
7. Place the dish back in the freezer.
8. Repeat the stirring process every 20 minutes.NPR: Kitchen Window: General Granita-Making Method
   • -If you used a smaller baking dish to freeze your granita (like an 8-inch-by-8-inch dish), stir the mixture every 40 minutes instead to give the thicker layer more time to freeze.NPR: Kitchen Window: General Granita-Making Method
9. The Italian ice is ready to serve once it has the consistency of crushed ice.Recipezaar: Lemon Granita
10. Store the ice in an airtight container in the freezer.Recipezaar: Lemon Granita
    • YouTube Video: Granita-Italian Ice (Time: 4:14)

• The simple Italian ice recipe is a blank canvas for sweet and savory flavors. Try one of these variations to suit your mood or to serve as a complement to your meal.

1. Turn brewed espresso into Italian ice with a sophisticated flavor.Martha Stewart: Espresso Granita
2. Make Italian ice for the adults by adding alcohol like orange liqueur and white rum or vodka.All Recipes: Pomegranate Granita
3. Add soda water to give the Italian ice a lively fizz.BBC Food: Lemonade Granita
4. Turn your Italian ice into a snow cone by pouring flavored syrup over shaved ice.Food Network: Italian Ice Recipe
5. The addition of tarragon gives the ice a slightly savory flavor.Emeril's: Apple Tarragon Granita
6. Use watermelon puree to give the Italian ice a fresh, fruity flavor.Emeril's: My First Watermelon Granita
7. Italian ice becomes a sophisticated appetizer using a flavorful tomato puree and topped with veggies.Epicurious: Sherry Tomato Granita (July 2008)
8. Add spice with Thai red chilies.Food and Wine: Pineapple Granita with Chile and Mint
9. Use a sugar substitute in place of sugar to create a sugar-free version.Recipezaar: Strawberry Italian Ice
10. Combine flavors like pineapple, papaya and coconut to create a tropical ice.Food Network: Tropical Granita
11. Apple juice, cinnamon and nutmeg creates an Italian ice that tastes like apple pie.Food and Wine: Apple Pie Granita (August 2007)